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Chicago’s 2008 Climate Action Plan Came Up Short, New Analysis Shows

Advocates say laws, not plans, are needed

Three mayors in the past 15 years have all promised to combat the effects of global climate change. But some critics and scientists, along with a new data analysis by the DePaul University Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence, reveal their efforts have fallen short. 

Illinois’ Copy of the Gettysburg Address Is Coming Out of the Vaults, and It Has a Weird Back Story

Illinois’ handwritten copy of the historic document once belonged to the guy who was the main speaker at Gettysburg and whose own two-hour oration was followed by Abraham Lincoln’s 272-word masterpiece.  

Chicago’s First Physical NFT Gallery Drops Digital Art

A special kind of art gallery in Chicago is emerging as a brick-and-mortar trailblazer in the digital art world. The art space imnotArt in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood bills itself as the city’s first physical NFT gallery and one of the first of its kind in the world.

Good COP, Bad COP? Takeaways from the New UN Climate Deal

The annual Conference of the Parties, just held for the 26th time, is all about getting countries to gradually ratchet up their measures to defuse global warming.

Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee Removed from Chicago’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory

One week after it was removed from the advisory, officials returned Arkansas to the list of states with high rates of transmission. The advisory includes 38 states as well as Guam, announced Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Pfizer Asks US Officials to OK Promising COVID-19 Pill

The company’s filing comes as new infections are rising once again, driven mainly by hot spots in states where colder weather is driving more Americans indoors.

Ethics Board Asks Watchdog to Probe Ald. Gardiner After His Attorney Denies He Violated Ethics Ordinance

Chicago’s inspector general should conduct “a full factual investigation” of Ald. Jim Gardiner's conduct, the Chicago Board of Ethics determined.

20-Year-Old ‘Oops’ Leads to Invasive Carp Pulled From Chicago Lagoon. How Many More Are Out There?

When a fish the size of a 10-year-old child was pulled from the Humboldt Park lagoon earlier this month, the reaction quickly went from “Oooh” to “Uh-oh.” The angler had reeled a whopper of an invasive bighead carp accidentally stocked 20 years ago. Are there more?

November 16, 2021 - Full Show

City Council remap fight down to the wire. Jurors deliberate in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. Recapping COP26. Chicago climate change promises kept and broken. Exploring an NFT digital art gallery, and more.

US Journalist Jailed For Months in Myanmar Lands in New York

It's been a “long time coming, a moment I had been imagining so intensely for so long," a bearded and shaggy-haired Danny Fenster said after landing in New York. "Surpasses everything I had imagined.”

Police Union Boss John Catanzara Officially Resigns From CPD

A day after he announced his intention to leave the department, John Catanzara — the first-term president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 — posted a picture of his personnel action request on his Facebook page, which shows that he has indeed retired from the CPD.

Argonne Scientists Lead Effort to Improve Economics of Recycling

The plastics industry is expected to be putting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than coal by the end of this decade according to a recent report by Beyond Plastic, an environmental advocacy group.

Illinois Creates New Office to Combat Gun Violence

“Our goal in public safety is to have children no longer think about being shot at,” said Chris Patterson, who was tapped to lead the newly created Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. “Communities don’t feel safe because of the violence.”

Behind ‘The Great Resignation’ of Americans Quitting Their Jobs in Record Numbers

In September, 4.4 million people left their jobs, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some say workers have spent the pandemic reevaluating their priorities and values, leading them to leave their places of work or demand more from their employers. 

Crain’s Headlines: Tractor Business Booms As John Deere Union Contract Negations Near End

As union contract negotiations wrap at John Deere, the used tractor business sees a boom. Ann Dwyer has details on that story and more.

Lightfoot Celebrates as Biden Signs $1T Infrastructure Bill to Fund Chicago’s Push to Remove Lead Pipes

The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan signed into law Monday by President Joe Biden includes $1.7 billion that will help Chicago “kick-start” lagging efforts to replace lead service lines responsible for contaminating the tap water in homes across the city, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. 

Prosecutor: Rittenhouse Provoked the Bloodshed in Kenosha

After a full day of arguments, the jurors were told to return Tuesday morning for the start of deliberations in the case that has stirred fierce debate in the U.S. over guns, vigilantism and law and order.

Police Union Boss John Catanzara Says He’s Resigning From CPD at Termination Hearing

The stunning announcement comes after John Catanzara, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, spent hours testifying at his own termination hearing Monday.

‘Disgraced’ Catanzara ‘Saw The Writing on The Wall’ Before He Resigned: Lightfoot

“It is not surprising to me that he did not want to face accountability for his own conduct,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Biden Signs $1T Infrastructure Deal with Bipartisan Crowd

The president hopes to use the infrastructure law to build back his popularity, which has taken a hit amid rising inflation and the inability to fully shake the public health and economic risks from COVID-19.

The Entire US, Not Just Chicago, Is Bad at Recycling. The EPA Wants to Change That

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency released its first National Recycling Strategy, which aims for a 50% recycling rate in the U.S. by 2030. 

62% of Chicago Police Officers Say They’re Vaccinated Against COVID-19 – A Month After Reporting Deadline

More than 4,900 members of the Chicago Police Department are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have refused to disclose their vaccination status to city officials, one month after the deadline set by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, according to data released Monday by city officials.

Trump Ally Bannon Appears in Court for Defying Jan. 6 Panel

Steve Bannon did not enter a plea Monday and is due back in court on Thursday for the next phase of what could be the first high-level trial in connection with January’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Lyric Opera Rides the Powerful Waves of Genuine Musical Magic in ‘Florencia en el Amazonas’

“Florencia en el Amazonas” (“Florencia in the Amazon”), the first Spanish language opera to be performed on the Lyric Opera mainstage, is pure magic on every count. 

21 People Shot, 4 Killed in Shootings Over the Weekend in Chicago: Police

According to Chicago Police Department data, 21 people were shot in 18 shooting incidents over the weekend in the city.

November 15, 2021 - Full Show

President Biden signs the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. Mayor Lightfoot talks about its impact on Chicago. What’s behind “The Great Resignation”? Gun violence as a mental health crisis, and more.
 

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