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Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Feb. 4, 2023 - Full Show
| WTTW News
The controversy over an Advanced Placement African American studies course for high school students. Architecture writer Lee Bey gives us a South Side tour in his new documentary. And a woman hits a home run for the Negro Baseball Leagues.
MCA Chicago Speaks Spanish to Art Lovers
| Erica Gunderson
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has launched its first major bilingual exhibit. The museum plans to present everything, from its website to wayfinding signs, in both Spanish and English by 2024.
New US Race, Ethnicity Standards Proposed for First Time Since 1997
| Associated Press
The federal government’s standards haven’t been changed since 1997, two decades after they were created as part of an effort to collect consistent race and ethnicity data across federal agencies when handling censuses, federal surveys and application forms for government benefits.
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Feb. 4, 2023 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Proposed changes to the race and ethnicity boxes on government forms. Welcoming refugees in a new sponsorship program. And giving wellness some Latino flavor.
AP Black History Course Sparks Controversy, Debate
| Erica Gunderson
The College Board this week released its updated curriculum for an Advanced Placement African American studies course after receiving criticism from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Feb. 3, 2023 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Did the mayor retaliate against a private citizen for voicing an opinion at City Council? Why CPD solves far fewer crimes involving Black men. Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park. And a profile of a Grammy-nominated Chicago producer.
Chicago Producer Terry Hunter Brings House Music to Global Audience
| Angel Idowu
South Side native Terry Hunter is up for a 2023 Grammy Award for his remix of Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul.”
Homicide Clearance Rate Lower in Chicago’s Black Communities: Report
| Blair Paddock
For the past several years, the Chicago Police Department has solved an average of 50% of the city’s homicides per year. But that number, known as a clearance rate, is even lower for Black victims.
Chicago Police Eject Resident Who Spoke Against ComEd Deal from City Council Meeting
| Heather Cherone
Sean Estelle told WTTW News they believed they were “politically targeted” because their remarks angered Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Week in Review: Tensions Arise in Chicago Mayoral Race
| Alexandra Silets
Gloves come off in the Chicago mayoral debate as Paul Vallas cleans up cash and endorsements. City Council puts the breaks on Mayor Lori Lightfoot's ComEd deal. Migrants arrive in Woodlawn. And the complicated legacy of Blackhawks legend Bobby Hull.
New Rules Would Limit Sugar in School Meals for First Time
| Associated Press
The plan also seeks to significantly decrease sodium in the meals served to the nation’s schoolkids by 2029, while making the rules for foods made with whole grains more flexible.
Chicago Man Charged in Attack of CTA Worker at Downtown Blue Line Station
| Matt Masterson
James Jackson, 55, appeared in court Friday on charges of aggravated battery of a transit employee and aggravated battery of a victim over 60 years old after he allegedly struck a CTA worker at the Washington Blue Line station.
This Week In Nature: Bison Are Making Nights Brighter on the Illinois Prairie. Guess Who’s Not Happy
| Patty Wetli
New research shows bison are altering the landscape in unexpected ways when reintroduced to Midwest prairie ecosystems.
Bed Bath and Beyond Closing 87 More Stores, Including These 5 Chicago-Area Locations
| CNN
“As we continue to work with our advisors to consider multiple paths, we are implementing actions to manage our business as efficiently as possible,” a Bed Bath and Beyond spokesperson said. “This store fleet reduction expands the company’s ongoing closure program.”
Unexpected Job Surge of 517K Confounds the Fed’s Economic Models
| Associated Press
For months, the Fed has been warily watching the U.S. economy’s robust job gains out of concern that employers, desperate to hire, will keep boosting pay and, in turn, keep inflation elevated. But January’s blowout job growth coincided with an actual slowdown in wage growth.
The Votes Are In and ‘Da Plow’ Is Ready To Hit Chicago’s Streets Along With Other Winners in Snowplow Naming Contest
| Patty Wetli
Chicago has announced the winners in its “name that snowplow” contest. Did your favorite make the cut?
Feb. 2, 2023 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Community uproar over migrants in Woodlawn. Pastor Corey Brooks is millions of dollars closer to to realizing his dream of a community center. And Woodstock Willie makes his Groundhog Day prediction.
‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: ‘Groundhog Day’ Leaves Lasting Legacy in Woodstock
| Amanda Vinicky
Pennsylvania may have Punxsutawney Phil, but Illinois has its own weather-forecasting rodent: Woodstock Willie, made famous by the movie “Groundhog Day,” which was filmed in Woodstock and released 30 years ago.
‘Rooftop Pastor’ Corey Brooks Gets $8M Donation for Woodlawn Community Center
| Paul Caine
The Rev. Corey Brooks brought attention to his Woodlawn community and his cause when he camped out on a Chicago rooftop for almost a year to raise funds for a new community center.
Defying Objections, City Opens Temporary Shelter for Immigrants in Shuttered Woodlawn School
| Heather Cherone
The former Wadsworth Elementary School had been set to open as a shelter in early January, but an uproar forced Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to delay her plans for nearly a month as she and other city officials sought to address concerns from residents.
5 Things To Do This Weekend: Beer Festival, Small Print Show
| Erica Demarest
A beer festival, jazz performance and small print show usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in and around Chicago.
What’s Up With All the Coyote Sightings? It’s Mating Season. No Need To Panic, But Leash Your Dog, Experts Say
| Patty Wetli
Late winter is coyote mating season, which reaches its peak toward the end of February. That's leading to more sightings than usual by humans — even in downtown Chicago — as the animals are a bit bolder and on the move in their search for a soulmate.
Chicago Woman Concealed Mother's Body in Freezer for Nearly 2 Years, Prosecutors Say
| Matt Masterson
Eva Bratcher allegedly bought a freezer a week after her elderly mother died and used it to conceal her body for nearly two years before it was discovered by police at their Northwest Side home earlier this week.
Disbarred Lawyer, ‘Real Housewives’ Husband Tom Girardi Indicted in Chicago Federal Court
| Associated Press
U.S. prosecutors in Chicago said Girardi, his attorney son-in-law and their firm’s chief financial officer took funds for five clients who reached settlements with Boeing, the makers of the 737 Max operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air that crashed into the Java Sea on Oct. 29, 2018 and killed 189 people.
Iowa Voids Illinois Students’ Basketball Tickets When Prank Discovered
| Associated Press
The Illinois student spirit group “Orange Krush” had its order for 200 tickets to the men’s basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday canceled Wednesday after Iowa discovered the person who made the purchase falsely claimed the tickets were for a Boys and Girls Club in Champaign.
It’s Groundhog Day. Let’s Get To Know the Real Critter Behind the Shadow
| Patty Wetli
For an animal that has its own holiday, the groundhog kind of flies under the radar. Let’s get to know it better.
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Veterans Affairs Workers, Unions Push Trump Administration to Reinstate Collective Bargaining Rights
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