Justin Kaufmann

Educator, organizer and poet Kevin Coval joins Justin to discuss his new book, “Everything Must Go.” Kevin talks about why he wrote this book of poems, how the story of gentrification is universal, why artists were drawn to the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, what attracted him to that area of the city, how the characters he met in the neighborhood have influenced his work, how artists are often the first to gentrify a neighborhood and why artists should use their […]

47th Ward Alderman Matt Martin joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about the budget priorities of the Progressive Reform Caucus, what he expects from Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s budget and if she is on the same fiscal page as the progressive caucus and where the progressive caucus stands in the ongoing negotiations between the CTU and CPS. This is the podcast for Extension 720. The show originates from Chicago on WGN Radio and features newsmakers, tastemakers and trailblazers.  Hosted by […]

It’s “The Download on Chicago Business” sponsored by Signature Bank. Tonight, Justin speaks with Frank Ruffolo of the Franco’s Restaurant Group, a restaurant group that owns five different restaurants in Chicago. Frank talks about what it takes to be a restaurant group, how growing up in the restaurant business helps him now, the amount of work it takes to run a small business, how they are able to survive in such a competitive industry, why good customer service is imperative to […]

Tonight on Extension 720: A man shoots a woman in broad daylight. The police hunt him down. He shoots police. Police shoot him. The end? Still a lot of unanswered questions about this weekend and we have  the Chicago Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner to help sort out the details. Also, the future of work is bleak. A study says we may lose up to half the jobs we count on in 20 years. So what will we do besides host talk […]

Chicago hip hop artist Towkio joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about his new song, “Billi,” how his sound has evolved and how he has evolved as an artist, his attraction to EDM and why dance is important to the music he produces, his previous work now being available on streaming platforms, the sexual assault allegations that were leveled against him earlier this year and what he’s learned from the experience. We also debut a brand new song called […]

In this Extension 720 series, Chicago historian John R. Schmidt takes us on a tour of Chicago’s “Hidden Chicago Landmarks.” Tonight, John and Justin get out of the WGN studio to learn more about just who is buried in Logan’s Tomb. John talks about what we know about Civil War General John Logan and Logan’s Tomb, how much money it took to build Logan’s Tomb, why Chicago wanted Logan to be buried in Chicago, the incredible sculpture at Logan’s Tomb and how the […]

Joan Lynch and Ramona Schindelheim join Justin on Extension 720 to discuss WorkingNation, a news operation that tells stories about the future of work. Joan and Ramona talk about using stories to tackle the changing landscape of employment, why storytelling is a great teaching tool to prepare people for the future of work, the importance of learning new skills to keep up with technology, the evolving nature of what a job is, what employment means to a community, the challenge […]

Tonight on Extension 720: The great guitarist George Freeman stops by to talk about his marvelous career and to play a few songs off of his new record, “George the Bomb!” EXPO CHICAGO is bringing the center of the contemporary art world to Chicago this weekend and Justin chats with three curators about the importance of the art fair to the city. We learn about a new art exhibition on the Green Line created by the Floating Museum art collective. […]

Curator Kimberly J. Soenen joins Justin on Extension 720 to discuss the “Some People” (Every) Body exhibition where 70+ artists have come together to explore health and healthcare. Kimberly talks about where the idea for this group exhibition comes from, why she chooses to take on the health care topic through art, what she asks from the artists and physicians that are part of the exhibit, how social media has inspired the exhibition, the diversity of the ensemble of artists […]

Floating Museum co-directors Faheem Majeed and Andrew Schachman joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about the Cultural Transit Assembly, the latest public art initiative from Chicago’s Floating Museum collective. Faheem and Andrew talk about what the Floating Museum is, where the idea for the Floating Museum comes from, the city of Chicago’s investment to public art, the authenticity of a pop-up exhibition, the direct connection between art and public spaces and why they chose the Green Line for this […]