City Cast Chicago

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s corruption trial has been delayed about six months because of a U.S. Supreme Court case out of Northwest Indiana.The case centers on former Portage Mayor James Snyder, who was convicted of bribery in 2021. The judge in Madigan’s case wants to avoid retrial and wait on a decision, which is expected this summer. Executive producer Simone Alicea and producer Michelle Navarro talk about the case’s implications on corruption trials in Chicago and Illinois, dibs protocols in winter storm season, and board games with Chicago roots. Good News: Vote City Cast Chicago as Best Podcast and Hey Chicago as Best Newsletter in the Chicago Reader’s Best of 2023.Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

More than 14,000 migrants are staying at shelters across the city. A recent investigation by Borderless Magazine found that migrants staying at the city's largest shelter described inhumane and unsanitary conditions, leaving them vulnerable to illness. Borderless editorial director Mauricio Peña talks about the living conditions of the Pilsen shelter site and tells producer Michelle Navarro how the city is responding and what’s next for migrants facing new deadlines to leave city shelters. This is the last week to vote City Cast Chicago as best podcast and Hey Chicago as best newsletter in the Reader's Best of 2023.Good News: HotHouse and Haymarket House Present: We Are All RefugeesWant some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

Between a resolution suggesting Chicago could move away from school choice and reports indicating police officers could be removed from schools next fall, the school board seems to be gearing up for big moves in 2024. Chalkbeat Chicago’s Becky Vevea and Block Club Chicago’s Maxwell Evans discuss that along with a bike path coming to the far South Side, schools with “Exemplary” designations, and how postal problems could affect internet service in South Shore. Plus, a couple of good news stories about students and Strugglebeard Bakery.Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Learn more about the sponsor(s) of this show:Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

 It’s National Trivia Day, so what better way to celebrate than with a little Chicago history quiz. What underwear were first sold in Chicago? When did the city reverse the direction of the river? What were some of Chicago’s biggest snowstorms? Executive producer Simone Alicea hosts as producer Michelle Navarro and newsletter editor Sidney Madden face off on questions about January events in Chicago history.Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Learn more about the sponsor(s) of this show:Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

There are already so many foods to eat in Chicago, but with the new year comes new spots to try. Host Jacoby Cochran talks with Eater Chicago editor Ashok Selvam to learn more about anticipated openings, the end of the tipped minimum wage, and other industry predictions for 2024.Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

The new year is here, and we have a guide for enjoying Chicago in January to start it off right. Host Jacoby Cochran and executive producer Simone Alicea are here to talk about winter tips, new year's resolutions, Martin Luther King Jr. Day events throughout the city and Chicago Restaurant Week. Check out MLK Day events at Hyde Park Art Center, the  Chicago History museum, and the Museum of Industry and Science plus days of service at Dan Ryan Wood, in Bronzeville, and in North LawndaleWant some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

 It’s been a long week and long year of tough news stories. But now it’s the Friday before New Year’s, and it’s time to party. That makes it a great time to revisit our guide to Chicago’s nightlife with WBEZ audience engagement manager Taylor Faye Nazon from February. They’ve got the best picks for dancing all night, sipping elaborate cocktails, and grabbing late-night eats.Vote City Cast Chicago as Best Podcast and Hey Chicago as Best Newsletter in the Chicago Reader’s Best of 2023.Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

This year marked a decade since the nation’s largest mass school closure. In 2013, 50 Chicago schools were closed for good, sending shockwaves through the city’s Black and brown neighborhoods. As we look back on big stories from 2023, we’re revisiting this conversation from June with Eve Ewing, author of “Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side.”Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Far South Siders have been pushing for decades to extend the city’s busiest train line. Promises have failed to materialize, but a $2 billion federal grant awarded this year, key City Council approvals, and the announcement of construction finalists make the Red Line extension closer than ever. That makes this one of the most significant stories of 2023. Earlier this summer, host Jacoby Cochran talked with CTA’s TaNesheha Marshall and Andrea Reed with the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce about what the extension would mean for the Far South Side.Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

All eyes have been on Mayor Brandon Johnson since he was elected in April, becoming the first Black man to lead Chicago in 40 years. As we look back on the biggest stories of 2023, we’re revisiting the conversation host Jacoby Cochran had with Johnson as a candidate.Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicagoYou can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE