Author: WBEZ Chicago

As federal agents continue to do immigration enforcement across the Chicago area, they frequently deploy chemical munitions like tear gas and smoke bombs on protesters. What’s inside these weapons? What are their health effects or environmental impacts? In the Loop hears from Dr. Monica Peek, physician and health disparities researcher and a national board member of Physicians for Human Rights and from Oscar Sanchez, co-executive director, Southeast Environmental Task Force. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Unlike during the government shutdown in 2018-2019, the USDA is not using contingency funds to cover the cost of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. This means that nearly two million people in Illinois will have their benefits paused starting on November 1 if the government does not change course. In the Loop hears from Aubrey Lewandowski, a local SNAP recipient and from Nolan Downey, senior director of policy at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

For our series What’s That Building, a haunting story from a small Illinois town that’s puzzled people for nearly 150 years. Two young girls, one living and one long dead, and a mysterious connection that defied explanation. It’s known as the “Watseka Wonder” and it all happened just 80 miles south of Chicago. We’ll dig into the eerie events of 1878, when a supposed spirit possession captivated the nation and find out what’s become of the two homes where it all took place. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Some alders balk at Mayor Johnson’s budget. Meanwhile, Archbishop Cupich and lawmakers push back on immigration arrests as the Supreme Court considers allowing the National Guard in Chicago.

Federal agents arrested immigrants across the Chicago area and detained U.S. citizens, including a teen protester and will extend their stay at Great Lakes Naval Base. Lawmakers in Springfield condemned ICE raids and explored state responses to federal agents in Illinois. Mayor Johnson pitches a corporate head tax in his budget address. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with journalists Alex Nitkin with the Illinois Answers Project, City Cast Chicago’s Jacoby Cochran, and Violet Miller with the Chicago Sun-Times. For a full archive of In The Loop interviews, head over to www.wbez.org/intheloop.

Federal agents arrested immigrants across the Chicago area and detained U.S. citizens, including a teen protester and will extend their stay at Great Lakes Naval Base. Lawmakers in Springfield condemned ICE raids and explored state responses to federal agents in Illinois. Mayor Johnson pitches a corporate head tax in his budget address. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with journalists Alex Nitkin with the Illinois Answers Project, City Cast Chicago’s Jacoby Cochran, and Violet Miller with the Chicago Sun-Times. For a full archive of In The Loop interviews, head over to www.wbez.org/intheloop.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents arrested at least seven people in the predominantly Latino enclaves of Cicero and Little Village Wednesday, sparking outrage from residents and local leaders who characterized the actions as a “brutal escalation.” Alderman Rodriguez, 22nd Ward, says ICE detained two of his staffers, both of whom are U.S. citizens. In the Loop gets reaction from residents who witnessed the activity unfold as well as from an elected official and a community leader from Little Village. We’ll hear from: Eddie Guillen, community organizer, executive director of Community Innovation Center; Jerry Reyes, lifelong Little Village resident; Marcela Rodriguez, co-executive director with Enlace Chicago; and Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th Ward. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.