Chicago’s Black and Latino Caucuses
Two thirds of Chicago’s population are black or Latino, we talk to two aldermen who represent the Black and Latino Caucuses in City Council. Alderman Roderick Sawyer represents the 6th ward and is the Chair of City Council’s Black Caucus. Alderman George Cardenas represents the 12th ward and is Chair of City Council’s Latino Caucus. Ald. Cardenas and Ald. Sawyer join us to discuss the concerns and the work of their respective caucuses. 

Guests:

• Roderick Sawyer is 6th ward alderman.
• George Cardenas is 12th ward alderman.

Unleashed dogs threaten bird sanctuary on Montrose Beach
It can be tough to find a truly peaceful place in the bustle of Chicago but north side residents know that Montrose Beach is one of those places…for birds. In addition to a beautiful lakefront beach, Montrose is home to a protected bird sanctuary. It’s one of Chicago’s top birding spots and one of the few places within the city where you can spot rare species of migrating birds. But lately, there have been clashes between birders and a different animal-loving group: dog owners. Dogs aren’t allowed on Chicago’s beaches but that hasn’t stopped owners from unleashing their dogs on Montrose Beach. Birders are worried the dogs will scare away the rare birds that have been visiting the sanctuary this Spring. Joining us to discuss the situation is Luis Munoz, President of the Chicago Ornithological Society. 

Guest: Luis Munoz is President of the Chicago Ornithological Society.

Private helicopter industry could be returning to the Windy City
Imagine the city skyline dotted with helicopters buzzing back and forth delivering valuable documents or VIP’s to important meetings. It’s a system that already exists in other cities around the country, such as New York, and used to be available here. Now, a group of investors and a former Marine One helicopter pilot are bringing that service back to Chicago. Journalist, Dave McKinney, recently wrote about the story for The New York Times and he joins us with more.

Guest: Dave McKinney is a freelance journalist.

Gov. Rauner proposes use of two additional runways at O’Hare
The City of Chicago is asking the FAA to postpone dismantling one of O’Hares diagonal runways. Aviation officials planned to close the runway this coming August. The request comes on the heels of a new bill before Governor Rauner, which would allow the airport to use ten runways instead of just eight. Jon Hilkevitch is the transportation reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and he joins us with details on the bill and what the city is doing to address jet-noise complaints from residents.

Guest: Jon Hilkevitch is a Chicago Tribune reporter.

Future of former Finkl Steel site puts heat on new aldermen
When A. Finkl and Sons steel company moved from West Lincoln Park to Chicago’s South Side a few years ago, it left more than 30 acres of land behind. That’s like 30 football fields, only a few miles from downtown Chicago. And now, there are lots of competing ideas and debates over the future development of the Finkl space, which means lots of pressure on the neighborhood’s brand-new alderman. WBEZ’s Lauren Chooljian reports.

Guest: Lauren Chooljian is a WBEZ reporter.

Tech Shift: Exploratory research into the microbiology of human space travel
In 2014 microbes collected from our favorite Chicago dinosaur, that would be the Field Museum’s Sue the T-Rex , were launched into space. It was part of an effort to send microbes from all kinds of earth environments into space to see how they grow. The point? To learn how microbes associated with everyday human life react in a closed, limited-gravity environment and what implications this may have for humans during long-term space travel. Now, the results are in. Dr. David Coil, Project MERCCURI researcher and a Project Scientist in the Microbiology Lab of Jonathan Eisen at the University of California at Davis, joins us with details on the experiment.

Guest: Dr. David Coil is a Project Scientist in the Microbiology Lab of Jonathan Eisen at the University of California at Davis.

Chicago’s 606 trail to open Saturday
Chicago’s getting a brand new ribbon of green space on Saturday. The 606 is a nearly three mile long recreational trail for biking, jogging and walking. It sits seventeen feet above the ground on an old elevated freight train track that passes through four neighborhoods: Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square and Humboldt Park. The 606 officially opens June 6 but Mayor Emanuel had an unveiling of sorts on Tuesday. Before the announcement, we caught up with WBEZ’s Susie An for a first impression. 

Guest: Susie An is a WBEZ reporter.

The Bulls hire former player as new head coach
Less than a week after firing head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Chicago Bulls announced his successor at a press event on Tuesday. 42-year-old Fred Hoiberg, a former Bulls player and head coach of the Iowa State men’s basketball team, returns to the Windy City to take the helm for a Bulls organization that has been competitive in recent years but hasn’t won a NBA Championship since the late ’90s. WBEZ’s sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout joins us with more. 

Guest: Cheryl Raye-Stout is WBEZ’s sports contributor.

Mayor Emanuel makes changes to Chicago Board of Education
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is replacing four of the seven members of the Chicago Board of Education. WBEZ’s Becky Vevea joins us to explain what’s going on.

Guest: Becky Vevea is a WBEZ reporter.