Good morning!

Welcome to this edition of the Morning Drive Podcast - brought to you by the 2012 Kup Cup SOFTBALL CHAMPIONS - WBEZ! We’ve got an exclusive interview with WBEZ coach Justin Kaufmann in today’s podcast. 

But first, some news:

►Public school teachers in Chicago could walk off the job during the second week of school. That’s because the Chicago Teachers Union has officially filed a 10-day strike notice with the Illinois Labor Relations Board.

►The State of Illinois has taken another hit to its credit rating. Standard & Poor’s announced on Wednesday its decision to lower Illinois’ credit rating one notch, from A+ to A. The credit rating agency cited state lawmakers’ inability to address $83 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.

►The Chicago Transit Authority recently proposed cutting a dozen bus lines and adding service on others. So this question by Curious City participant Corinne Creswell seemed perfectly timed:“Elston doesn’t have a bus line. What factors lead to bus routes being added or removed?”

Blogs we’re reading this morning:

►WBEZ history blogger John Schmidt takes us back to the first thoroughbred horse race with a million-dollar purse - the Arlington Million.