Friday, August 14, 2026

This WBEZ podcast is supported by Med Global, a Chicago-based charity bringing health care and hope to vulnerable communities worldwide. By partnering with local leaders, health professionals, volunteers, and humanitarians, Med Global provides emergency relief and builds resilient health systems that last. Learn how you can help respond to humanitarian crises with an affordable donation at medglobal.org. Good afternoon, I'm Alex Degman, and this is The Rundown. Six tornadoes touched down across the Chicago area this week. The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes in Homewood, Oswego, Wilmington, Mokina to Tinley Park, Orland Park to Munster, and Monee to St. John. Wind speeds in Moni and St. John peaked around 115 miles an hour Tuesday. The Sun-Times reports Illinois has now seen a record-breaking 206 twisters this year, and it's already broken the record for most tornadoes recorded in a single year. That was 142, set just two years ago in 2024. Chicago homeowners affected by severe flooding could see some financial relief. Under a new law signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, taxpayer-financed home equity assurance programs on the city's northwest and southwest sides can offer one-time rebates for flood damages. Rebates are capped at $1,000. J.B. Pritzker says the law stems from the Trump administration denying aid amid last year's record rainfall and flash flooding in the city. A flooded basement does not care whether you are a Democrat or a Republican. Families trying to make their homes safe again should not be caught in the middle of a partisan game. Interested homeowners need to contact the Northwest or Southwest Home Equity Assurance programs. Rebates won't be available until after January 1st. Will County officials are also offering help to residents affected by storm damage. The 211 information hotline is up and running. A resource center and a food distribution event are also on the way. The resource center opens Monday at the Village of University Park Town Center and will serve as an information hub for available recovery resources. Agencies will provide hands-on assistance with resource navigation and supplies. This includes support with SNAP replacement benefits, insurance claim navigation assistance, cleanup, emotional support, veteran support. and pet supplies. The Chicago Sinfonietta has reached a one-year labor agreement with its musicians. The contract comes at an uncertain moment for the local orchestra. My WBEZ colleague Courtney Kippers has more. The symphonietta abruptly paused all performances and laid off staff last spring, citing financial hardships. The new agreement with the Players' Union only currently includes one upcoming concert. BJ Levy, president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, said there's concern about the orchestra's future, especially given its focus on diversity. We're particularly concerned about that in light of, you know, the federal governments outright.

attack on organizations who promote diversity, equity, inclusion. The group plans to hold a performance in January around Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Courtney Kippers, WBEZ News. The Chicago Bears open the preseason tomorrow against the Cleveland Browns. A number of starters won't be playing this game, including quarterback Caleb Williams. But some key position battles will be on display starting with left tackle. Ozzie Tripillo is likely to miss the start of the season, so that spots up for grabs. Head coach Ben Johnson says Karan Amagaji and Jedrick Will's Jr. will be rotating at left tackle throughout the game. Johnson has a simple criteria for the job. We just want to see guys compete. We want to see guys playing fast. You know, it's all of it. It's run game. It's past game. I don't think there's anything specific. We want to see consistency level play and see guys go out there and compete. Kickoff from Soldier Field is tomorrow at noon. You're listening to The Rundown. In recent years, many Chicago renters have been priced out of their neighborhoods. In some parts of the city, there's an ordinance in place that gives tenants a shot at buying their building if it goes up for sale. But it's not easy buying a building. One Northwest Side group is trying to change that with help from some young organizers. By WBEZ colleague Esther Yunji Kang has their story. On a sweltering afternoon, dozens of young people are walking around the Hermosa neighborhood on the northwest side. It's an area that's changing, with home prices rising and families moving there after already getting pushed out of nearby Logan Square. The students are taping flyers in English and Spanish on light poles and are ready to talk to any neighbors who approach.

A curly-haired college student named Maria Angel Rodriguez leads a small group of high schoolers. I'm going to go put this over there real quick. Rodriguez is a college senior interning with Balenke LSNA, a nonprofit that has long pushed for affordable housing. She spent a lot of her childhood in Logan Square when there wasn't much to do there. Now that the area is one of Chicago's hottest neighborhoods, the people she grew up with can no longer afford to live there. So this summer, she and other students are doing something about it. They're getting the word out about Chicago's Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Rodriguez explains the main idea behind the ordinance. If there's multiple people renting the building, oh, everyone can come together and try to buy the building so everyone in the building gets to stay there. The ordinance requires landlords to give notice that they're going to sell a property. And it gives tenants the first shot at buying it. The policy is a part of the city's perennial fight against displacement in some rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, like around the 606 Trail on the northwest side, in neighborhoods like Hermosa, Logan Square, Avondale, and Humboldt Park. And also on the south side, where the Obama Presidential Center just opened. Rodriguez lays out her hope for the program. I think hearing more people would be like, I bought my house and I was able to stay in my neighborhood that I've lived in my entire life. That's what we're looking for. Like, that's what we want. But that's a lofty goal. The city says just one tenant group has been successful in buying its building in the past year out of hundreds of sales in the neighborhoods where the ordinance is in effect. Now, a couple of things make it hard. Definitely the education piece is the biggest piece. That's Gary Jimenez, a housing organizer with Balenke LSNA. He leads the summer youth program that Rodriguez is a part of, and he says it's not just renters who don't know about the ordinance, it's the landlords too. And even when both parties know about the policy, it's just hard to buy a building, especially for working class families. It's really expensive to buy in the neighborhood. I mean, down payment. is high, interest rates are really high in general. This is true in a lot of places in Chicago, in neighborhoods where many affordable two to four flats have been demolished to make way for luxury single family homes. So Jimenez and his young organizers are working on that too. They're campaigning for a city fund that can help with down payments. They're also looking for nonprofits to link up with renters to buy properties. For the 25 year old Jimenez, this fight is personal.

I was gentrified out of my neighborhood. Just about a decade ago, the landlord in the Humboldt Park apartment he lived in with his family announced a rent hike in order to make some repairs to the building. He menace his parents. A truck driver and a factory worker couldn't afford the new rent, and so the family had to move out. They bounced around from place to place until his mom and sister could buy a home several blocks west. I'm really passionate about ensuring... How do people that look like me continue living in the neighborhood that they grew up in? He says many of the students he works with have experienced the same pain of displacement, and they're ready to fight to help families stay in place. Esther Yunji Kang, WBEZ News. Tonight's weather forecast calls for temperatures in the lower 70s along with some scattered showers and thunderstorms. The chances for those increase after midnight. Tomorrow looks like we'll see showers with a chance of thunderstorms again and highs in the mid-80s. And don't forget the air and water show returns to the lakefront this weekend from Fullerton to Oak Street with North Avenue Beach, serving as the show setter. It runs from 1030 to 3 on both Saturday and Sunday. And you can find the latest news whenever you want at WBEZ.org or on your radio at 91.5 FM. I'm Alex Dagman. Thanks for listening.