Plus, WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers talks with a local cheesemonger.

Plus, as the school year gets underway, we hear about the challenges new budget cuts could bring.

Plus, WBEZ’s Alex Degman talks about the potential district remapping Governor Pritzker is considering in response to Texas Republicans.

Plus, WBEZ’s Mike Davis talks with the cast of the MJ the Musical.

Plus, the Department of Housing and Urban Development dismissed two Chicago cases involving affordable housing and polluting industries. Sun Times reporter Brett Chase joined WBEZ’s Melba Lara to break down this controversial decision.

Plus, WBEZ’s Lauren Frost was at an art gallery in East Garfield Park. She spoke with a group of advocates making quilts for people incarcerated in Illinois prisons.

Plus, almost half of all home health care aides are immigrants. As the Trump administration continues its mass deportation campaign, WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang has the story of one Chicagoan with a disability who is struggling to get the help she needs.

Plus, Chicago Sun Times reporter Emmanuel Camarillo and WBEZ’s Araceli Gomez-Aldana spoke to Chicago area teenagers about finding summer jobs.

Plus, WBEZ’s Sarah Karp spoke with teenagers working on a social media anti-violence ad campaign.

Plus, local artist Kaicrewsade will make his debut at Lollapalooza. Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez spoke with the Chicago musician ahead of his performance at the festival on Sunday.

Plus, every year the musician-run Chicago Philharmonic performs a concert series in Chicago’s parks. WBEZ contributor Hannah Edgar has the details.

Plus, Lollapalooza returns to Chicago Thursday with several local artists on the line up. Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez talks with the Chicago musician Clairice about her upcoming performance.

Plus, the musician Sinead O’Connor inspired a generation of artists. A panel of writers discuss her impact. 

Plus, President Trump promised lower prices “on day one” during his campaign last year but prices are still high. Sun-Times reporter Stephanie Zimmermann and WBEZ editor Emilie Syberg talk with a consumer about their shopping strategies.

Plus, the Chicago soul producer and arranger Charles Stepney died in 1976. His daughters spoke to WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers about their father’s legacy.

Plus, WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad has more on a couple she’s following that are seeking asylum in the US.

Plus, Chicago has more lead pipes than any other city in the country. WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco reports on the city's federally mandated responsibility to notify its residents.

Plus, Food and Drink contributor Maggie Hennessy talks about restaurant reservation etiquette.  

Plus, the musical The Color Purple, based on Alice Walker’s book, is coming to the Goodman Theatre. WBEZ’s Mike Davis has the details.

Plus, WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip met with a Depaul student fighting back against the university’s total ban on distributing birth control.

Plus, The “World’s Largest Karaoke” party returns to Chicago tomorrow for a second year. WBEZ’s Justin Bull attended the inaugural event.

Plus, Tina Sfondeles is the national politics reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. She breaks down the potential impacts of the “Big Beautiful Bill” on Illinois residents.

Plus, a Curious City story about women in Chicago’s queer community. 

Chicago Public Schools new interim leader is pegging the district’s budget deficit as much higher than previously announced.

Plus, Chicago’s Links Hall will close its doors for good after this weekend. We hear from dancers on what the venue has meant to them.

Plus, WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad met up with a transgender woman from Venezuela to hear how she’s facing these uncertain times under the Trump administration.

Plus, Helpful hand or scam? A new kind of student debt is under scrutiny.

Plus, how legendary chef Edna Lewis has inspired a new generation of Black chefs in Chicago.

Plus, WBEZ’s Sarah Karp reports on bullying in one Chicago public school. 

Plus, many immigrants from countries like Haiti and Venezuela have a tough decision to make: live in the U.S. illegally and risk deportation, or go back to countries that continue to face political unrest and violence. WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad has the story of one teacher facing that tough choice.

Plus, Chicago’s home for so-called “outsider art” has reopened after a multi- million-dollar renovation and expansion. WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers took a trip to the newly reimagined Intuit Art Museum in Chicago’s West Town.

Editor’s note: After this episode was recorded, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved President Trump's request to cut public media funding. Find more information on that story at wbez.org or on your radio at 91.5 FM.

Illinois lawmakers have adjourned for the summer. WBEZ’s Alex Degman has an update on the state budget passed this weekend. 

Plus, WBEZ Contributor Adora Namigadde reports on a new play co-written by children who are in the foster care system.

Plus, Sueños Music Festival was this past weekend. WBEZ’s Araceli Gomez-Aldana reports on a shift in its reggaeton identity. 

Plus, the Trump administration’s tariffs are meant to encourage companies manufacturing overseas to shift operations back to American soil. WBEZ’s Michael Puente reports on some people in Northwest Indiana hoping to take advantage of a process known as “reshoring.”

Plus, President Donald Trump is going after student borrowers and it has some Chicagoans feeling stressed and hopeless. WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip brings you the story of one man who went back to school to gain financial security.

Plus, new analysis by WBEZ and Chalkbeat shows about 25,000 Chicago public school students were absent for more than a month last year. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp has the story.

Plus, an investigation by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp in partnership with Chalkbeat finds that one in four high school students missed more than a month of school last year.

Plus, WBEZ’s data intern Ashley Soriano looked into Chicago landlords denying potential tenants that rely on Section 8 housing vouchers, despite that being illegal.

Plus, WBEZ’s Dave McKinney reports on whether Governor Pritzker should seek re-election if he’s also eying the White House.

WBEZ's Anna Savchenko checked in with Chicago Catholics to get their reaction. 

Plus, our former colleague and Rundown host Adora Namigadde filed one last report on property taxes and their appeal process.

Plus, Vocalo’s Morgan Ciocca asked Chicago musician Chillona about her fashion sense. The alt-reggaeton diva takes inspiration from drag and burlesque.

“We strive to impress, but also we keep it real,” said Thomas. The doctor, musician and cartoonist also said Chicago allows you to do and be many things all at once.

In this episode, WBEZ reporter Lisa Kurian Philip introduced us to Thomas and shared his love of the city and region.

Darlene Jackson – also known as DJ Lady D, who the Chicago Reader recently named “Best House Music DJ in Chicago” – was the perfect person to talk about the genre earlier this year. 

“The roots of House come from disco,” she said on the Rundown podcast. “Frankie Knuckles actually popularized that statement, that House music is disco’s revenge.”

Jackson talked to host Erin Allen about the attempted “demolition” of disco in Chicago and the rise of House music, the legend of late House DJ and record producer Frankie Knuckles, and why the genre is having a resurgence.

With its central location and unique acoustics, the hall provides the local classical community with a convenient space for music-making, hosting dozens of live performances and recordings since its 2018 opening. 

In this episode, WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis took us along for a journey into one of the city’s best-kept musical secrets.

"Bid whist is the ultimate card game," Jones said on the Rundown podcast, "and I believe that if you've not yet experienced bid whist, the world's greatest card game awaits you."

In this episode from earlier this year, Jones talks about his book, "The Gist of Bid Whist: The Culturally-Rich Card Game from Black America." He explains the game's "diabolical components" and traces the history back to the Pullman Porters, the African-American railcar attendants who helped establish a Black middle class and fuel the Great Migration in the era after the Civil War. 

“I think Chicago has a strong claim to being the spiritual home of bid whist," Jones said, "in part because the Pullman Porters were headquartered here, and we know the vital role that the Porters played in popularizing the game throughout the country.” 

But, as any Chicagoan who looks skyward on State Street knows, the Joffrey lives on. Today, the Joffrey is Chicago’s preeminent classical ballet company. But nearly 70 years ago, it was a nascent group that co-founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino were trying to get off the ground in New York, with six dancers and a station wagon.

In this episode, WBEZ arts and culture reporter Courtney Kueppers introduced us to the pioneering and persevering spirit of the Joffrey Ballet through the lens of a new exhibit. 

“You’ll look good when you feel good,” he said. “You shouldn’t skimp on being kind to yourself. If adding a scarf or an extra necklace or another ring equates to you feeling good in that moment, then you’ll leave the house with such a great attitude, and you’ll spread that.” 

"Getting Dressed With Vocalo" is produced by Morgan Ciocca. Follow the series at Vocalo.org.

“I grew up around the South Side of Chicago around 103rd and Kedzie,” Walsh said on the Rundown podcast. “You know, typical city life, running around, hopping fences, throwing snowballs at each other.”

Walsh attended Northern Illinois University and lived in Wrigleyville before trying his hand at improvisation at The Second City on the recommendation of a friend.

He went on to become a founding member of the comedy troupe The Upright Citizens Brigade and played several small roles in big budget comedies, but he’s perhaps best known for his role as Mike McClintock, the communications director for Vice President Selena Meyer on the HBO series VEEP.

Walsh is back in Chicago later this month at the iO Theater for a pair of performances of “Meadows, Walsh & Friends,” a night of long-form improv comedy that also features comedians Tim Meadows, Joe Canale and Brad Morris. 

Earlier this summer, Rundown host Erin Allen connected with Matt to discuss his career, the Chicago improv scene, and a very unexpected college experience that the two have in common.

"Bid whist is the ultimate card game," Jones said on the Rundown podcast, "and I believe that if you've not yet experienced bid whist, the world's greatest card game awaits you."

In this episode, Jones talks about his book, "The Gist of Bid Whist: The Culturally-Rich Card Game from Black America." He explains the game's "diabolical components" and traces the history back to the Pullman Porters, the African-American railcar attendants who helped establish a Black middle class and fuel the Great Migration in the era after the Civil War. 

“I think Chicago has a strong claim to being the spiritual home of bid whist," Jones said, "in part because the Pullman Porters were headquartered here, and we know the vital role that the Porters played in popularizing the game throughout the country.” 

“What many people don't know is we also have a 300-seat theater in the basement of the museum,” said Laura Paige Kyber, the performance curator at the MCA. 

The museum will put that theater to use this weekend with the return of its third annual “Chicago Performs.” 

“Chicago Performs is a mini-festival,” Kyber said. “Each year, it just features a cross section of contemporary performance works being made in Chicago and hopefully to introduce them on a larger platform and into a more national spotlight, which the museum can provide.”

The four-day event features interactive and multimedia performances from a few Chicago-based artists and art collectives, including cat mahari, Lakshmi Ramgopal (who leads a project called Lykanthea), and Every house has a door, which is led by husband-and-wife duo Matthew Goulish and Lin Hixson.

In this episode, Rundown podcast host Erin Allen talks with Goulish and Hixson about “Broken Aquarium,” a multimedia performance about a changing Earth, performed outdoors on Sept. 28 and 29. In it, they use textiles, poetry, dance and water to illustrate the intricacies of an “impossible ecosystem of endangered or extinct sea creatures.” 

“Post-Reconstruction, we've had two elected Black women senators,” Nuamah said. “And at the gubernatorial level, we've had no Black women governors. And then we obviously have had no Black women presidents. If you consider the fact that Black women vote more than most Americans – at least for the past 20 years – and if you consider the fact that in addition they're really critical to registering people to vote, organizing protests and rallies, fundraising and a whole number of other kinds of forms of engagement, this is sort of inconsistent with what you would expect from a representation standpoint.”

In this episode of the Rundown podcast, Nuamah and host Erin Allen talked about why. Nuamah runs through the history of Black women’s participation in democracy – from Fannie Lou Hamer to Shirley Chisholm to Kamala Harris. She also explained the difference between “symbolic” and “substantive” representation, and whether one can lead to the other.

This conversation is part of the Democracy Solutions Project, a collaboration among WBEZ, The Chicago Sun Times and the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government. The multimedia series is focused on the critical issues facing our democracy in the run-up to the 2024 election.

“This concert is kinda more than a concert,” said Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez, who’s co-hosting the event. “I feel like it is a Chicago homecoming for a lot of artists.”

The lineup features DJ Lady D, KAINA, Marquis Hill, Pivot Gang and some surprise special guests. 

Co-hosting alongside Hernandez is Stephen Bekoe, the founder of iLLANOiZE Radio, a platform that showcases Chicago’s creative talent.

“Vocalo has worked so hard for an opportunity like this,” Bekoe said on the Rundown podcast. “So it's good to see WBEZ and Chicago DCASE [the Department of Community Affairs & Special Events] come together to make this happen, not just for the station, but for the city.”

The Vocalo Summer Finale is tonight, Friday Sept. 20, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Admission is free and gates open at 5 p.m.

To help close the gap in the city, a pilot program called “Healing Arts Chicago” is getting creative by training local artists to serve as community health workers. 

“The premise was like, we already knew that Chicago has really a wealth of community-based artists who think about their work with community as healing,” said Meida McNeal, who runs the pilot program through her work at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. “And what would it be like thinking about public health and community health as a potential sector where the skills they already have could be applied?”

The program is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act. Local artists get trained and certified through City Colleges of Chicago, placed in city mental health centers through the Chicago Department of Public Health, and then they offer classes and workshops at no charge across a variety of disciplines.  

“We've got movement, dance artists. We've got DJs, folks who work in sound therapy. We've got theater and puppetry, multimedia arts, sculpture, murals, ceramics,” McNeal said.

In this episode of the Rundown podcast, host Erin Allen visited the Greater Grand Mental Health Center to take Leyda “Lady Sol” Garcia’s “Move to Live” wellness offering. She talked with class attendees and the instructor – as well as the instructor of another Healing Arts Chicago course on poetry, Nile Lansana – about what the classes are like and what they offer the community. 

Healing Arts Chicago has artist-led offerings available through the end of the year. 

That’s all according to Griffin Cox and Haydée Marino, two of the founders behind ezbot.ai, a Chicago-based tech start-up that uses machine learning to optimize e-commerce websites.

Cox and Marino are both Chicagoans who admit the city is not the first that comes to mind when you think of tech startups, but it’s “a growing scene,” Cox said. 

In this episode, they explain how they got their Chicago-born startup off the ground and both the opportunities and challenges of starting a business in the city of big shoulders. 

Loona Dae is a Chicago-based musician (and a Libra) who has waited until this weekend to perform songs from her 2023 debut album, ATARI. 

“I’m a very patient person,” she told Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez, referring to both releasing and performing songs from that album, but also to her long-term friendship-turned-relationship with her producer, Ashwin Torke.

In this episode, the St. Louis-born artist talks about giving time for her album to sit with people, what it’s like making music with a romantic partner and her upcoming performance at Empty Bottle on Sept. 15.

Chicago artist Theaster Gates has been a caretaker, of sorts, for the archive of artifacts that once lived at 820 S. Michigan Avenue, the longtime home of the Johnson Publishing Company that filed for bankruptcy liquidation in 2019. Now, Gates has assembled these artifacts into a new exhibit, “When Clouds Roll Away: Reflection and Restoration from the Johnson Archive.”

“When clouds roll away is an acknowledgement that some time has passed and that in it, so much more might be revealed,” Gates said on the Rundown podcast. “And so the premise of the exhibition is to reveal the important treasures of this insurmountable Black archive that is native to Chicago.”

The exhibit is open from Sept. 12 through March 16, 2025 at the former Stony Island Trust & Savings Bank, a space Gates acquired and transformed into a Black archive and third space over the past decade.  

In this episode, host Erin Allen talks with Gates about why he wants to preserve these kinds of spaces and artifacts, including those in his new exhibit.

“I always had a dream that I was playing the saxophone and I didn’t even know what a saxophone was when I was a child,” Dawkins said on the Rundown podcast. 

Dawkins is one of the world’s premiere saxophonists and composers. He’s the leader of several ensembles, including the New Horizons Ensemble and the Live the Spirit residency projects. 

He’s also the founder and director of the Englewood Jazz Festival, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Sept. 19-21. Ahead of the festival, host Erin Allen sat down with Dawkins to talk about what attendees can expect – including an encore of Dawkins’ jazz-poetry opera called “Paul Robeson: Man Of The People” – and how his South Side communities led him to a life in music. 

“Selena is one of my biggest inspirations,” Martinez said. “She learned through music. And there’s a lot of people in my family who only speak Spanish. And so I love to communicate with them through the way that I know, which is music.”

Martinez released an album last year, titled “Sol.” He said he met his girlfriend after asking her to star in the music video for his single, “Momentos,” via Instagram. 

In this episode recorded last year, he talks with Vocalo afternoon host Nudia Hernandez about Chicago’s Latin pop community and how he fell in love.

“When you put a piece of paper and a pen in front of someone, almost everyone is going to grab it and start doodling,” said Megan Kirby, who created Meanwhile with her friend Catherine Eves in 2016. “We were trying to figure out how to channel that desire to make art, and also this idea that you can be writing and drawing and it's not necessarily taking your focus away.”

After the show, the artwork created by the audience is sifted through and stitched together into a zine, a small-run magazine, and then copied and distributed. 

In this episode of the Rundown podcast, Kirby talks with host Erin Allen about the inspiration for the project and why Chicago is a hub for this kind of creativity. 

You can follow Meanwhile on Instagram for information about their next performance and pick up a copy of their latest zine at Chicago Zine Fest on Oct. 5.

“He’s booked and busy,” Hernandez said of Hill. 

And Manasseh? 

“I feel like is the next big up-and-coming Chicago artist,” Hernandez said.

Both artists are slated to perform on the stage at Pritzker Pavilion for Vocalo’s Summer Finale on Sept. 20.

That’s the idea behind Earlybirds Club, according to creators (and high school friends) Susie Lee and Laura Baginski. 

“It’s a dance party for women that starts early and ends early because we all value our sleep,” Baginski said.

Lee and Baginski have been selling out Earlybirds Club dance parties since February, and have a handful more scheduled through the end of the year, including a Halloween party at Beauty Bar and a holiday party at Beat Kitchen. They’re also expanding outside of Chicago; they have an event in New York City in November and plans for a party in Los Angeles in January.

“We were so overwhelmed and surprised at the reaction,” Lee said. “The first one was just like two idiots throwing a party. And then after that, we were like, there clearly is a need for this.”

Lee and Baginski came on the Rundown podcast to explain the idea’s origin story, why it struck a chord with so many, and what’s coming next.

This episode was originally published on April 19, 2024. 

“One of the students just recently incarcerated, he gave a speech at graduation,” Murray recalled. “And he said, ‘That was the first time that I felt human after coming out of prison.’ That’s the kind of thing where I’m reminded how much I love this kind of work.” 

Murray tells their story – and the story of Silver Fork – as a part of Vocalo’s Chi Sounds Like series. 

In this episode of the Rundown podcast, you’ll hear from three Chicagoans about what they love about this city and its people, including Adeeb Borden, the founder of CEO’s of Color, a non-profit that helps Black and brown teens start their own businesses; chef Diana Dávila, who opened the Logan Square restaurant Mi Tocaya in 2017; and author Jonathan Eig, who won the Pulitzer Prize this year for his biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In conversation at Vocalo, Silva described her sound as “very feathery, alternative-bedroom-indie-pop-R&B, I guess, to put it in short.”

In this episode of the Rundown podcast, we hear how Silva got into music, how she produces songs in her bedroom studio, and she tells us about her upcoming show in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood on Aug. 17.

“We’re taking some liberties with that title, but we had more than 8,000 people RSVP,” said Mary McKeen, who works on alternative programming at the Salt Shed.

McKeen said a little more than 3,000 people showed up at the outdoor event, which was co-hosted by the Empty Bottle. 

“We were thinking about what we can do together,” said Empty Bottle managing partner Matt Ciarleglio. “Obviously we want to do something music-centric, but something weird and unique and fun that we can kind of break down the genre barriers that music sometimes has. And karaoke seemed like the best thing to do.”

In this episode, Rundown podcast producer Justin Bull points a microphone around during the event, talking to performers, hopeful singers and the folks that made this happen.

It’s called “What is Seen and Unseen: Mapping South Asian American Art in Chicago.” In this episode, Rundown podcast host Erin Allen talks to curator Shelly Bahl about some of her favorite things that she learned and brought forth into the exhibit.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the things that are left out of art history,” Bahl said. “It’s these things to me that really matter.”

The exhibit is open through October 26 at the South Asia Institute.  

“Charting is in the future for them,” Hernandez said on The Rundown podcast. 

In this episode, Godly the Ruler, a.k.a. Godwin Oke, talks about playing the festival for the first time and growing up in Chicago. They also offer some advice for other local artists who might be thinking they need to leave the city. 

“I don't want people to think that you have to leave Chicago to like, become the artist you want to be or whatever,” they said. “You can do that here. People should realize that more. You can do that in Chicago.”