The Rundown | Chicago News WBEZ Chicago

Illinois lawmakers approved a resolution calling on President Joe Biden to allow longtime undocumented immigrants in Illinois to work and live in the U.S legally. Chicago officials are releasing new renderings of a satellite concourse under construction at O’Hare Airport. The Chicago Sky try to bounce back tonight from a disappointing loss in Saturday’s home opener.

“The Ball Game” was an ancient, Mesoamerican sport and spiritual ritual that has fascinated archeologists for centuries. The National Museum of Mexican Art currently has on display a stone-carved statue of a female ballplayer – complete with knee pads, a headdress, and holding a severed head – as part of an exhibit that is reimagining the role women played in the ancient Huasteca civilization.

WBEZ art and culture reporter Courtney Kueppers recently covered the exhibit for WBEZ and spoke to The Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about how expectations are shifting and where this female ballplayer statue fits in.

The exhibit, titled “Ancient Huasteca Women: Goddesses, Warriors and Governors,” is on display through July 21 at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
]]>

The Illinois House returns to Springfield to finish up their work for the spring legislative session. Cook County is offering nearly $4 million dollars in grants to cannabis businesses. Mexico is holding a historic presidential election next Sunday and many Mexicans living in Chicago are getting ready to cast their vote.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and more than two dozen Chicago Police officers crossed into Indiana to support the son of a fallen officer. Cicadas have been emerging throughout the suburbs, but their characteristic buzzing is notably absent in Chicago. There are now three Great Lakes Piping Plovers staking a claim on Chicago’s Montrose Beach.

Lauren Viera’s city guide to Chicago doesn’t read like a typical guidebook – no 72-hour itineraries or explanatory advice on how to ride the CTA.

“The 500 Hidden Secrets of Chicago,” which was published last fall, is mostly just lists of unique places. Five dance clubs, five farmers markets, five nature outings, five small museums, five high-end cocktail bars, five city myths – totalling up to 500.

“I'm not a fiction writer,” Viera said. “I'm very bad at making stuff up. So this is really just in my mind reporting times 500.”

In this episode, Viera explains her favorite “hidden secrets,” how she chose the places she chose to include and how writing this book changed the way she thinks about Chicago.

This episode was originally published on Nov. 22, 2023.
]]>

Northwestern faculty react to a congressional committee's depiction of pro-Palestinian student protestors as an "antisemitic mob." Chicago Public Schools wants input on school safety plans that don’t include police officers. The Illinois Senate passes a pair of healthcare reform measures pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.