CTA Investigation, Counting Migrant Students, and Bears Stadium Plans

It’s farmers market season, and we’re here to talk about what you need to know to make the best of it. Executive producer Simone Alicea and host Jacoby Cochran talk about what to do and what not to do when it comes to planning ahead, picking up what’s in season, and their favorite markets in the city.  Good news: Wicker Park Plant Sale and Garfield Park Conservatory Annual Seedling Sale  Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Learn more about our sponsors: Hubbard Street Dance Aligner Experts Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pro-Palestinian protests have continued at several college campuses across Chicago despite an increased presence of police and counter-protesters. Dozens of protesters were arrested over the weekend at the School of the Art Institute. The City Cast team breaks down the latest. Plus, the temporary Bally’s casino is pulling in less money than expected, and we show love to some amazing teachers in honor of National Teacher Day.  Good News: Invisible Institute and City Bureau won a Pulitzer Prize for their investigation “Missing in Chicago” and Invisible Institute and USG Audio won for their podcast series “You Didn’t See Nothin.”  Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Learn more about our sponsors: Hubbard Street Dance Aligner Experts Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might not hear them yet, but cicadas have already started emerging in Illinois. Over the next few weeks, overlapping broods are expected to emerge in a rare event where we could see trillions of cicadas. And while the insects might be loud and even a little gross, Insect Asylum founder Nina Salem says we should welcome our new neighbors. Salem tells executive producer Simone Alicea about why the cicadas are here, their role in our ecosystem, and why we should learn to appreciate the bugs. Some good news: It’s teacher appreciation week. Tell us about a teacher you want to show love to. Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Learn more about our sponsors: Hubbard Street Dance Aligner Experts Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week as pro-Palestinian protests picked up on campuses across the country, Chicago area students also began setting up encampments demanding universities divest from direct support of Israel as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 34,000 people. Crain’s Chicago reporter Leigh Giangreco and Block Club Chicago’s Maxwell Evans are here with the latest, including what student organizers are saying and a response from the Midwest Anti Defamation League. Plus, former gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is accused of colluding with a super PAC, an iconic Greater Grand Crossing Blues club is reopening, and did y’all hear that new Kendrick dis?  Good news: Call and Response Bookstore Grand Opening    Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Applications are now open for the Mayor’s Youth Commission, a group of Chicagoans ages 14 to 19 who work to advise the mayor and city leaders. Last year, host Jacoby Cochran sat down with Benjamin Kagan, chair of the commission’s public health group, and Precious Adedokun of the community safety group to learn what it’s like to be a teenager advising public officials and city actors. The next information session for the Mayor’s Youth Commission is on May 20.  Good news: The Chicago Critics Film Festival  Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Chicago community.  May means summertime Chi is almost here — depending on who you ask, that is. In the meantime, we’ve got the tips you need to make the most of May in Chicago from Cinco de Mayo to Memorial Day. Need a mocktail recommendation? We’ve got you. Looking for some self-care tips for Mental Health Awareness Month? We’ve got that, too.  For even more tips on how to make the most of May in Chicago, check out Hey Chicago’s take on what to do this month.  We’re powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more about how to become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.  Reach us at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State lawmakers are considering a proposal that would merge CTA and other regional transit agencies. Executive producer Simone Alicea and producer Michelle Navarro talk about how it would work. They also discuss former Fotrox and Dom’s Kitchen and Market employees filing a lawsuit following the stores’ closure. Plus, we talk about your favorite and most-hated grocery store chains and how birria and deep-dish are coming together for Cinco de Mayo.  Some Good News: Adler at Night Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s been a lot of grocery news lately: Foxtrot and Dom’s closing. The Kroger-Albertsons merger. Not to mention all the communities in Chicago that don’t even have a grocery store. But big grocery chains aren’t the only option for Chicagoans to get fresh food. Matthew Ruffi is the board president of Chicago Market and senior program director for Link Up Illinois. He tells host Jacoby Cochran about some grocery alternatives and how to bring more options to your neighborhood. Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Calls to oust CTA President Dorval Carter continue after a bus driver died behind the wheel after sitting unconscious for nearly an hour. Block Club Chicago’s Manny Ramos and Chalkbeat Chicago’s Samantha Smylie sat with host Jacoby Cochran to talk about what happened. They also discuss how Illinois and Chicago count migrant students, if Illinois lawmakers will extend the school closure moratorium, and the Bears stadium mock-ups.  Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often hear about the Tribune Tower, the Chicago Cultural Center and of course the once-called Sears Tower, but do you ever wonder about the buildings that aren’t aesthetically pleasing to the eye? Tour guide Mike McMains from Tours with Mike designed the Ugly Buildings Tour to highlight the eyesores that hide behind and between Chicago’s famous skyscrapers and structures. Mike tells host Jacoby Cochran what makes a building ugly and his favorites.  Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices