Looped In: Chicago

This coming March, the ballot box will see a vote on Bring Chicago Home, an ordinance to determine if taxes should be increased on the sale of high-end properties -- ranging from residences to office buildings, valued at $1 million or more -- in order to fund programs to battle the city's homelessness crisis. Today, host Jim Hanke speaks with guests on both sides of the issue: Former mayoral candidate Paul Vallas, currently an adviser with the Illinois Policy Institute, says that this tax would fall directly on commercial real estate owners who are already seeing declines in value, while Dixon Romeo (executive director of Not Me We, a grassroots community group in South Shore) advocates that the increase in taxes is minimal, and that this move could raise a projected $100 million annually to fund permanent supportive housing.

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This is an encore presentation of a previous Looped In: Chicago episode from July 2023, in honor Veterans Day.

Since 2008 the Chicago hub for Honor Flight -- a nationwide non-profit -- has flown more than 10,000 US veterans to Washington, DC at no cost, in order to pay respect to their bravery and sacrifice. And in recent years, Vietnam veterans (who have notably struggled with various aspects of PTSD) have become Honor Flight's main beneficiaries. On today's episode, we follow a veteran from Oak Lawn and his daughter on their journey with Honor Flight, and learn how the organization is benefitting these military heroes almost 50 years since their service.

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On this second half of a two-part episode, longtime WXRT disc jockey Terri Hemmert chats with WBBM anchor and resident radio-history buff Rob Hart about her 50 years on-air in Chicago, and educating students at Columbia College about how music and civil rights intersect. Be sure to tune into our first episode with Terri, awaiting you in your podcast feed.

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For five decades, Terri Hemmert has been a voice that Chicagoans rely on not just for new music or Beatles factoids, but for being an advocate of the arts. Inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2010, she first joined the on-air staff of WXRT in 1973, becoming the first female drive-time host on a Chicago rock radio station. Still, she humbly admits that her giddiness to play records and connect with her audience pushed her career more so than blazing trails. Whether as a disc jockey or as an instructor at Columbia College, the city's appreciation for Hemmert as an educator is limitless, as shown last week, when 93XRT celebrated Hemmert's 50th anniversary with the station. In this first of a two-part episode, WBBM anchor and resident radio-history buff Rob Hart sits down with Hemmert to discuss her journey from small-town Ohio to the airwaves of Chicago. 

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The last 7 days of October marked National Magic Week, to honor the infamous Houdini. But in a world of technology and CGI, where does magic fit in? 

In this week's episode of Looped In: Chicago, host Arielle Raveney visits a local, popular magic venue to see if wonder still exists in the modern world. 

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Mentioned in the Episode: The Chicago Magic Lounge | Magician Ben Barnes

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See Photos of the Event Here 

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From clothing stores to pharmacies, retail accounts for about one-fifth of Illinois' workforce and is the second-largest revenue generator in the state. So as crash-and-grab robberies (those that use the force of a large vehicle to break the entrance of a store) continue to rise, how does this affect our safety and our economy? This week, host Jim Hanke speaks with Rob Karr, President/CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association -- or, IRMA -- to find out how the organization works with state representatives to deter these ram-and-raid crime sprees, as well as balances the needs of both national chains and local independent stores.

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Chicagoland's rich architectural history means that some of its most well-known buildings are approaching 200 years of existence. So with Halloween approaching, we were curious: Do the spirits of people who lived or worked there still inhabit them?

On this week's episode, you'll hear theories around the science behind ghosts and the paranormal, as well as actual audio from an investigation host Arielle Raveney went on with Chicago's local Ghost Research Society -- inside the oldest limestone roundhouse in the nation, owned by Two Brothers Brewery in Aurora.

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Featured in the Episode: The Ghost Research Society | Two Brothers Roundhouse

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Check out Photos from our Adventure Here 

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Just before passing away earlier this month, 104-year-old Dorothy Hoffner of Chicago completed a record-setting tandem skydive, potentially becoming the oldest person to ever do so. On this week's episode, host Jim Hanke showcases audio from WBBM reporter Nancy Harty -- highlighting interviews with both Dorothy herself and close friend Joe Conant -- learning how skydiving became a passion for Dorothy in her golden years. Plus, WBBM social media editor AnnMarie Welser discusses her experience filming the skydive from the plane.

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Chicago's sanctuary city status has been put to the test as 18,000 Asylum Seekers have been bussed and flown here since August of last year. As busses continue to arrive by the dozen a day, how is the city grappling with this humanitarian crisis? 

In this weeks episode of Looped In: Chicago, host Arielle Raveney speaks with WBBM reporters about community reaction, budget funding, and more. 

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Mentioned in the Episode: The Resurrection Project | The Nikolas Lee Foundation |

Alderman Budget Reaction

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As fall rolls in, the time of school sports is upon us. But what exactly does this look like for the kids and teens who play? 

In this week's episode, we take a look at some of the barriers, benefits and psychological effects that youth sports have on young folks with WBBM Sport Reporters Rick Gregg and Josh Liss. 

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Mentioned in the Episode: The Sports Shed | Top Tier North Baseball Club

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