WBEZ's Afternoon Shift

For the last three years, we’ve brought you news and conversations on a wide range of topics that affect Chicagoans’ daily lives. We’ve covered a lot of big stories: elections, the Polar Vortex, the passing of major figures in the city like Roger Ebert, Jane Byrne, and Cardinal George. The list goes on. But not everything we do is so serious. Whether it’s stories about food, real estate, arts and culture or sports, we’ve always tried to bring an element of fun to your afternoon. So, this hour, we keep things a little more light-hearted with the regular contributors you’ve heard on the show over the years. General Admission podcasters, Don Hall and Tyler Greene give us a summer arts preview. Real estate reporter, Dennis Rodkin, tells us about the new tour he’s hosting about Chicago’s sexual history. Food contributor, Louisa Chu, talks about the newest food trends in the city. WBEZ’s Tony Arnold discusses new allegations against former U.S. House Speaker, Dennis Hastert. WBEZ Sports Contributor, Cheryl Raye-Stout previews Game 2 of the Stanley Cup. NIU Meteorologist, Gilbert Sebentse, tells us how he first got into meteorology. And, we talk about what we love about this great city.

Due to recent programming changes, June 5 is the final Afternoon Shift. We take this hour to celebrate the show and the city we love: Chicago. What we’ve always tried to do is have a robust conversation about how Chicagoans live their lives together. Whether that’s lighthearted exchanges on how cyclists or drivers act, or more serious discussions about how to fix our Chicago’s biggest problems. So, we ask our listeners: what conversations aren’t we having enough in Chicago? What aren’t we talking about? We’re joined by Justin Kaufmann, host of “The Download” on WGN and the former Executive Producer of the Afternoon Shift. Plus, Scott Smith, director at Touchvision, WBEZ reporter Natalie Moore, and Che “Rhymefest” Smith.

The Village of Tinley Park is facing a major water problem but not the kind you hear about in California. The southwestern suburb uses “smart meters” to measure water usage in homes. They’re electronic instead of mechanical and are supposed to be more accurate. But according to a Chicago Tribune investigation, the SmartMeters have been regularly overcharging residents, sometimes by hundreds of dollars. Greg Pratt is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and he joins us with details.

The Environmental Defense Fund is pairing up with Google to map gas leaks in Chicago and the suburbs. It found the city riddled with leaks. All the wasted gas costs ratepayers cash. But it’s also a big environmental threat. WBEZ’s Shannon Heffernan joins us to explain.

A proposed luxury condo development in Pilsen has some in that area concerned about the continued gentrification in the neighborhood. There’s a community meeting Thursday night at the Rudy Lozano library for residents to discuss their concerns. WBEZ’s Yolanda Perdomo joins us with a preview.

Many people on social media are livid about an alleged racially-motivated beating that took place in Chicago’s Canaryville neighborhood last weekend. WBEZ’s Natalie Moore joins us from our South Side bureau with an update.

As the summer heats up, so does the summer travel season. And for some Northwest Side residents, that brings to mind the noise of roaring airplane engines overhead. This week marks a few legislative victories for those neighbors. WBEZ’s city politics reporter Lauren Chooljian joins us with more.

The race for Indiana governor isn’t until next year, but it’s already starting to heat up. Indiana State Schools Superintendent, Glenda Ritz, is currently the most prominent Democrat to hold a statewide office, and is officially running for governor of Indiana. But in the last year or so, much of her authority was stripped by Republicans who control the Statehouse. Ritz says she wants to focus on education, jobs and bringing Hoosiers closer together. Joining us to talk about what her candidacy means for the Indiana governor’s race is WBEZ’s Michael Puente.

Last week, Merriam-Webster added more than 1,700 new words to its unabridged dictionary, including gems such as “clickbait” and “photobomb.” Now, author Lizzie Skurnick is adding a few more words to our cultural lexicon. In her appropriately titled book, “That Should be a Word,” Skurnick has added 250 new terms to fit our modern linguistic needs. She joins us with more on her book and her words.

Local artist Jack Nixon has been building his portfolio for nearly 30 years. His detailed graphite drawings showcase some of Chicago’s most famous landmarks and buildings: the Civic Opera House, the art institute and the Tribune building, just to name a few. His artwork is photo-realistic, but almost goes beyond reality. He joins us to explain his work.

The Blackhawks begin the battle for their third Stanley Cup in five years on Wednesday night in Tampa. The Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t been exactly welcoming to Chicago fans, banning Blackhawks jerseys and blocking ticket purchases for out-of-state credit cards. WBEZ’s Cheryl Raye-Stout has infiltrated Tampa and she joins us with an update.

One of the big budget cuts announced Tuesday by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner was scratching the $1 billion Illiana Expressway. The proposed east-west route would have connected I-57 near Wilmington in Will County to I-65 near Lowell in Indiana. While the State of Indiana was fully on board, Gov. Rauner never supported the roadway as much as his predecessor. WBEZ’s Michael Puente joins us to talk about the Illiana’s demise and what it could mean for the south suburbs and Northwest Indiana.

With today’s technology, astronomers can see billions of years into the past, but they’ve never been able to see the first light emitted in the universe after the Big Bang. That could be about to change thanks to a new high-powered telescope being developed by the University of Chicago and ten partner organizations. The billion dollar Giant Magellan Telescope is one of the first in a new generation of extremely large, earth-based telescopes, which may spur a new era for astronomy. Wendy Freedman is the board chair for the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization, and a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the U of C. She joins us with more.