Looped In: Chicago

The clock is ticking for the city of Chicago to replace all lead pipes that deliver drinking water. That deadline is over five decades away, but residents can still feel overwhelmed with how to advocate for their own safety. On today's episode, we speak with representatives from the Alliance for The Great Lakes, the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, and water innovation hub Current on what's happening with our H20, and why.
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Sources used:
WTTW
FDA.govDNA InfoWorld Wildlife FundBlock Club ChicagoKYW 1060AM, PhiladelphiaNatural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

For more information on our contributors:
Current
Alliance for the Great Lakes

Listener discretion advised due to language

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Each year, Chicago mentorship organization BUILD hosts an inspiring event bringing youth from under-resourced neighborhoods together with area business, media and thought leaders, who have lived a similar experience. On this week's episode, we hear from BUILD's staff about their mission and recent expansion, as well as those who have benefitted from the program, past and present.

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Sources used:

cdc.govpewresearch.org

WHNS News

U.S. Dept. of Education
For more information on our contributors:
BUILD

Chicago Sinfonietta

Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern

The Gilded Age was a time in America for railroads, industrial booms and, of course, secret societies. In this special Saint Patrick’s Day episode, we follow the story of the Clan Na Gaels in Chicago during the 1880’s and how a handful of Irishman got the holiday celebrations canceled. 

This episode includes a story told by the author of the book "Blood Runs Green: The Murder That Transfixed Gilded Age Chicago," Dr. Gillian O'Brien. 

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Sources: 

https://www.enjoyillinois.com/travel-illinois/the-history-of-chicago-river-dyeing/

https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/teaching_packages/early_chicago/doc23.html

https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/158805

Hunt, Henry M. The Crime of the Century; or, The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin. A complete and authentic history of the greatest of modern conspiracies. University of California Libraries. Chicago : H.L. & D. H. Kochersperger, 1889. · McEnnis, John T., The Clan-Na-Gael and the Murder of Dr. Cronin. San Francisco: G. P. Woodward, 1889.Free full text on the internet archive: https://archive.org/details/clannagaelmurder00mcenrich

In a special Friday release, we look at the Gilded Age of Chicago where one of the first celebrations of St. Patty's Day didn't happen due to secret societies, a murder and violent protests.

Make sure to subscribe to Courier Pigeon so you don't miss this special episode.

Between the advent of radio and film, but before the television revolution, comic books became a popular way to transport kids to different worlds, without leaving home. But what about beyond the page? In this episode of Courier Pigeon, we are exploring Black stories in comics. We sat down with cartoonists, historians and more to see what representation truly means. 

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Sources Used:

Roadside America

Superman Homepage

Case Western Reserve University

Times of Israel

Nerdist

PBS.org

Comic Book Resources

IGN.com

Thanks to our interviewees:

John Siuntres: Website

Daryle Lockhart: Website

Turtel Onli: Website

Third Coast Comics: Website

Damon L. Fordham: Twitter

Steenz: Website

Whether it’s a huge heavy metal band touring the world, or a local rapper setting up a small, BYOB show, whatever cash artists take home plays a significant role in their ability to continue creating. In our second episode of a two-part series on unconventional performance venues, host Mai Martinez explores ways in which these spaces give Chicagoans different opportunities to monetize their talents, and marginalized artists the power to expand their reach.

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Sources Used:

MovieTheaterPrices.com

CriticalImprov.com

More information on our sources:

American Aquarium: Instagram

Bryan Schroth: Instagram

Kenya Elan: Instagram

Joe Tyse: Instagram

For every long-standing theater or music club in Chicago, there’s an independent venue in an unexpected place: your neighborhood plant shop, a century-old church, or even someone’s living room. Taking on a more do-it-yourself approach allows particular artists to make their mark by having a more direct relationship with longtime fans, while also introducing themselves to new audiences. This week, in the first of a two-part series, host Mai Martinez examines how four particular performers – musicians David Bazan and Andrew Bird, comedian/writer Kenya Elan and DIY producer DC – are paving their own way in this regard.

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Sources Used:

ChicagoHistory.org

Chicago Tribune

More information on our sources:

David Bazan: Website

Andrew Bird: Website

Fourth Presbyterian Church: Website

Kenya Elan: Instagram

In Chicago, with every heavy snowfall comes something even heavier: The debate on dibs. While no laws on the books protect your automobile's spot on the street, it's a respected tradition for many that spans generations. For others, it seems ridiculous to respect a chair, a crib, a piano or anything else taking up prime real estate in a city already rife with parking issues. This week on Courier Pigeon, we dig our shovels into the history of dibs, getting the pro's and con's from citizens and asking what, if anything, can be done to make both sides happy.

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Sources Used:
Chicago Tribune

Chicago Magazine

Accuweather.com

More information on our sources:
Cook County Sheriff's Office

Chicago History Museum

Gery Chico: LinkedIn

Adam Selzer: Website

Nicholas Papaleo: Website

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Courier Pigeon is a new podcast from WBBM that will highlight trending topics in Chicagoland. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, tweet at us: @WBBMPodcasts.

Following states like Colorado and Washington, Illinois passed its own Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act almost three years ago, permitting that the drug can be sold and taxed similarly to alcohol. But hurdles such as financing and ensuring social equity remain, so diverse dispensary owners can be on similar footing. This week on Courier Pigeon, we examine the hurdles of Illinois' marijuana legalities, and how one area community college is educating and certifying the state's future cannabis entrepreneurs. 

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Sources:

Mike Krasuer from WBBM NewsRadio

Marijuana Business Daily
ForbesBlock Club ChicagoCBS News ChicagoChicago.govNew England Journal of MedicinePew ResearchDrug Policy AllianceACLU of Illinois

On this week's Courier Pigeon, Planned Parenthood of Illinois and the ACLU of Illinois helps us track the affects of Roe v. Wade being overturned this past summer and what's next for abortions rights across the Midwest.

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More information on our sources:

Brigid Leahy: Planned Parenthood

Ashley Gray: Center for Reproductive Rights 

Ameri Klafeta: ACLU of Illinois 

Sources Used:

University of Colorado Boulder 

UChicago Medicine 

The Washington Post

University of Michigan Ross

NPR

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Courier Pigeon is a new podcast from WBBM that will highlight trending topics in Chicagoland. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, tweet at us: @WBBMPodcasts.