Jesse Dukes
Senior Producer
Before coming to WBEZ, Jesse was an independent writer and radio producer based in Virginia.
He worked with the public radio program Backstory and occasionally led student trips to Tanzania for the University of Virginia as well as hiking, kayaking, and canoeing trips in Maine.
Stories by Jesse Dukes
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Racial covenants from the 1950s helped me buy my house
Although his McKinley Park home did not have a restrictive deed, a WBEZ staffer discovered that he benefited from this tool of exclusion.
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Chicago’s Best Stargazing Spots
Chicago’s notorious light pollution hides the stars, but here’s where you have a fighting chance to peek at the heavens.
Did All Chicagoans Support The Civil War?
The story of Irish-American draft resisters, African-Americans who defied the odds to fight, and women who found ways to support the war.
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Why The 1992 Loop Flood Is The Most Chicago Story Ever
How clout, corruption, and construction without permits led to half the Loop being evacuated.
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Carl Sandburg’s Chicago: The Places, People, And Events That Shaped His Writing
The famous poet and writer spent more than two decades in Chicago. We explore how the people and places helped shape his work.
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How Accountable Is The Mayor For Police Misconduct?
WBEZ’s Patrick Smith explains how the police accountability process works in Chicago, and how much power the mayor has in that process.
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Was There A Burial Mound In Chicago Shaped Like A Lizard?
A listener noticed an odd detail on an old map. Curious City investigated whether it was the site of an ancient burial mound.
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The Man And The Music Behind The Baseball Ballad “Go Cubs Go”
Folk singer Steve Goodman grew up going to Cubs games, and this diehard fan had a lifelong goal—to write a hit song about baseball.
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Is Chicago’s Air Less Polluted Than It Was Before The Stay-At-Home Order?
With less traffic on the roads and some businesses shut, one Curious Citizen wonders if the air we’re breathing is any cleaner.
