In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

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We’re unpacking the headlines and making the news make sense. Get connected with local experts, your neighbors and the stories shaping Chicago.

  1. Classical Music For Broadview’s Immigrant Detainees

    14 HR AGO

    Classical Music For Broadview’s Immigrant Detainees

    Crossing Borders Music has been using Western classical instruments to highlight human rights abuses. The group is highlighting federal immigration enforcement in the Chicago area with the hope that folks being detained inside the Broadview ICE processing facility hear the music and know that they are not alone. In the Loop talks with cellist and co-founder Tom Clowes and violist Wilfred Farquharson. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

    30 min
  2. WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: Oct. 31, 2025

    3 DAYS AGO

    WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: Oct. 31, 2025

    President Trump’s goal of deploying National Guard troops to Chicago is on hold as the Supreme Court requests more information. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court blocked an order requiring Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino to report to court daily, and in Little Village, high school students staged a walk-out to protest ICE actions. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with NBC 5 Chicago reporter Christian Farr, government finance and accountability reporter with the Illinois Answers Project at the Better Government Association Alex Nitkin and Jackie Serrato, editor of La Voz, the Spanish language news site of the Chicago Sun-Times. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

    50 min
  3. Trump Admin Targets Head Start

    4 DAYS AGO

    Trump Admin Targets Head Start

    The government has been shut down for nearly a month, and millions of people are starting to feel the effects on federal programs like SNAP, WIC, Head Start and more. In the Loop talks with Brightpoint CEO Mike Shaver, Rolling Meadows resident and mother Wendy Mamola and Northwestern professor Terri Sabol about how a prolonged shutdown could impact the early childhood education and other services provided by Head Start. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

    36 min
  4. How Dangerous Are ‘Chemical Munitions’ Like Tear Gas?

    5 DAYS AGO

    How Dangerous Are ‘Chemical Munitions’ Like Tear Gas?

    As federal agents continue to do immigration enforcement across the Chicago area, they frequently deploy chemical munitions like tear gas and smoke bombs on protesters. What’s inside these weapons? What are their health effects or environmental impacts? In the Loop hears from Dr. Monica Peek, physician and health disparities researcher and a national board member of Physicians for Human Rights and from Oscar Sanchez, co-executive director, Southeast Environmental Task Force. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

    32 min
  5. ‘It’s Mindblowing’ Feds Aren’t Funding SNAP, Says Local Recipient

    6 DAYS AGO

    ‘It’s Mindblowing’ Feds Aren’t Funding SNAP, Says Local Recipient

    Unlike during the government shutdown in 2018-2019, the USDA is not using contingency funds to cover the cost of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. This means that nearly two million people in Illinois will have their benefits paused starting on November 1 if the government does not change course. In the Loop hears from Aubrey Lewandowski, a local SNAP recipient and from Nolan Downey, senior director of policy at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

    32 min
  6. The Haunting Tale Of The Watseka Homes

    27 OCT

    The Haunting Tale Of The Watseka Homes

    For our series What’s That Building, a haunting story from a small Illinois town that’s puzzled people for nearly 150 years. Two young girls, one living and one long dead, and a mysterious connection that defied explanation. It’s known as the “Watseka Wonder” and it all happened just 80 miles south of Chicago. We’ll dig into the eerie events of 1878, when a supposed spirit possession captivated the nation and find out what’s become of the two homes where it all took place. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

    33 min
  7. WBEZ's Weekly News Recap: Oct. 24, 2025

    24 OCT

    WBEZ's Weekly News Recap: Oct. 24, 2025

    Some alders balk at Mayor Johnson’s budget. Meanwhile, Archbishop Cupich and lawmakers push back on immigration arrests as the Supreme Court considers allowing the National Guard in Chicago.

    47 min
  8. Little Village And Cicero Rattled By Immigration Raids

    23 OCT

    Little Village And Cicero Rattled By Immigration Raids

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents arrested at least seven people in the predominantly Latino enclaves of Cicero and Little Village Wednesday, sparking outrage from residents and local leaders who characterized the actions as a “brutal escalation.” Alderman Rodriguez, 22nd Ward, says ICE detained two of his staffers, both of whom are U.S. citizens. In the Loop gets reaction from residents who witnessed the activity unfold as well as from an elected official and a community leader from Little Village. We’ll hear from: Eddie Guillen, community organizer, executive director of Community Innovation Center; Jerry Reyes, lifelong Little Village resident; Marcela Rodriguez, co-executive director with Enlace Chicago; and Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th Ward. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

    38 min
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