City Cast Chicago

There have been a lot of conversations recently about the importance of speaking up about mental health. Gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka have both taken steps back from their sports in the last month because they didn’t feel they were in the right head space to perform the sports they dominate. For clinical psychologist and Northwestern University professor Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler these conversations aren’t new. Her work as a therapist and researcher is focused on the mental health needs and pressures put on Black women to be strong. Burnett-Zeigler’s new book, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women is based on her own experience, and other women in Chicago and offers guidance on how to best care for our mental health needs. Guest:Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler-Clinical Psychologist and Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern UniversityFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm[More possible notes]

Cubs fans had a rough weekend. Trade rumors started Thursday about who the team would be losing, and who they would be getting as the deadline loomed. By Friday, The Chicago Cubs front office had broken up the stars of their 2016 World Series, including Anthony Rizzo who went to the New York Yankees, Kris Bryant who headed to the San Francisco Giants, and Javier Baez to the New York Mets. They also sent closer Craig Kimbrel to the White Sox. We’ll see how that goes this weekend when the Cubs and Sox face off in the Crosstown Classic. In the end, the Cubs traded nine players and added 12 players to their roster. Cubs’ Head of Operations Jed Hoyer said it was all necessary in order to rebuild the team that’s currently hovering on the bottom of the National League Central. But, fans are pissed and sad to say goodbye to the crew that made the “lovable losers” champs in 2016 and gave fans new hope. Sports reporter Cheryl Raye-Stout talks to host Jacoby Cochran about how the Cubs made history in 2016, and what’s happened since.Guest: Cheryl Raye-Stout, WBEZ (@Crayestout)Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

The CDC had advised that masks be worn indoors again, especially in states that are seeing COVID cases surge again. Host Jacoby Cochran and South Side Weekly editor-in-chief Jackie Serrato talk about how it feels like we're moving back into the pandemic, especially when Black and brown communities still have low vaccination rates. They also talk about how residents on the Southwest Side are saying "no" to a new Target warehouse, and the joy that Chicago's only all-girls baseball team is bringing to the city after becoming national champions.Guest:Jackie Serrato-South Side Weekly"CPD’s Pattern and Practice of Home Invasions"**City Cast Chicago's Referral Program**Sign up for our newsletter, refer a friend, win cool swag!

It has been a week since the 2021 Summer Olympics kicked off in Tokyo, Japan. Already we’ve seen a couple of Chicago-area athletes' medals, a Tsunami scare, and the biggest gymnast in the world make an unprecedented decision to step back. Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair has been everywhere in Tokyo from the pools to the basketball courts, to an emotional softball field covering her fourth Olympics. Well, she hasn’t been everywhere. The veteran journalist says due to COVID protocols she still can’t visit greater Tokyo or even the restaurant next door to her cozy hotel. We check back in with Stacy to hear how the Chicago-area athletes are doing, how the vibes are different without fans, and how the Olympic’s biggest star is speaking up for mental health on the world stage.Guest: Stacy St. Clair, Chicago TribuneFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

Chicago is bracing for nearly half a million people to flood Grant Park for Lollapalooza. The four-day festival makes residents cranky anyway, with street closures, crowded buses, and trains, teenagers stumbling around during rush hour, but Lolla during a pandemic is another level. Chicago’s Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady says festival organizers and the city have made the necessary preparations to keep people safe and said other festivals around the country went on as scheduled even without COVID safety protocols. We talk to a music journalist from Miami who went to one of those music festivals about what it was like, and a Chicago reporter who talked to experts about how to stay safe if you are going to Lollapalooza this weekend. Guests:Kim Bellware-Reporter, Washington PostTony Centeno-Freelance JournalistFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

This weekend, the Chinatown Summer Fair is back after taking a year off because of the pandemic. The event is also two days instead of one this year and is expected to draw about 40,000 people. There will be hip-hop music, live DJs, and booths from members of all of Chicago’s AAPI communities. Some of this year's changes are part of a push by younger Chinatown residents to make the neighborhood more welcoming and accessible and to remind all of Chicago that there’s something for them in Chinatown. We talk to Shifa Zhong who is using his social media presence and marketing skills to promote the event, and Ben Lau, a longtime member of the community who wants to see younger residents stay in or move back to Chinatown.Guests:Shifa Zhong-Owner, Tian Represent; Chinatown ShifaBen Lau-Executive Director, Chinese American Museum of ChicagoLinks:Chinatown Summer FairChinatown: the Next Generation from Chicago ReaderFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmJoin our referral program and get swag!

After several extensions of the state’s eviction moratorium, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued an executive order last Friday that allows eviction filings to begin on August 1. Both the state and city have available rental assistance, and housing advocates are doing their part, too. Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago expects close to 100,000 applications for some help. And while that program has been traditionally been focused on homeowners, they’re helping renters and small unit landlords because they say evictions on this scale will harm the entire housing system in Chicago. We talk to NHS about what services are available for those who could be facing houselessness.Guest: Donna Clarke — Chief Operating Officer, Neighborhood Housing Services of ChicagoLinks:Illinois Rental Payment ProgramRental AssistanceChicago Rental AssistanceFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

City Council passed a civilian police oversight ordinance that assuages some activists’ calls for more accountability, but ultimately, Mayor Lori Lightfoot still retains a lot of power. Host Jacoby Cochran talks about that story, as well as “Overhyped” and “Under-hyped” stories with WCIU’s Brandon Pope. Jacoby and Brandon also talk about the joy an NBA Finals win brought for all of the Midwest.Guest: Brandon Pope, reporter & anchor at WCIU @BpopeTVFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

This summer’s Olympics are the fourth for Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair. And, it’s already like no other games she’s covered. After weeks of tests and preparations, Stacy and her colleague, photojournalist Brian Cassella, have each been quarantining in their hotel rooms for three days, and are allowed 15 minutes a day to go outside, get some fresh air, and maybe run to the minimart for coffee. But, only if they can make it back before the security guard’s timer goes off. On Wednesday, Tokyo officials reported another spike in COVID numbers, which means reporters and others won’t even be allowed that 15 minutes. Athletes are tested daily and some have already had their Olympic dreams slashed because of positive tests. We check in with Stacy to hear more about what to expect from the Chicago-area athletes, how Tokyo citizens are responding to the Games, and how the IOC is handling some of the criticism. GuestStacy St. Clair--Chicago Tribune reporterChicago Tribune Olympics coverageSome Chicago athletes going to the GamesFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

Back in April, WBEZ reporter Dan Mihalopoulos reported that that the Chicago Park District was looking into allegations by former lifeguards who say they experienced “criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse” while working at city beaches and pools. The internal investigation had been happening for more than a year, and according to documents, revealed that the parks superintendent knew about the allegations for at least a month before reporting them to the Inspector General’s office. After Mihalopoulos’ reporting in April, dozens of women reached out and described a culture of abuse, harassment, and assault. The Park District says it won’t answer questions until the Inspector General’s report is done. And, now, Mihalopoulos has learned that toxic culture goes beyond Chicago’s border and extends north to Evanston, where former lifeguards signed a petition last year asking for a probe into alleged abuse.We talk to Dan Mihalopoulos about what’s happening with each of these investigations.Warning: There are graphic descriptions of sexual assault in this episode.City Cast Chicago has a new, cool referral program. It goes like this:Step 1: Invite friends to subscribe to our newsletter Step 2: Get rewards Step 3: Everyone wins https://chicago.citycast.fm/referral/