In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Residents are still cleaning up basements and backyards after record-breaking rainfall. Gov. JB Pritzker says all bets are off for state employees on prediction markets. Body cam video of the shooting of Officer Krystal Rivera is released to the public. And Chicago Public School lunchroom staff block traffic over stalled contract talks. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in the Weekly...

Brionna Johnson’s journey with uterine fibroids was one filled with uncertainty and questions. Her search for answers led her to Dr. Pierre Johnson of Loretto Hospital on the West Side aka the “Fibroid Slayer.” He was able to perform surgery and help Brionna after another physician suggested she would need to have a hysterectomy. In the Loop hears from doctor and patient. For a full archive of In...

How can a conversation with a tree or snapping a photo of a piping plover help support Chicago’s natural environment?

How can voice connect us to the environment? That’s what a Chickasaw poet and a composer explore in their new works for the Chicago-based project EcoVoice that will be performed by the Loyola University choirs. In the Loop sits down with Lokosh, a poet, Kirsten Hedegaard, founder of EcoVoice Project, and composer Jerod Impichaachaaha’ Tate to learn more about the themes explored in Ámmo’naka (In...

Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th Ward, says he’ll cut red tape and embrace technology to get affordable and market-rate housing and major development projects built faster.

A former ComEd CEO and an ally of former Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan are both freed from prison and granted new trials. A Wisconsin sheriff files a defamation lawsuit against a Skokie woman and a Cook County Commissioner. Meanwhile, Illinois lawmakers pass legislation limiting junk fees for renters. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Axios Chicago reporter Carrie...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sits down with In the Loop host Sasha-Ann Simons to answer listener questions on everything from rising taxi fares to housing affordability to recent turnover in his administration. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Yusef Jackson, the youngest of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson’s sons, talks about meeting the moment as the new president and CEO of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. He joins In the Loop to discuss his top priorities, including voting rights and registration, human rights and education; and how his tenure as Rainbow PUSH president will lead the organization into its next chapter. For a full archive of In...

A new private school where students will learn from AI, rather than from teachers, is set to open in Chicago this fall. Questions abound: what will happen to teachers? What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of relying on a relatively new technology to instruct children? In the Loop discusses with a panel of educators and AI experts: Brady Gunnink, English teacher, Jones College Prep, Katie...

In Illinois, Black women are three times more likely to die from complications due to pregnancy than white women. That rate is even higher in Chicago. The state, Cook County, and hospitals have experimented with different efforts to address the dangers to Black mothers, including boosting access to doulas. For Black Maternal Health Week, In the Loop looks at the strides made in improving birth...