Who Will Be Chicago’s Most Powerful Politician in 2026?

In June, Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera was shot and killed by fellow officer Carlos Baker during a foot chase. The department described the shooting as an accident. Now, Rivera’s family says she broke off a romantic relationship with Baker shortly before the shooting and claims the department failed to protect her. Host Jacoby Cochran and executive producer Simone Alicea break down the latest details in the case. Plus, they discuss auditions for the Chicago Snowballs and add a few more people to Chicago’s naughty or nice list. Vote for City Cast Chicago for best podcast and Hey Chicago for best email newsletter in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago 2025 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 the sponsors of this Dec. 16 episode:  Lincoln Park Zoo The Shops at North Bridge Joffrey Ballet Aura Frames – Get $35 off the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Back in January, we discussed the most powerful people in Chicago. But a lot has changed since then…or has it? TV host Brandon Pope and the Tribune’s A.D. Quig are back to discuss how political power has shifted across Chicagoland and who might emerge as power players in 2026. 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 the sponsors of this Dec. 15 episode:  The Shops at North Bridge Joffrey Ballet Aura Frames – Get $35 off the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

It has been two months since Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced his $16.6 billion budget plan, which he argues leverages new taxes on Chicago’s largest corporations to avoid layoffs, service cuts, and property tax hikes while funding critical public safety initiatives. This week a group of alderpeople introduced an alternative budget. We ask WTTW’s Heather Cherone and Block Club Chicago’s Jaime Nesbitt Golden, how it differs from the mayor’s and how likely it is either plan crosses the finish line? Plus, alders renew push for teen curfew, mayor criticizes police promotion policy, and have you played Rich Auntie Trivia.   Good News: The Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Museum moving Feral cats avoiding Chicago’s rat poison 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 the sponsors of this Dec. 12 episode:  SAUCED Night Market Paramount Theatre Richard H. Driehaus Museum  MUBI Aura Frames – Get $35 off the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

We have covered hundreds of stories in 2025; some good, some bad, and some bone-chillingly authoritarian. From this, executive producer Simone Alicea and host Jacoby Cochran have drafted their Chicago ‘Naughty or Nice’ List of 2025. Who do you think deserves to make the list? 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 the sponsors of this Dec.11 episode:  SAUCED Night Market Paramount Theatre Richard H. Driehaus Museum  Aura Frames — Get $35 off the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Being a City Cast Chicago Neighbor costs $10 a month, so we created a list of gifts you can get in Chicago for $10 or less. Host Jacoby Cochran, executive producer Simone Alicea, and producer Michelle Navarro share their picks, including gifts from shops like Adams and Son and Daughter Gardens, Strange Cargo, Beelove Cafe, Gene’s Sausage Shop and Delicatessen, and more. Plus, where to donate gifts this holiday season and local toy drives in North Lawndale and Brighton Park. Get more from City Cast Chicago when you become a City Cast Chicago Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at https://membership.citycast.fm   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 the sponsors of this Dec. 10 episode:  SAUCED Night Market Paramount Theatre Richard H. Driehaus Museum  Aura Frames — Get $35 off the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Residents of a soon-to-be foreclosed South Shore apartment complex, raided by federal agents in September, have asked a Cook County judge for more time and resources to move out. Executive producer Simone Alicea and host Jacoby Cochran discuss how they got here. Plus, we’ve got tips for handling this season’s record-breaking snow, and how do you feel about robot food delivery? Good news: Market Box 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 the sponsors of this Dec. 9 episode:  SAUCED Night Market Paramount Theatre Richard H. Driehaus Museum  MUBI Aura Frames - Get $35 off the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Former President Barack Obama announced last week that his long-awaited presidential center would officially open to the public in June 2026 — 11 years after the project was initially announced on the South Side. Host Jacoby Cochran talks with Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bey about what took so long and his first impressions of the building and surrounding grounds in Jackson Park. Good News: Chicago Public Library events 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 the sponsors of this Dec. 8 episode:  SAUCED Night Market Paramount Theatre Richard H. Driehaus Museum  Aura Frames – Get $35 off the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

While Chicago Public Schools are preparing for winter break, the search for the next permanent CEO is ongoing. Last month it was reported, the school board was interviewing finalists. Now it is unclear where exactly the school board’s process to name the next head of CPS is. Chalk Beat Chicago’s Reema Amin is here with the latest. Blockclub Chicago’s Investigative Editor Crystal Paul breaks down what happens to individuals in Illinois who are declared mentally unfit to stand trial. Plus, newsrooms unite to challenge the feds, Diary of a Black Illusionist is Chicago’s next great magic show, and vote City Cast Chicago ‘Best Podcast of 2025.’ 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 the sponsors of this Dec. 4 episode:  The Auditorium Dandelion Bev Ed Uniting Voices Chicago Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Chicago is now fully in holiday mode, so we’re back with our holiday edition of the one-star review game! Host Jacoby Cochran quizzed Axios Chicago reporters Carrie Shepherd and Monica Eng last year. Can they guess these popular Chicago holiday attractions based on their one-star Yelp reviews? 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 the sponsors of this Dec. 4 episode:  The Auditorium Dandelion Bev Ed Uniting Voices Chicago Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Since the Michelin Guide arrived in Chicago back in 2010, only four restaurants have received three Michelin stars. There are only 14 restaurants in North America, and as of just last month, there is only one in Chicago. Chicago Tribune’s restaurant critic, Louisa Chu, tells host Jacoby Cochran which restaurants are recently Michelin-recommended, what she thinks makes a restaurant worthy, and her favorites in the city.  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 the sponsors of this Dec. 3 episode:  The Auditorium Dandelion Bev Ed Uniting Voices Chicago Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE