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Justice Department to Review How Best to Fight Hate Crimes

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday ordered a review of how the Justice Department can best deploy its resources to combat hate crimes during a surge in incidents targeting Asian Americans.

‘Latino Voices’ Community Conversation: Latinas

For Women’s History Month, WTTW News shined a light on Latinas, exploring their history in Chicago and the U.S., the adversity they face and the role they play in their communities. Watch the full discussion.

Illinois Led Nation in Criminal Exonerations For Third Straight Year: Report

Of the 22 exonerations recorded in Illinois last year, the vast majority were drug possession or sale convictions tied to ex-Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts, according to a new report.

COVID-19 Hospitalizations Stall Illinois’ Reopening Plan

Illinois is on the edge of a bridge to fully reopening the economy, with 69% of adult residents ages 65 and older now vaccinated against the virus. But rather than inching closer to its goal, the state is instead stepping back due to an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Fishing with a Fire Extinguisher? We Check Out Powerlining in Chicago

This time of year at Montrose Harbor, you’ll see people lining the lakefront with fire extinguishers — but they’re not putting out flames, they’re fishing. Powerlining is a unique fishing style with local roots.

Jurors Shown Video at Ex-Officer’s Trial in Floyd’s Death

The video of George Floyd gasping for breath was essentially Exhibit A as the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee on the Black man’s neck went on trial Monday on charges of murder and manslaughter.

New Buyers Step Up to Block Hedge Fund from Control of Tribune Publishing

Two more investors have stepped forward in a last-ditch effort to prevent hedge fund Alden Global Capital from taking control of Tribune Publishing, which owns the Chicago Tribune and eight other newspapers. We discuss the latest developments.

Proposals Could Expand Eligibility for Earned Income Tax Credit

Two bills in the Illinois General Assembly would expand eligibility for the earned income tax credit. As part of our Firsthand initiative exploring poverty in Chicago, we take a look at the credit, and what it could mean for low-income households.

Biden Economic Plan to Focus 1st on Infrastructure This Week

Plus: ‘Chicago Tonight’ on what the plan could mean for the city, state

President Joe Biden will lay out the first part of his multitrillion-dollar economic recovery package this week, focusing on rebuilding roads, bridges and other infrastructure, followed by a separate plan later in April addressing child and health care.

Crain’s Headlines: Loretto Staff Instructed to Vaccinate People on Lawmaker’s Lists

Influential State Rep. Camille Lilly, a Loretto Hospital executive, is roped into the fallout over COVID-19 vaccines administered by the West Side safety net hospital. Crain’s Chicago Business editor Ann Dwyer takes us behind the headline of that story and more.

CDC Director Has Feeling of ‘Impending Doom’ Amid New Spike

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made an impassioned plea to Americans on Monday not to let their guard down in the fight against COVID-19, saying she has a recurring feeling “of impending doom.”

March 29, 2021 - Full Show

Vaccination eligibility expands in Chicago. President Biden is expected to unveil his infrastructure plan — what’s in it for Illinois? New buyers for the Tribune emerge. We explore powerline fishing.

City to Open Vaccination Site for Union Workers as Eligibility Expands

City officials announced Monday they will open a vaccination site for union workers—the first of its type in the nation, they say—designed to administer 1,200 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per day.

Federal Officials Warn of COVID-19 Surge, Open Mass Vaccination Site in Gary, Indiana

Federal officials announced Monday a mass vaccination site will be opening in Gary, Indiana, as they warned of rising coronavirus cases across the country and urged residents to wear masks, social distance and limit travel.

WHO Draft Report Says Animals Likely Source of COVID-19

A joint World Health Organization-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. 

Chicago Police Shoot and Kill 1 Man, Arrest Another After Armed Confrontation

One man is dead and another is in custody following a police shooting early Monday morning on the city’s Southwest Side.

Chicago Launches Next Phase of COVID-19 Vaccine Effort

Approximately 84% of all Chicagoans are now eligible for the vaccine, as Chicago enters the third phase of the vaccination effort that began in mid-December. 

Did COVID-19 Stress, Uncertainty Stall Anti-Smoking Push?

A year after COVID-19 upended life for millions of Americans, there are troubling signs that the coronavirus may have also slowed progress against another deadly health threat: smoking.

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, March 28, 2021 - Full Show

Evanston makes history by passing a reparations ordinance for Black residents. A “professional troublemaker” joins us for this week’s Black Voices Book Club. Remembering broadcaster Bill Campbell.

Remembering Longtime Chicago Broadcaster Bill Campbell

In this 1981 clip from “The Week in Review,” Bill Campbell, who was then in his third year as editorial director at WLS, talks with host Joel Weisman about his signature on-location editorials and deriving meaning from his work.

Reparations Blueprint: What Evanston’s Move Means for Rest of US

Evanston has become the first city in the country to offer reparations for Black residents. Last week, aldermen voted to distribute $10 million over the next 10 years, using tax money from the sale of recreational marijuana. We discuss the local and national outlook.

Luvvie Ajayi Jones Wants You to Become a ‘Professional Troublemaker’

From jumping out of airplanes to zip-lining through the jungle, Luvvie Ajayi Jones has become an expert at challenging fear — but not all of her daring adventures involve leaving the ground. She tells us about her new book, “Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual.”

Jurors in Ex-Officer’s High-Profile Trial Face Heavy Burden

Jurors at all trials feel pressure, knowing their decisions will alter lives. But the weight on jurors in Minneapolis is in a whole different category as they’ll be asked whether to assign guilt in the death of a Black man that prompted some of the largest protests in U.S. history.

Picked Last, Oregon State Now Elite After Beating Loyola

Not even the fervent prayers of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt could help Loyola deal with the Beavers and the constantly changing defenses that coach Wayne Tinkle rolled out. The Ramblers, who played with such poise and perfection in toppling top-seeded Illinois, wound up shooting 33% from the field and 5 of 23 from beyond the arc.

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, March 27, 2021 - Full Show

Can industry and healthy neighborhoods coexist? Puerto Ricans weigh independence and statehood. And an organization helps the visually impaired maintain their independence.

Puerto Ricans May Soon Get Say on Island’s Long-Term Territorial Status

The Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act calls for the creation of a “status convention” of delegates elected by Puerto Rican voters to determine the island’s long-term territorial status, whether that be statehood, independence, or perhaps a variation on the current arrangement.
 

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