Today is Election Day

For the last few years, WBEZ has produced a show called Prisoncast. It’s made for people in prison and their loved ones. On Sunday, we’ll be airing a special starting at 2 pm. Today, we wanted to bring you one of the stories from that special. It’s about Jamal Bakr. He was not supposed to be released from prison for a long time. He was serving a 60 year sentence. But recent changes in Illinois law created parole opportunities for people who committed their crimes when they were young. And in December of 2024, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board took the very unusual step of granting release to Bakr. Since then, he’s been pouring his soul into communities where he suffered harm, and where he created harm in response. From WBEZ’s Prisoncast team, Robert Wildeboer has more on Bakr’s life after release. HOST: LARA

The proposed funding for Chicago’s 2027 arts budget is falling flat. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan pitches a less than one percent increase from last year’s. Advocates are calling the budget disappointing and say it pales in comparison to other major cities. HOST: LANE

Thousands of renters in Chicago apartment buildings are seeing their gas and water bills change wildly from month to month. That’s because many landlords in older buildings are switching to something called ratio utility billing systems. HOST: LANE

Baked goods are having a moment in Chicago. Among the most popular baked bites: The humble croissant. HOST: LANE

This story includes details of sexual assault and may be disturbing to some listeners. A new WBEZ analysis finds that the University of Chicago, like many universities, rarely expels students found responsible for sexual assault. That means most perpetrators of sexual violence are allowed to graduate and receive a UChicago diploma. Researchers and advocates say their presence on campus makes it even harder for survivors to stay in school and finish. UChicago students are calling for tougher discipline following two recent reports of assault tied to the Hyde Park campus. HOST: LANE

Illinois House Democrats picked up at least six seats in Tuesday’s elections and now have amassed a record-setting supermajority. And yet, while the party was celebrating its landslide wins, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch was unceremoniously given his walking papers by his own caucus. That means a big scramble is underway to fill one of the most powerful positions in Illinois’ statehouse before the new General Assembly is seated in January. Here to break down this political fight is Chicago Sun-Times government and politics reporter Mitch Armentrout. HOST: DEGMAN

A law in Illinois requires private insurance companies cover a benefit that helps parents with newborns. But a new investigation by WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times finds this well-intentioned law is failing families. Some are having to pay thousands of dollars up front, then ask their insurance companies to pay them back. It’s a huge financial risk. HOST: LANE

Chicago now has its own brewery for Korea’s oldest alcoholic drink. Makgeolli is a rice wine that’s been around for centuries – and it’s now growing in popularity in the US. HOST: LANE

The Democratic blue wave that spread across the nation roared through Illinois. Democratic Governor J-B Pritzker easily won a third term, and his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, breezed to a win in her U-S Senate race. The effect of President Trump’s enormous and historic unpopularity pulled down Republicans far and wide here. HOST: ALEX

Chicagoans cast votes in yesterday’s (TUES) elections to select all 21 members of the city’s school board for the first time. All eyes were on the heated citywide race for board president, and how candidates backed by the Chicago Teachers Union would fare. HOST: LANE