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It’s Thursday. Read an investigation from WTTW News on CPD’s communications costs, escape winter at a greenhouse oasis and more.
(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
The Chicago Police Department rolled out its new podcast last year as a polished bid to reshape the department’s public image. Announced in August, the “Roll Call” podcast was launched in an effort to build community ties and inform the public about the lives of law enforcement personnel. Following the rise of social media, police departments across the country, including in Chicago, have explored avenues of new media, including podcasts, to communicate directly with the public rather than relying primarily on traditional media to convey their message. Records produced by the department show a total of $3,465 in expenses for equipment, software and services related to the podcast. The department’s purchases included four microphones, four sets of headphones, audio equipment, processing software, cords and a podcast distribution service. Some of the costs are recurring. It’s a drop in the bucket when compared to the $2.1 billion annual department budget, and the total is a fraction of pension costs and misconduct settlements. At a time when Chicago departments
and agencies are fighting for funding, however, taxpayers may question every spending decision. But the podcast is just part of a larger push in recent years to expand the department’s communications operation. The department’s office of communication has vastly expanded over the past decade, and costs rose along with it. In 2017, the communication office had four employees who were paid about $340,000, budget documents show. The 2026 budget identified 24 employees with a payroll of more than $2.75 million, an increase of more than 700% over a decade.
Some backstory: Police communication strategies have evolved over the past couple of decades.
Departments across the country have increasingly adopted more media-like approaches, using features such as live video, reels and stories on Instagram, and podcasts, according to Christopher Mannino, vice president of Julie Parker Communications, a communication firm working with clients including law enforcement agencies. Given weeks, CPD did not respond to questions about the intent of the podcast or how the department measured the success of the effort.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) is a member of the Committee on Public Safety, and said he believes CPD’s expanded communications operation has not meaningfully improved trust with residents and instead functions largely as a public relations effort aimed at “controlling the narrative.”
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Sponsor Message
The Poetry Foundation, the publisher of Poetry magazine, welcomes you to experience it for yourself with FREE public programs and resources! On March 12, Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle will perform alongside Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte. Later in the month, straight out of the pages of Poetry, Frank X Walker will read with Affrilachian poets Kelly Norman Ellis, Nikky Finney, and Parneshia Jones.
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Ray Chafin, lead mechanic at Mechanista, is photographed in the shop. (WTTW News)
Ever pop the hood of your car and have no idea what you’re looking at? For many drivers, walking into a mechanic shop can feel confusing and sometimes intimidating.
That’s something Ray Chafin knows all too well. “It’s just not a safe environment, a really inclusive space, when someone talks in vehicle jargon and makes it way overcomplicated, when it’s actually really simple,” Chafin said. “Do you need this, or do you not?”
Chafin is the lead mechanic at Mechanista, a new nonprofit repair shop in Ravenswood designed to make auto care more inclusive for women and nonbinary people. The shop isn’t just fixing cars — it’s working to fix an industry-wide gender gap.
According to founder Lisa Thompson, women make up just 2% of auto mechanics nationwide. “It’s a problem because we have all of these openings everywhere,” Thompson said. “… I remember I told my husband, ‘I think I have to do this. I think I have to start a program for this.’”
After years of working in the nonprofit sector, Thompson opened Mechanista in November with a clear mission: to create a space where customers feel comfortable and where more women can see themselves in the automotive field. For nearly a decade, Chafin was in the Air Force, where she worked as a heavy mobile equipment mechanic. For much of her military career, she was the only woman in the room.
“The whole time in the military, I was the only female,” Chafin said. “It wasn’t until I retired that I got to train my first female in this job.” Her passion for mechanics started young.
“I was always working with my hands,” Chafin said. “I was probably handed some tool at the age of 2 and told to go play with this outside, take it apart and put it back together.” At Mechanista, Chafin handles everything from preventive maintenance to engine care — checking tires, replacing filters and making sure vehicles are safe on the road. But the work goes beyond repairs.
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Horticulturalist Sarah Nolimal in the Chicago Botanic Garden's arid greenhouse. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
During the dead of winter, most Midwest gardeners are scrolling through seed catalogs, drawing up new planting schemes and generally whiling away the days til spring. There's no off-season for horticulturalist Sarah Nolimal.
It's always summer in the Chicago Botanic Garden's arid greenhouse, where Nolimal tends to an assortment of cacti, agave, aloes and other succulents that require year-round warmth. It could be freezing outside — or in the case of this winter, sub-freezing — but in the greenhouse, the thermostat is set to a balmy 70 degrees during the day.
More context: For Nolimal, a native of Barlett, Ill., the real magic of the greenhouse is what she calls its “transportative” quality.
“Which, I know, is not an actual word, but I like to use that verbiage because it takes me somewhere else,” she explained. There’s nothing like it in Chicago, or technically the world, for that matter.
“These plants, they're mixed from all over the place," she said, “so you don't really find them all together except in this unique landscape here. This kind of reminds me of seeing other parts of the world every day.” A stroll along the greenhouse path can take a guest, within minutes, from South Africa, where the poisonous gifboom tree grows, to South America courtesy of the torch cactus.
“It feels like a really unique place to be,” Nolimal said. “I can’t imagine doing something else.”
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More From WTTW News:
A suburban woman allegedly ran over and killed an Uber Eats driver as she attempted to steal his van while he made a delivery at Loretto Hospital on Chicago’s West Side early Monday morning. She will remain detained in the Cook County Jail pending trial after her arrest on felony murder and vehicular
hijacking charges.
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Back in the Day: February 26, 1981 - The Grateful Dead Kick Off 1981 With Three Nights at Uptown Theatre
On this day 45 years ago, the iconic rock group the Grateful Dead kicked off their 1981 tour schedule with a three-night stint at Chicago’s Uptown Theatre. The 1925 theater by the Rapp & Rapp architectural firm was one of the band’s favorite places to play, performing at the historical landmark 17 times from 1978 through 1981. The Feb. 26, 1981, Grateful Dead concert included a 20-song setlist that featured catalog favorites like “U.S. Blues,” “Truckin’,” “China Cat Sunflower,” and “Althea.” Several tracks from the show have been included in the band’s “30 Days of Dead” compilations in 2011, 2015 and 2016. Following the February residency, the band
would return to the Chicago area for their first-ever show at Rosemont Horizon in December.
This Week’s Arts and Culture Events
Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events. Now that February is wrapping up, it’s safe to say that we’re fully settled into 2026. Winter is showing signs of thawing (at least in Chicago) and the city’s arts communities have ramped up their cultural offerings and events. Below, WTTW News has compiled a small selection of what you can do in Chicago this weekend, from comedy to film and dance.
Comedy: Vir Das — Chicago Theatre This popular comedian was born in India but
