Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates joins Lisa Dent to discuss Governor Pritzker saying there isn’t money “just lying around” in Springfield to fund Chicago schools. Amid a Chicago Public Schools budget proposal that plans to defer a $175 million pension payment, Gates refutes the governor’s statement saying “that answer was very unserious” and that, compared to downstate, Chicago gives more than it receives.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Steve Dolinsky, founder/author “Pizza City” Tours, Books, Fest & Podcast; The Food Guy at Levy Restaurants; and former food reporter at NBC 5 and ABC 7 Chicago, joins Lisa Dent to talk about Pizza Fest coming up this weekend. Dolinsky previews the wide range of pizzas that people will encounter from fresh ovens cooked on-site.

Ald. Ray Lopez, 15th Ward, joins Lisa Dent to discuss South West side communities asking for relief after several heavy rainstorms caused flooding in the area. Ald. Lopez and other officials are calling on the city to do more to prevent flooding in their districts.

Pat Brady, former chairman for the Illinois Republican Party and a former federal and state prosecutor, joins Lisa Dent to talk about the Lincoln Forum. Brady reviews conversations held during the forum. He previews a proposed amendment to the Illinois constitution that targets gerrymandering. Then, Brady talks about Texas and California’s congressional map proposals.

Angelina Gear, sales and marketing manager for Visit Kankakee County, joins Lisa Dent and Kankakee’s very own Steve Bertrand to talk about the Kankakee River Regatta, which is coming up on Labor Day Weekend. Gear highlights what people can expect form the regatta and all that Kankakee offers.

Monica Eng, reporter for Axios, joins Lisa Dent to talk about the Federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Under the provisions in the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ 360,000 Illinois residents risk losing SNAP benefits. Eng shares who might be affected and the financial cost of the changes for the state.

WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Demetrius Ivory joins Lisa Dent to discuss the latest floods. Ivory shares his thoughts on how municipalities might address the flood damage, and how water runoff is crucial to preventing more catastrophic flooding. Then, he shares some numbers on this summer’s rainfall before giving a 7 day forecast.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins Lisa Dent to talk about the markets, the future of the fed chair position, and more. And, as always, she answers questions from listeners.