The Rundown | Chicago News WBEZ Chicago

Some employees at the Illinois capitol are turning up the heat as they try to unionize. Columbia College Chicago said it will announce staff layoffs by June 1st. It’s been 100 years since the murder of Bobby Franks by two University of Chicago students, a crime that inspired the Alfred Hitchcock movie “Rope.”

Instead of junk food and pop, a Good Things Vending machine offers local art, throwback trading cards, games and dozens of other items you won’t find in a typical vending machine. There are a handful of them around Chicago, and the creator of the business says the goal is to spark joy and promote the city’s arts community. Steph Krim talks with Erin Allen about how she came up with the idea, her favorite items and where you can find a machine near you.

This episode was originally published on Oct. 17, 2023.
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The Illinois House approved a measure to let people have a driver’s license or state ID on their phone. Thirteen officers from across Illinois received the state’s Law Enforcement Medal of Honor yesterday. The University of Chicago Crime Lab is welcoming anti-violence leaders from across the country to help them be more effective in their roles.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois is reopening its Peoria Health Center Monday after a January 2023 firebombing forced the facility to close. The Chicago office in charge of independently analyzing the mayor’s budget proposal each year is understaffed, according to its new leader. Weather forecasts for both Monday and Tuesday call for a chance of severe weather.

Dont Fret is a Chicago-born cartoonist, muralist and self-published author who loves his city. He’s anonymous in part because he spent his childhood tagging walls across Chicago,

“You’re a Chicagoan,” he writes in his book, “This Is No Quiet City.” “Your eyes and heart are wide open, and that is pure, raw, messy, true, and terrifying.”

In this episode, Dont Fret explains how he got into graffiti growing up in Wicker Park, why he self-published his book, and why Chicago is a city that punches back.

“We are a tough, tough people,” he said to host Erin Allen, “and I think that comes from the stockyards. It comes from inclusion and immigration, diversity and eclect-icity.”

Dont Fret has a book-signing event at the MCA on June 11. You can find more of his work on his Instagram.

This episode was originally published on Aug. 9, 2023.
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A corridor of Clark Street in River North will no longer be closed for pedestrians this summer. A new exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum offers a glimpse into the Kindertransport program that saved the lives of thousands of children in the 1930s. Loyola Medicine has launched a program this spring for treating women athletes in the Chicago area.