Author: WBEZ Chicago

Real estate developer Related Midwest bought the 62-acre site (known as The 78) back in 2016. On Tuesday, it broke ground for the Chicago Fire’s new soccer stadium. The project’s developers have made many promises to the city from affordable housing, economic growth and developed riverfront. But some residents of neighboring communities still have concerns. To find out what these concerns are and how developers, sports organizations and neighbors can all work together, In the Loop hears from Sarah Tang with the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community and Roderick Wilson with Lugenia Burns Hope Center. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Chicago’s premiere alt-weekly has been a hub for art, music, and local investigations since the 1970s. Following a brief hiatus from print, the Chicago Reader is returning to print with a fresh approach to its locally-rooted writing and reporting. We check in with the Reader’s editor-in-chief Sarah Conway, and features writer Katie Prout, on how its team is building on the legacy of the Reader to create a renewed vision for community-focused journalism. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

About 17 of the 32 people charged with nonimmigration crimes during Operation Midway Blitz have had their cases dropped with no convictions. Regardless, the toll that comes with federal prosecution doesn't just disappear as soon as the case does. In the Loop talks to Jocelyne Robledo, a defendant of one of the 17 failed prosecution cases and with Jon Seidel, Chicago Sun-Times federal courts reporter. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Six Illinois Democrats boycott President Trump’s State of the Union address. Meanwhile, Governor Pritzker demands a $8.6 billion refund for Illinois taxpayers after the Supreme Court rules against Trump tariffs. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng, WTTW anchor and host Brandis Friedman and WBEZ investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Who gets to be an American citizen? And what rights does citizenship afford? Those questions are explored in the new book, “Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth.” Local author Daisy Hernández blends personal stories with a retrospective on how citizenship was initially constructed and how it’s changed over time. In the Loop sits down with the author to discuss. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Chicago — like so many other frigid American cities — can’t seem to kick its dependence on road salt. In our last episode, we learned how winter weather on both ends of the thermometer can impact the local economy. Some businesses come out on top during the coldest winters: auto mechanics repairing cars when they hit a pothole, snow plow companies shoveling out small businesses and rock salt providers when the roads get icy. But chloride from salt is harmful to both our natural and built environments. You’d be hard-pressed to find a cold-weather community that avoids road salt altogether, but we found one! In this encore presentation, we visit a place way up north, Mackinac Island, Michigan. Dominick Miller, chief of marketing at the Mackinac State Historic Parks, tells us about how the island deals with snow and ice in the winter without laying down a single grain of salt. And it has a lot to do with the fact that cars have been banned on Mackinac Island for over a century.

A racial slur at the British Film Awards is the latest of several recent public racist incidents that have left Black people feeling dehumanized and disrespected. Today on In the Loop, how much longer will Black and Brown people be asked to extend grace that they are often not afforded? We talk about healing from racial trauma with Pilar Audain, associate director of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Greater Chicago; Brandon Pope, president of the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; and Danielle Robinson Bell, associate professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Each Chicago winter’s wintery-ness has big implications for your sanity and your wallet. That led one Curious City listener to ask us if mild winters have a noticeable effect on the local economy.

In 2024, Republicans won on an anti-immigrant platform. Vice President Kamala Harris had a “tough on the border” message. Now, Democratic candidates for Congress and Senate are rallying around an anti-extreme immigration enforcement message, while some pundits warn that immigration could cost Republicans in the midterm. In the Loop discusses what changed and how strategists make calculations of what will move voters. Our panel today: Jason DeSanto, senior lecturer in the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Democratic debate strategist, and Diego Morales, organizer, PUÑO (Pilsen Rapid Response Network). For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court decided that President Trump’s global tariffs on imported goods were unconstitutional. With Trump promising to find other ways to impose his tariffs, small business owners are unsure of how or if they’ll get their entitled refunds. In the Loop spoke with Stephen Woldenberg, Senior Vice President of Sales for Learning Resources, the Vernon Hills-based business that led the charge to bring the legal case to the country’s highest court. Plus, we talk to Cécile Shea, nonresident senior fellow on security and diplomacy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.