WBEZ News

Feb 07 2025 2148 ep. 4 mins 60
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The latest news and featured stories from WBEZ Chicago.

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President Trump’s administration is suing Chicago, Cook County and Illinois officials over so-called sanctuary policies.

Feb 07 2025 4 mins  
President Trump’s administration is suing Chicago, Cook County and Illinois officials over so-called sanctuary policies. The Justice Department is claiming in federal court that officials including Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Governor JB Pritzker are interfering with immigration enforcement. WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell has been talking

Amid deportation fears, hundreds of patients skip appointments at one Chicago health clinic

Feb 07 2025 3 mins  
For many immigrants in the Chicago area, the fear of being detained by law enforcement is already affecting their health. Hundreds of immigrants are skipping appointments and leaving prescriptions at the pharmacy since Republican President Donald Trump returned to office. WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch takes you inside a free clinic to show you the chilling effect.

Neko Case on dirty clubs, fighting for survival and dispelling rock-and-roll mythology

Feb 07 2025 4 mins  
Singer-songwriter Neko Case is a singular voice in music. Across 11 albums, she has crafted a canon of songs that are sharp, haunting and vulnerable. Case has written a new memoir titled “The Harder I Fight, the More I Love You.” In it, she talks openly about her isolated childhood and the long journey of becoming a musician — including her formative Chicago years

Some Chicago students face heartbreaking decision over FAFSA

Feb 06 2025 4 mins  
Students with undocumented parents are weighing whether or not to fill out the FAFSA, the free application for federal student aid. Submitting the form unlocks help paying for college… But it requires sharing detailed personal information about their parents. And there are heightened concerns over what the Trump administration might do with this information. WBEZ’

The back story of an ornately displayed relic at the Art Institute of Chicago

Feb 06 2025 4 mins  
An ornately displayed tooth at the Art Institute of Chicago was thought to have belonged to Saint John the Baptist. But that’s not the case. Researchers at Oxford University concluded that the tooth in question is from a different time and could not belong to the prophet. Chicago Sun Times reporter Robert Herguth did some digging on this revelation and shared his findings

Recent immigration arrests in the Chicago area appeared to violate the 4th Amendment

Feb 05 2025 6 mins  
President Donald Trump is touting the arrests of thousands of immigrants who he says are dangerous criminals who must be deported. But Chicago attorneys say the reality on the ground is different They say agents are picking up innocent immigrants…often without the required warrant. WBEZ immigration reporter Adriana Cardona Maguigad has more…. HOST: DIXON

Chicago’s ‘best pizza’ chef receives award of lifetime, then cancer surgery

Feb 04 2025 3 mins  
The Chicago pizzeria Spacca Napoli has been a fixture of the Ravenswood neighborhood for nearly 20 years. Recently, it was recognized by Chicago’s culinary community as the best pizza in town. Just days after accepting the prize, its owner Jonathan Goldsmith prepared to undergo surgery to remove stomach cancer. WBEZ Courtney Kueppers visited Goldsmith the day before h

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s legislative agenda for 2025

Feb 04 2025 3 mins  
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will spend the next few months chipping away at progressive policies on the environment, public safety, and hemp regulation. That’s according to a first look at Johnson’s legislative calendar for the first quarter of this year. But the policy agenda does NOT include any big or new revenue streams Johnson has been promising. WBEZ’s Tess

To these Chicago Symphony players, here’s the sound of music in an era of crisis

Jan 30 2025 4 mins  
How does music speak to times of crisis? University of Chicago professor Steve Rings posed the question to clarinetist Stephen Williamson, violinist Danny Jin, and cellist John Sharp of the Chicago Symphony. In response, they perform Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time with pianist Umi Garrett at 3 p.m. this Sunday at the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall. WBEZ con

New CPS Board president says he took the volunteer job because ‘I love this city’

Jan 30 2025 4 mins  
Thursday, Sean Harden will preside as president over the first monthly meeting of the new partly-elected Chicago Board of Education. It’s a turbulent time. The teachers contract is unresolved, a budget crisis is looming, the federal government is wreaking havoc and the head of the school district will be terminated in June. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp sat down with Harden, a rela