Author: WBEZ Chicago

The U.S. withdrew from the World Health Organization in January, citing an alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, states like California and Illinois are taking matters into their own hands and joining the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, or GOARN. In the Loop sits down with Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health; Ameya Pawar, president and CEO of Michael Reese Health Trust; and Dr. Emily Landon, infectious disease specialist at University of Chicago. We find out more about how joining this network will protect Illinois residents and how this keeps the state informed about potential public health threats. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

An Amazon data center is set to break ground in Hobart, Ind., this spring. Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun says the company will pay the $47 million upfront which could be used for infrastructure improvements. But residents say they still have not received a site plan and are asking for independent environmental impact studies. In the Loop hears from Angelita Soriano, a Hobart resident, and Jen Walling, executive director for the Illinois Environmental Council, which is supporting legislation that would put guardrails on data centers’ impact on the environment. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Online retail behemoth Amazon is closing all of its branded grocery stores — but already has the greenlight to experiment with a new retail idea: a “first-of-its-kind Amazon superstore” that is coming to south suburban Orland Park. Is this the future of retail, and what does it mean for local businesses and residents? In The Loop finds out more about the approved plan and if it could be a potential blueprint for more “superstores.” We hear from Jim Dodge, mayor of Orland Park, and Steve Caine, partner and retail expert with Bain & Company. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Chicago City Council advances plan to strengthen enforcement of the Welcoming City Ordinance. THC drinks have come to the United Center. A Congressional Budget Office report shows $21 million was spent on deploying the National Guard to Chicago for “Operation Midway Blitz”.In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Fox 32’s Paris Schutz, WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos and Carrie Shepherd of AXIOS Chicago. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

There’s hardly a better example of how Chicago’s old buildings keep finding new life than a three-story place on Champlain Avenue in Woodlawn, just half a block south of Washington Park. Built back in 1923, the building has been a synagogue, then home to several Christian congregations. Today, it’s something entirely different. Part single-family home, part creative workspace, part artists club — and still a work in progress. Even some of the original materials are being reused. In the Loop gets a tour of the space from Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business senior real estate reporter, and Amber Ginsburg, artist, teacher and civic director of the Narrow Bridge Arts Club. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

After the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minnesota, fear, anger, and organizing have surged in communities already on edge. In the Loop checks in with Jered Weber-Johnson, Rector of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in St. Paul and Brandt Williams, senior editor at Minnesota Public Radio about how residents are pushing back and calling for federal agents to leave town. Then, we bring the conversation home and hear from Miguel Alvelo Rivera, member of the Northwest Side Rapid Response Team in Chicago. What could this escalation signal for the Chicago area, as federal agents are expected to return this spring? For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

The field to replace longtime Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is a crowded one: 16 people are vying for the nomination. Leading in the polls are Congresswoman Robin Kelly, representing Illinois’ 2nd district, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois’ 8th district and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. For a sense on where they stand on key issues, WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times, the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and International House hosted a U.S. Senate Democratic Primary debate ahead of the March 17th primary. The rules of the debate: Candidates had two minutes to answer a question, and 30 seconds for a rebuttal at the moderators’ discretion. They also had a chance to make opening and closing remarks – two minutes for opening and one minute for closing. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

For the first time, when the EPA is considering new limits on air pollution, it will no longer estimate the monetary cost of lives saved from regulations. Instead it will only calculate the cost of the rules for companies. The Trump administration says this will rectify “misleading” data about the benefit of regulations, but experts warn this could make it easier to roll back gains made from the Clean Air Act of 1970. In the Loop discusses how this move could impact our health with Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs at the Respiratory Health Association, Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility and Anthony Moser, board president Neighbors 4 Environmental Justice. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Why did Chicago just agree to ban some hemp products? Who is falling behind in the race to replace Sen. Dick Durbin? And did a Chicago landlord tip off ICE? In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap with Tahman Bradley, WGN political editor, Bob Herguth, Chicago Sun-Times investigative reporter, and Mack Liederman, Block Club Chicago reporter. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.