Podcasts about axios chicago

Mayor Johnson visits Springfield, neighbors protest a proposed luxury hotel near the Obama Center, Sen. Duckworth backs Lt. Gov. Stratton for Senate seat. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap. This week's panel features Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd, Chicago Tribune criminal justice reporter Sam Charles and WBEZ statehouse reporter Alex Degman. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Nick welcomes journalist, author, food writer, and Axios Chicago contributor Monica Eng to the podcast to share her memories of watching Saturday Night Live as a kid, what really makes her laugh, and how SNL helped shape her sense of humor. Monica reflects on her cheerleading days, her love for Jerry Lewis movies, and the influence of her hilarious Puerto Rican aunts—who even inspired a couple of her favorite sketches. She also reveals her Top 5 SNL Sketches of All Time, featuring the comedic brilliance of Gilda Radner, Cheri Oteri, Will Ferrell, Tom Hanks, Andy Samberg, Molly Shannon, and more. And yes—Monica delivers a spot-on Roseanne Roseannadanna impression, and you'll hear it. A fun, nostalgic, and laugh-filled conversation with a good friend and a great writer. [Ep 116]

Reporter with Axios Chicago, Monica Eng, joins Lisa Dent to discuss how Midwest farmers are being affected by President Trump’s new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China that are set to begin on April 2nd.

Nick welcomes Monica Eng from Axios Chicago to the podcast to discuss some of her latest stories, including the challenges undocumented people are facing with ICE, how the Mayor fared on his recent trip to D.C., and whether Rahm Emanuel is really staging a political comeback. They also dive into Fat Tuesday treats, top-tier fish sandwiches, the best ripple chips, and a new slang term the kids are using for hot dogs. Then, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to chat about the wild weather, the adventure of getting a Real ID before the deadline, and, of course, the rising use of the word "Glizzy" to describe a hot dog. They also explore other hilariously misleading food terms in a fun, fast-moving conversation. [Ep 330]

Award-winning Chicago reporter with Axios Chicago Monica Eng joins Lisa Dent on the show to discuss how local business leaders are urging the Trump administration to update immigration policy that don’t involve mass deportation. Listen in while Monica shares details surrounding a new campaign called “Secure Our Borders and Secure Our Workforce” which was launched […]

Serious political junkies jump right into predicting the next ballot. Listen in as Lissa Druss and Thom Serafin trespass on 2026. We invited Axios Chicago's Justin Kaufmann back to debate the shifting tides for the 5th floor of Chicago's City Hall, the governor's mansion, and a very critical U.S. Senate seat. During this episode of the Crisis Cast, we examine what might be the tipping point for Mayor Brandon Johnson. Plus, what's the next move for Senator Dick Durbin, and who will step up to prioritize public safety?

Starting Tuesday, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan took the stand in his own corruption trial. Madigan is accused of bribery, racketeering, and various other charges. We ask Axios Chicago's Justin Kaufmann and the Tribune's Jake Sheridan what we've learned from Madigan's testimony so far. Plus, we discuss a growing rift between Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker, South Side developments we're watching in 2025, and the Kennedy express lanes reopening next week.     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

With holiday festivities in full swing, we're back with our one-star review game! Host Jacoby Cochran is quizzing Axios Chicago reporters Carrie Shepherd and Monica Eng. Can they guess these popular Chicago holiday attractions based on their one-star Yelp reviews? Voting in the Reader's Best of Chicago is open! Vote City Cast Chicago as Best Podcast and Hey Chicago as Best Email Newsletter. 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. 5 episode: The Second City Paramount Theatre - CityCast for $5 off of up to 4 tickets! BetterHelp - Get 10% off at betterhelp.com/CITYCAST Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

On heals of the 2024 election, there's a lot stirring in our neighborhoods about the federal funding that may vanish. All of which collides with the City of Chicago's nearly $3 billion budget deficit.   Durning this episode, Justin Kaufmann of Axios Chicago joins Lissa & Thom to talk about our present day council chaos. Justin sees it as a hearkening back to the "council wars" of the 1980s. What's driving this dysfunction? Can Mayor Brandon Johnson actually be a collaborator in chief? These are just some of the answers we're chasing. Plus, is Governor J.B. Pritzker helping with his harsh tones for the incoming Trump administration?

Nick welcomes Monica Eng from Axios Chicago to the podcast to chat about some of the stories she's covering, including the Advent calendar craze at Aldi, the city's crackdown on people parking or standing in bike lanes, where Trump won the majority of the vote in Chicago, and how Michigan is cutting into Illinois' weed sales. Then, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to discuss the quirks of eating at a stranger's house (like discovering they don't have Kool-Aid or use Karo syrup on pancakes), how franchised stores sometimes make up their own rules, and the return of see-through glass cooler doors at Walgreens. They also continue their Italian snack taste test! [Ep298]

Alders block Mayor's massive property tax hike and the Bears fire the team's offensive coordinator while strategizing about a possible new stadium site. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap with Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd, Fox 32 Chicago political correspondent Paris Schutz and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitch Armentrout. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

From the race for president to the first-ever school board election, how could this week's election results impact Chicago? We're discussing what lies ahead with The Triibe's editor in chief Tiffany Walden and Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd. Plus, alders sound off on the proposed property tax hike, the Johnson administration pushes back, and we're disconnecting from doom scrolling for a moment. Good News: City Civics Day , Taking a Seat: Resistance and Agency in Public Spaces, Ink + Impact: The Power of Journalism 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 Nov. 8 episode: Mubi The Second City Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Carrie Shepard, reporter for Axios Chicago, joins Lisa Dent to talk about the ballot measures that Illinois voters will see on Election Day. Although they are non-binding measures, they are used to poll how Illinois voters would vote on the issues. One of the three measures that voters will see would require insurance companies to […]

Carrie Shepherd, reporter for Axios Chicago, joins John Williams to tell us what we learned from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s press conference today where he appointed six new members to the Chicago Board of Education following last week’s abrupt resignation of the entire board.

Carrie Shepherd, reporter for Axios Chicago, joins John Williams to tell us what we learned from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s press conference today where he appointed six new members to the Chicago Board of Education following last week’s abrupt resignation of the entire board.

Carrie Shepherd, reporter for Axios Chicago, joins John Williams to tell us what we learned from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s press conference today where he appointed six new members to the Chicago Board of Education following last week’s abrupt resignation of the entire board.

All seven members of the Chicago Board of Education announced Friday they will be resigning. Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has to figure out how to close a massive budget gap, and local colleges and universities have imposed more restrictions on protest on campus. Reset goes behind those headlines and more with Chicago Sun-Times education reporter Nader Issa and Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Former President Donald Trump spoke at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Chicago, and it went about as well (read: poorly) as you might expect. Freelance writer Britt Julious and Axios Chicago's Justin Kaufmann are here with executive producer Simone Alicea to talk about what we learned, if anything, from the Republican nominee's visit. They also offer tips for Lollapalooza weekend, reminisce about an iconic punk rock institution, and discuss the struggles of getting a rare medical diagnosis. Plus, we've got some good news about food influencer Keith Lee's visit to Chicago and the upcoming Bears “Hard Knocks” premiere. 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 Aug. 2 episode: West Town Chicago — Dancing in the Streets (8/2 - 8/4) Ravinia Wastenot — Use code citycastcompost to test the service with a free month. Bike the Drive — Use code Streets5 for $5 off. Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

After securing construction funding, prepping demolition, and releasing yet another set of mockups, Bally's Casino officials say plans for Chicago's first ever permanent casino are on track for 2026. However, lower than projected attendance and revenue at the River North temporary site paired with criticism from city leaders continue to mar the project in skepticism. Axios Chicago's Carrie Shepherd and Block Club Chicago's Kelly Bauer are here with the latest. Plus, we discuss an alleged $15 million fraud scheme at Loretto Hospital, an ongoing investigation into Chicago's abandoned public housing units, crappy cake art and a graffiti battle in Back of the Yards! 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 July 19 episode: Ravinia Incogni — Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Wastenot — use code citycastcompost to test the service with a free month. Lincoln Park Zoo Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Axios Chicago's Justin Kaufmann joins the Steve Cochran Show to delve into the best grocery stores in Chicago, Memorial Day grocery prices, and he tests the show's street knowledge of name changes, nicknames, and Chicago slang.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carrie Shepherd is a reporter for Axios Chicago. She was previously a reporter, producer, and editor at WBEZ, Chicago's National Public Radio station and a producer at City Cast Chicago.

Monica Eng knows a thing or two about how to talk and write about food in Chicago and beyond. She got her start at the Chicago Sun-Times as a copy clerk in high school and spent sixteen years as a reporter on the food scene for the Chicago Tribune. She went on to write for every major Chicago outlet and currently writes for Axios Chicago, where she covers a wide range of issues, from food policy, to dietary health and beyond. You can also hear her talk food with Tribune food critic Louisa Chu every week on their popular podcast, Chewing. Her new book with David Hammond, Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites explores the history of some of the city's most iconic delights. Monica's natural curiosity and passion for food and people are crystal clear and on display in a lively episode that explores a career guided by Roger Ebert, the impact of AI on food journalism, her family's chop suey legacy, and so much more.

Ignite The Conversation: A Exploration Into Chicago-style BBQ Dominique Leach (Lexington Betty Smokehouse) – Brian Jupiter (Frontier/Ina Mae Tavern)- Daniel Hammond (Smoky Soul BBQ)- Ron Conner (U Want Dat Smoke BBQ) Media Speakers: Journalist Monica Eng of AXIOS Chicago and co-author of Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites & James Beard Award-winning food writer/video producer Mike Gebert of Fooditor Moderator: Catherine Lambrecht, Culinary Historians of Chicago We've all heard of the classic BBQ styles from regions like Kansas City, Memphis or Texas-style. But what about Chicago-style BBQ? From Rib tips to Hot Links to Mild Sauce and more, Chicago Chef and Pitmaster Dominique Leach of the Black-Women-Queer-Owned and award-winning restaurant Lexington Betty's Smokehouse, plus the 2023 winner and the current reigning “MASTER OF ‘CUE” of the Food Network's Hit Show BBQ Brawl , is making it her mission to further define this unique style and put it on the map in 2024. And she's calling on a few more experts to help! On Sunday, February 25th, join us for Ignite the Conversation, an educational panel and BBQ tasting with BBQ legends from throughout Chicago and top local journalists to lead a discussion on the origins of Chicago-style BBQ, its variations, and its future. To moderate the discussion, she has tapped Catherine Lambrecht of the Culinary Historians of Chicago with proceeds of this event to be made to their American Midwest Scholarship fund which provides financial support for the study of Midwestern foods and food-related institutions. Recorded live at Lexington Betty Smokehouse on February 25, 2024 www.CulinaryHistorians.org

Governor JB Pritzker delivered his $53 billion budget proposal this week. Host Jacoby Cochran, freelance journalist Britt Julious, and Axios Chicago's social host Moyo Adeolu dive into some of the governor's spending plans for the state's growing migrant population, early childhood education, reproductive health, and more. Plus, we look at new regulations on the Field Museum's indigenous artifacts, the Black Girlhood Altar at the Chicago Cultural Center, and a City Cast Best of Chicago three-peat!    Some good news: Best of the Rust Belt, Black History Folk Futures Symposium 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

City Council approves Gaza ceasefire resolution and Chicago becomes the largest city in the U.S. do so. Mayor Brandon Johnson gives migrants more time in shelters. And Chicago Tribune reporters go on strike for the first time in the paper's nearly 180-year history. Reset hears more about those stories and more with Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long, AXIOS Chicago reporter Monica Eng and WBEZ city government and politics reporter Mariah Woelfel.

Johnnie Putman and Steve King are keeping the winter weather advisories coming as we continue into the middle of winter. Monica Eng, reporter from Axios Chicago and co-author of Made in Chicago, starts off with a tip to keep you warm: jump in a hot tub on the Chicago river, in addition to a few […]

Nick welcomes Axios Chicago's Monica Eng to the podcast to chat about a ton of interesting stuff, including Italian beef quiche; Chicago's composting program; hot tub river rafting; the year in food 2023, and much more. Then, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to give a Michael Bolton update, discuss how to use air freshener like a "professional," and to chew your food properly. Esma also tells a hilarious story involving "Fight Club" and R2D2, and she taste tests some cool snacks from Spain. [Ep210]

Your upcoming holidays may be full of movie nights and good food. So, why not combine the best of both worlds? From Big Night to Tampopo, Reset digs into the films that inspire us to eat and cook delicious food with Monica Eng, Axios Chicago reporter and co-host of Chewing Podcast, and Jesse Dukes, co-host of Upper Middlebrow.

Nick welcomes the terrific Monica Eng, from Axios.com, to the podcast. They discuss many of the subjects she is covering at Axios Chicago including: the migrant situation, Ed Burke's penchant for swag, Maria Pappas' impressive collection of Christmas trees from around the world, a very cool new Asian Food Court in River West, and Monica shares her experience of making Pumpkin Spice Malort. Oh, and we discover that Ms. Eng has a lovely singing voice! Then, Esmeralda Leon and Nick chat about what they did for Thanksgiving, the proper way to eat cold prime rib, the joys of shopping at a Dollar Store, learning to drive stick, and the horrifying trauma of high school driver's ed. [Ep198]

The Illinois primary is 109 days away. The Ed Burke trial is heating up. And the city of Chicago teams up with churches to house migrants. We'll break down those stories and more in WBEZ's Weekly News Recap with panelists Monica Eng, reporter for Axios Chicago, Michael Loria, reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, and Dave McKinney, WBEZ state politics reporter.

The nation mourns the killing of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume. Meanwhile, as the city attempts to set up housing for migrants ahead of winter, some residents are upset. We went behind these headlines and more with Block Club Chicago's Melody Mercado, WTTW's Heather Cherone and Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng. Check out more conversations like this at wbez.org/reset.

The rent is due, new college students are setting out into the world, and now is a great time to get your finances in order before the reality of fall kicks in. That's why we're revisiting some budgeting tips we got in April from NerdWallet writer Kimberly Palmer. Host Jacoby Cochran, lead producer Simone Alicea, and former City Caster and Axios Chicago writer Carrie Shepherd examine their own financial habits and learn some best practices. Some news: Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi announced she's resigning. Check out our interview with Biagi from March. Check out “In My Granny's Garden” at parks across Chicago starting this week. 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 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick welcomes writer Monica Eng from Axios Chicago, to talk about the recent Mayoral race, her book "Made In Chicago," her recent trip to France where Chicago artist Robert Guinan is all the rage, a gelato shop in Lincoln Square that also performs side-show acts, and much more. Then, Esmeralda Leon and Nick talk about the upcoming NASCAR event that is going to cause nightmares throughout Chicago, they also discuss some truly awful game shows, and insane Japanese TV shows which include stunts like blowing off cannons in sleeping people's bedrooms, and "The Screaming Man," who jumps out from behind walls and screams at innocent bystanders. And, of course, Nick's Dad Tells a Joke. [EP151]

Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites Presented by Monica Eng and David Hammond Chicago food shows its true depth in classic dishes conceived in the kitchens of immigrant innovators, neighborhood entrepreneurs, and mom-and-pop visionaries. Monica Eng and David Hammond draw on decades of exploring the city's food landscape to serve up thirty can't-miss eats found in all corners of Chicago. From Mild Sauce to the Jibarito and from Taffy Grapes to Steak and Lemonade, Eng and Hammond present stories of the people and places behind each dish while illuminating how these local favorites reflect the multifaceted history of the city and the people who live there. Monica Eng is a reporter for Axios Chicago and co-host of The Chewing Podcast. Before joining Axios, Monica was food, health and Curious City reporter for WBEZ. For 16 years Eng was a food, culture and watchdog-investigative reporter at the Chicago Tribune. She has been nominated for the James Beard Award five times for her good writing. David Hammond, born in Chicago, is a father of three, a former college professor and corporate communications consultant. He has written food reviews for Chicago Reader and TimeOut, as well as the Food Detective column for the Chicago Sun-Times; he is a co-founder of LTHForum.com, the Chicago culinary chat site, and he has produced and hosted the Sound Bites series on Chicago Public Radio. He is currently Dining & Drinking Editor at Newcity, Chicago, a regular contributor to Oak Park's Wednesday Journal, Chicago Tribune, Better, and a number of other local and national publications. Recorded via Zoom on April 6, 2023 CONNECT WITH CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CHICAGO ✔ MEMBERSHIP https://culinaryhistorians.org/membership/ ✔ EMAIL LIST http://culinaryhistorians.org/join-our-email-list/ ✔ S U B S C R I B E https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ F A C E B O O K https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryHistoriansOfChicago ✔ PODCAST 2008 to Present https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts/ By Presenter https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts-by-presenter/ ✔ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ W E B S I T E https://www.CulinaryHistorians.org

Johnnie and Steve spring forward into their show by welcoming reporter for Axios Chicago, Monica Eng and Dining and Drinking Editor for Newcity/Chicago, David Hammond, into the studio and discussing their book, Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites, and the food history that the book highlights. After, entertainment reporter for Fox 6 […]

She's worked for Chicago's biggest newspapers and he's worked for Chicago's most successful radio stations. And now … they do email.Joining Charlie Meyerson for this edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks: Axios Chicago newsletter authors Justin Kaufmann and Monica Eng.Listen in your favorite podcast player, via Spotify and Pandora, on Amazon's Alexa-powered speakers or on Apple Podcasts.Or if you prefer to read your podcasts, check out the transcript below.And if you're a completist, check out the behind-the-scenes raw audio and video from the recording of this podcast via Zoom on YouTube—including deleted segments like Eng and Kaufmann's answers (at 34:50) to the question, “How did Charlie most annoy you?” ■ Enjoying these podcasts? Help keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.■ And consider subscribing—free—to the daily Chicago Public Square email newsletter._____Now, here's a roughly edited transcript of the interview with Eng and Kaufmann. Corrections? Email Squerrors@ChicagoPublicSquare.com.Charlie Meyerson 0:00 She's worked for Chicago's biggest newspapers, and he's worked for Chicago's most successful radio stations. And now, they do email.Monica Eng 0:08 At WBEZ they kept saying, “Would you like to write our newsletter?” And I'm like, “Are you kidding me? I'm a reporter! Stop with the insulting questions.” And now, like, I love it.Meyerson 0:20 Monica Eng is a longtime Chicago reporter who's covered food, culture, health and the environment for the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune and, yes, also at a radio station, WBEZ. Justin Kaufmann's a former talk show host and producer in Chicago at WBEZ and WGN Radio. They've teamed up to create the Axios Chicago newsletter, rounding up the day's biggest Chicago news plus coverage of their passions, including food and sports.Justin Kaufmann 0:44 Chicago is a different place. It is going to be a different newsletter than Denver. It should be a different newsletter than San Francisco.Meyerson 0:52 Coming to you despite a cough, congestion and a mild fever that a test assures me do not signify COVID-19, I am a well-medicated Charlie Meyerson with Rivet360 and Chicago Public Square, which, yes, is also an email newsletter. And this is Chicago Media Talks. Justin, what did you want to be when you grew up? And how did that lead you into Chicago radio?Kaufmann 1:14 You know, it's funny. My dad always reminds me that I was really into DePaul Blue Demon basketball when I was a kid and I would write up stories like sports stories of the games that they would show on Channel 9 at the time, like when DePaul would pay like Creighton, or Georgetown. And I would write—he showed me when I was older—like, these write-ups. So I think I wanted to be a sports writer in some form. But to be honest, I really wanted to be in radio. I love the idea I had my own— I did the announcements in high school and a lot of things to end up where I ended up to be a talk show host. So I think that that's what I wanted to be.Meyerson 1:53 High school announcements: You and I have that in common. Monica, what did you want to be when you grew up? And how has that shaped your career?Eng 2:01 I had no idea. But by the time I was 15, and my mom was dating Roger Ebert, he said, “Hey, so do one of your kids need a job this summer?” I said, “Well, I'm not going to be doing anything but watching TV. So maybe I'll go try this thing called being a copy clerk at the Chicago Sun-Times.” And from the first day I started working in the features department at the Chicago Sun-Times in 1985, I fell in love with it, and that's all I ever wanted to do—be a newspaper woman or a newswoman. I did not envision I would be an emailer, thanks for calling me that.Meyerson 2:35 It's an honorable profession. It's honorable. Eng 2:37 There was no email at the time, which was why I had a job. You know, putting the mail in the slots at the Chicago Sun-Times.Meyerson 2:45 How and when did you two first meet?Kaufmann 2:48 Ooh.Eng 2:49 Ooh.Kaufmann 2:49 That's a good question. Monica was world-renowned, you know, in Chicago media. And I think I booked her a couple times on talk shows on WBEZ. And then, you know, when Monica was looking to make a career change, she came over to WBEZ. So we worked together at WBEZ for a couple of years, working on talk shows and reporting.Eng 3:12 Yeah, well, yeah, I remember I remember. I used to hear you on the radio. And I was always a huge fan of WBEZ, and then you know, you, you'd say, “Hey, can you come on and talk about your Tribune stories?” And I thought, “Oh, this is fun.” So when you said, “Hey, there might be a spot here,” like, “You know what? I'm gettin' a little sick of the Tribune, maybe I'll think about that.” But as you recall, hiring at public radio sometimes takes a little time. So I think we were doing that dance for a couple of years.Kaufmann 3:39 Yeah, we had a lot of lunches at Fox & Obel, which is that high-end grocery store over on …Eng 3:44 … between Tribune Tower and WBEZ.Meyerson 3:47 How did you come to be a team on the Axios Chicago newsletter?Eng 3:51 Justin had already been working with the Axios daily podcast. So he kind of knew about that world. And we both had worked with Niala Boodhoo at WBEZ. And she was already there. She was quite an evangelist for the place. And I thought, “Whatever, I've never really even heard of this thing.” And so when she told us both about it, I think we're like, “Well, let's take a look at this.” I don't think either of us were like super-sure we wanted to do a newsletter because obviously we had different skills. We didn't like who has newsletter skills? Do people like graduate college knowing how to do this?Kaufmann 4:25 Yeah, I will say, Charlie, that the one thing that grabbed our attention, I think, was looking at what Axios was doing with newsletters—not just in the local markets, but what they were doing with Mike Allen and others who do the national newsletters—is they really did feel like a written talk show. And if you look at Mike's Axios AM, that's what it is. Mike is hosting a talk show—he's doing articles instead of segments—but it really had this vibe, this energy to it. He's connecting to his readers. He's engaging, he's going back and forth. It reminded me a lot of what I was doing at WGN Radio when I was doing a WBEZ with Reset. So it was an easy opportunity when they said they wanted to do it for Chicago, you know, it was a, it was a no-brainer to say, “OK, well, you know, could you do a talk show in an email format?” And that's what we've been, that's really our ethos, our mission statement, our philosophy, Monica and I, that this is a talk show in an email format, and it seems to be working.Eng 5:19 In fact, when we are when we're over length on these newsletters, Justin's like, “Oh, we gotta cut it for time.” I'm like, “Justin, we're not doing radio.”Kaufmann 5:28 It's hard to lose the little radio things like “cut for time.” “Listeners,” I always— Our readers are listeners, I always say that.Meyerson 5:37 It's easy to get those mixed up. You know, sharing some of that same professional DNA with you guys, I know that one of the hardest things I find in creating an email newsletter is deciding what not to put in. Because, as Monica has said, there's no time restriction, there's no length restriction, and deciding what doesn't go in is harder than deciding what does go in. How do you wrestle with that?Eng 6:00 Well, we do have a length: Nothing over 950 words. But that does make it harder. I mean, Chicago is full of, you know, a million stories in the naked city. And so how do you choose, you know, four or five a day? It's a terrible Sophie's choice to make.Kaufmann 6:16 That has been an issue where I think a lot of the editors and everyone were like, “You know, you're gonna have to do this every day, you're gonna watch out— Finding content will be an issue.” For Monica and I—because we've covered the city for years, and you know, this, Charlie; I read your newsletters and same idea—you could do 50 stories, you could do 100 stories. I mean, there's— time is nothing, so you're just like, yeah, every night at 10 o'clock, after we put the thing to bed, I'm like, “Darn it, we didn't talk about this, or we didn't do this.” And that reminds me of when I worked at 'BEZ and 'GN as well, where you would be down on yourself because you missed the topic that you think Chicago wanted to talk about.Meyerson 6:52 As we record this August 22, 2022, you've been with Axios just a bit more than a year. What's been a high point of that year or so with Axios?Kaufmann 7:00 I think, to me, the highlight has been just connecting with Chicago readers. I would have never thought this would be this successful. I mean, at the time we tape this, we're over 80,000 people who are signed up for it. The open rate is way above the average. And people are engaging and sending us emails on a daily basis on every story we do. It's way more than I ever had at WGN or WBEZ. I think that that has much to do with the format—I mean, people at their computers are like I can easily respond to this. But that has been the high point to me is watching that sort of evolved engagement from some of the other things that were— I mean, you know, Charlie, talk radio is all about engaged. So by getting people on the phone, like, that's where it's supposed— you think that's ingrained in the secret sauce of an AM talk radio station like WGN, but this supersized it. We're talking hundreds and hundreds of emails and people who want to engage.Eng 7:56 They can be overwhelming at times—because, yeah, it's like, “Oh, I want to respond to all 150 people who wrote to us today sharing you know, where they like to go, you know, for a picnic in Chicago, or, you know, what they remember about Tower Records.” So, yeah, similarly, I think, you know, the engagement. Yeah, of course, I got COVID during our first or before our first retreat, so I couldn't go, and Justin just loves to rub it in about how fun it was.Kaufmann 8:25 It was such a fun time without Monica. That really I think that's the secret sauce is that Monica wasn't there.Eng 8:30 Leave that old wet blanket home.Meyerson 8:32 All right, how about the low point of your first year with Axios? Monica?Eng 8:36 Oh, jeepers, I wouldn't say low point. But, I think, you know: Breaking news. During the strike, when omicron was raging and the CPS and CTU were fighting. We were doing really long days. And it was like, “Oh, shoot, something else just happened. Let's, you know, break the thing open again.” It can kind of it's actually very exciting to cover breaking news. But it was wearing and I think, you know, and well and then the Highland Park thing, day after day, turns into a manhunt it turns into to these things. And our bosses are actually great. They're like, “Look, are you guys feeling worn down? What can we do to kind of rejuvenate you.”Kaufmann 9:20 I think because we are news media creatures at best and at heart, it becomes really difficult to shut it off. And so, if there are breaking news stories on top of breaking news stories, we're not the type to bury our head in the sand. We're the type to say it doesn't matter if it's 8 o'clock, 10 o'clock at night, 11 o'clock, we get up and we start working again. And that is just part of the pitfalls of the job. I mean that you get burnout. You don't get a chance to have any sort of renewal moment or time to rest. You just gotta keep going.Meyerson 9:53 Just six years after its founding Axios is being bought by Cox Enterprises, the cable communications and historically a newspaper company, for a little more than half a billion dollars. What's that mean for you and Axios Chicago? Are you both millionaires now?Eng 10:09 Well, I guess quasi-millionaires maybe like, multi. It's actually, you know, I've been and Justin's been at companies that have been bought before, and it's usually bad, bad news. It actually appears to be good news, in this case. And, and our bosses made sure that they got a really good deal for employees as well. As far as we can tell, they're not going to touch the journalism, they just actually want more local journalism. Cox seems to really love the local end of it. And so I think it means we get more love and, and, and our bosses are talking about this as a multi-generational thing. They want Axios to be around generations after they're gone. And I think, as far as I can tell, that's, that's really gonna help with this. Kaufmann 10:59 Yeah, they're saying all the right things.Meyerson 11:00 When you say “good deal for employees,” what does that really mean? Eng 11:03 We get to sell a third of our stock. So everyone is vested, even people who have been there a short time, and you can sell a third of your stock to Cox and then later, we can sell it for actually an even better deal—you know, depending on the valuation of the company at the time.Kaufmann 11:17 You know, Axios is a young company. And it is interesting to see the difference in philosophy and styles when a young company is bought, as opposed to an older company. And I've been on both sides of the spectrum. I was there when WGN Radio was sold to Nexstar, before that tried to be sold to Sinclair. That is a different feeling. That's a feeling of dread. And, you know, they're coming in to change formats or cut or like even work in the newspapers. That's not what this is, this is a win for Axios, they got a media company to buy the product for a pretty sizable amount of money. And they look at it as this is an indicator and also, I would think, an encouraging sign that people are interested in the future of local news.Meyerson 12:03 Between the two of you, you have by my count, more than half a century of experience in newspapers and radio. What's your take on this, this email news business? Is it a fad? Is it here for the long run? Is it the successor in any way to traditional radio and television? Or is it something that you expect is going to fade away as something else comes along?Kaufmann 12:23 Well, I will say this: I think that obviously you've been a pioneer and doing email, and you've you found your voice, and that's really what it's about. It's not that everybody can go to email and, and be like, “All right, I'm just going to transfer my product to this new format and it's gonna work.” I mean, it's the same tenets. You have to be engaging, you have to have personality, it's about the tone. Everything is the same. It's just you're using words, and I think it's very akin to maybe what we saw in the early 2000s, with the blog movement. I think that that was something that at first people were like, “What, you're gonna put your—this is in the newspaper? It's digital? What are we doing?” And you saw some that became very successful and very profitable, and some that were middle of the road and some that died off. And I think that newsletters, especially independent newsletters, are in the same ballpark. I think it's the same game. It's just evolved. And I think that advertisers are more interested in putting their money into email newsletters because it's been tried and true by now.Eng 13:26 Yeah, if you'd asked me a year ago, I would have said, “What the heck email newsletters?” I mean, actually, I'll be honest: At WBEZ they kept saying, “Would you like to write our newsletter?” And I'm like, “Are you kidding me? I'm a reporter! Stop with the insulting questions.” And now, like, I love it. And it really is meeting people where they are. People our age still open email. My daughter, she's like, “Can't you just text it to me, mom?” So maybe these will be texted in the future. But it's respecting their time. It's curating for them. And it's yeah, it's going into the box that they open every morning.Kaufmann 14:05 I think it's all about advertising. And I think that the audience has been there. Charlie, you—we did it together at 'BEZ.Meyerson 14:13 Let's be transparent. You hired me to do WBEZ's— Kaufmann 14:17 Yeah!Meyerson 14:17 Well, it wasn't even— WBEZ in 2013 was not set up to send email to readers. So I did what should have been email but was just a blog at the time.Kaufmann 14:27 Yeah, but it was a news blog. It was similar. It's similar in the way to what you do right now with Square. I mean, it was a very similar idea. But that is where this— I mean, you could see the evolution from those kinds of posts that were important—that people would go to the URL to check it out every morning to see what Charlie had to say about Chicago news. Now, they've just like podcasts, they figured out a way to take these blog posts and give them right to you in an email format. And that is that I mean, if you really think about podcasts, that's where the world changed when you were doing radio and it was appointment and I had to go to a dial. I had to actually punch the numbers in. Now they found technology that just puts it on my phone when I wake up. And that's a big difference. That's why you have … so much audience there because they're not having to do anything. It's almost like the media industry is finally figuring out, you have to go where the audience is at as opposed to trying to get them to come to you.Meyerson 15:20 A colleague in the broadcast business once talked about his organization's ability to train listeners to do certain things at certain times. That seems to be a notion that I think is going away. I don't even know when my favorite TV shows are on, they just show up on my TV when I want to watch—Kaufmann 15:34 When you're ready to watch them! Exactly! Right? I mean, I watched two or three TV shows over the weekend that were season finales from two weeks ago. And I didn't have any problem with it. I knew how to avoid the spoilers. We're not living in this collective zeitgeist anymore, where everybody's watching one episode of Lost. There's a lot going on. And I feel like that is the same with we talked about podcasts, you talking about newsletters, talking about news. And I think that what I find interesting is just the idea that Monica and I are, we get this all the time from listeners—or readers. Sorry, there you go—that say, “I get all my stuff from you.” You know that—Eng 16:11 Which is scary. Come on, guys, you shouldn't be—Kaufmann 16:13 Yeah, it is scary. You should read other stuff for sure. I mean, but I think it'd be the same with your readers, Charlie. I mean, they're coming to you, they can go get the stories from different places. But they're coming to you for that five, three to five minutes in the morning. For them to say, this is what I this is what's going on. And this is what I need to know what's going on.Meyerson 16:28 You know, “We read the news so you don't have to” is one approach to email newsletters, I think. How has the pandemic played out for you, as you create the Axios Chicago newsletter? Monica? Eng 16:40 Well, we started it like 1/3 or halfway into the pandemic. And so, I'm thrilled to be at an organization that says “We will be remote all the time.” If you're in New York, and you want to go to the New York office, or in Virginia and want to go there, that's great. But they say “Home is where your office is,” and we get a nice fat stipend every month to make our home a nicer place. And you can spend it on flowers or a dog or whatever — Meyerson 17:12 A dog? I'm impressed. Eng 17:14 I mean, anything that will make your home a nicer place to do your job. But for younger people for whom work is like the place where you're gonna meet your mate, and you can learn from older journalists, I could see how it's a problem. The world, you know, we know it all.Meyerson 17:29 You're both youngsters compared to me! Justin, how did the pandemic play out for you?Kaufmann 17:33 Well, I mean, I left—I got, you know, tossed outta WG

Medusa's was “like a community center for weirdos and freaks and everybody else in between,” say some Chicagoans who went there as teens in the 1980s and '90s. In this week's episode Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng finds out how the club got started, what it was like to hang out there and why, despite its popularity, it closed its doors in 1992.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants a dome on Soldier Field, Google is buying the Thompson Center and Illinois remains a monkeypox hotspot. Reset dives deeper into those stories and more on the Weekly News Recap with WTTW's Paris Schutz, AXIOS Chicago reporter Justin Kaufmann and Chicago Tribune's Rick Pearson.

Yes, everyone has their Chicago critiques about “The Bear,” the FX on Hulu show about a celebrated chef who returns to his hometown to run his family's Italian beef joint in River North. One thing that stood out was in episode two when the Chicago Health Department awards The Original Beef of Chicagoland a “C” grade for various health violations in the kitchen. Well, that's not really how it works here. Host Jacoby Cochran talks to longtime health reporter Monica Eng from Axios Chicago about how it does work. Monica has gone on health inspections with sanitarians, investigated some shady behavior by sanitarians, and reported on how even the most well-regarded restaurants in the world break the rules. Today is the last day to enter to win school supplies for an entire school! The Chicago Underground Film Festival is back at Logan Theatre (Wed-Sun) . Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicago Sign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Crimo III, the suspect in the Highland Park shooting, was able to purchase guns legally despite a suicide attempt in April of 2019 and another incident where Highland Park police were called to his family home after he threatened to “kill everyone.”  In 2020 and 2021 he passed four different background checks that cleared him to purchase the firearms after his father co-signed for him.  Monica Eng, reporter at Axios Chicago, joins us for how Crimo legally bought his guns. Next, as we approach the midterm elections and beyond, a possible shadow race for 2024 that is developing is the back-and-forth between CA Gov. Gavin Newsom and FL Gov. Ron DeSantis.  Newsom just took out a $100,000 ad in Florida taking a shot at Florida's politics and Republicans are eager to have the fight with him.  Jeremy White, CA politics reporter at Politico, joins us for the growing political ambitions for these two governors. Finally, with all of our data constantly in jeopardy you might want to consider scrubbing your info from the internet.  Well, the bad news is that you'll never fully be able to delete everything online, but you can minimize some of it.  More bad news, it is going to take time, money and patience.  Heather Kelly, tech reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for what to know about deleting your data.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin Kaufmann is a reporter for Axios Chicago and part of the ensemble that created Chicago4Real, a new Twitch channel that features great Chicago content. He's also part of Schadenfreude, a Chicago sketch comedy group. Justin previously worked in Chicago radio, both at WBEZ and at WGN.

Justin Kaufmann from Axios Chicago joins Bruce and Judy to talk about one of the new studies covered on Axios. They discuss where college students are headed after graduation- Chicago is sixth in the nation. Why isn't it number one? Why is Seattle the most appealing city to new grads?

Justin Kaufmann from Axios Chicago joins Bruce and Judy to chat about today's headlines around Chicago. The Morton Salt building is part of a new mega-development, and there may even be a new neighborhood in the city. That and more from around the city.

Monica Eng is reporter for Axios Chicago with a specialty on food, health and the environment. Monica came to Axios from WBEZ where she was a reporter for 8 years. Before that she spent 25 years editing and reporting at the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Monica has won multiple writing awards and been nominated for the James Beard Award five times. The daughter of Chinese and Puerto Rican parents, Monica is a fourth generation Chicagoan whose children are fourth generation Chicago Public School graduates.

Justin Kaufmann from Axios Chicago is on with Bruce St. James and Andrea Darlas to discuss the Illinois gubernatorial race. Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin threw his hat into the ring yesterday, and there are plenty of others who are vying to take the seat.

With the omicron variant spreading like wildfire, COVID-19 cases around the country have shattered previous highs. The federal government has essentially given up on trying to fight the virus and a familiar ghoulish chorus of media pundits and wealthy business executives are berating working people to suck it up and put themselves in harm's way for the sake of the economy. What's worse, workers who stand up for themselves are being viciously vilified and scapegoated for the systemic failures that have put us in this mess.Perhaps no group is facing more backlash right now than educators. Earlier this week, nearly 3/4 of the membership of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) voted to return to virtual work until a deal to implement necessary safety measures is reached with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) or until the city's positivity rate falls below 10%. In response, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the CPS administration have locked educators out of their virtual classrooms, replaying their actions from last year when COVID cases were surging and teachers were locked out of their employee accounts, and had their pay docked if they refused to return from teaching remotely. In this urgent, unscheduled episode of Working People, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez talks about the lockout with Ana, a CPS teacher and CTU member, and Quetzalli Castro, a CPS teacher and a delegate and organizer within the CTU.Additional links/info below...Chicago Teachers Union website, Facebook page, and Twitter page:https://www.ctulocal1.org/https://www.facebook.com/ctulocal1https://twitter.com/CTULocal1Working People, "Mini-cast: #SafeReturnOrNoReturn (w/ Paula Ladin & Mariana Ruiz)": https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93b3JraW5ncGVvcGxlLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz/episode/MGZiZWQ2MjQtZTYyMC00NjhiLWI1ZjgtYWJiMTU5Y2ZjY2Q5?ep=14Quinn Meyer, Block Club Chicago, "Chicago Teachers Say They Want To Return To Classrooms, But They Need Better COVID-19 Safety Measures": https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/01/05/chicago-teachers-say-they-want-to-return-to-classrooms-but-they-need-better-covid-safety-measures/Monica Eng, Axios Chicago, "Chicago Public Schools Cancel Thursday Classes": https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/01/06/chicago-public-schools-cancel-thursday-classes?fbclid=IwAR2gfx0eWCmYPJnuGs1QqfCTXvUxOMPSpK24T2U363I8NS5Yh-lmca-tRdwFeatured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive at freemusicarchive.org):Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-podSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/newsletter-podLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

Here we are again... With the Omicron variant spreading like wildfire, COVID-19 cases around the country have shattered previous highs. The federal government has essentially given up on trying to fight the virus and a familiar ghoulish chorus of media pundits and wealthy business executives are berating working people to suck it up and put themselves in harm's way for the sake of the economy. What's worse, workers who are standing up for themselves are being viciously vilified and scapegoated for the systemic failures that have put us in this mess.  Perhaps no group is facing more backlash right now than educators. Earlier this week, nearly 3/4 of the membership of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) voted to return to virtual work until a deal to implement necessary safety measures is reached with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) or until the city's positivity rate falls below 10 percent. In response, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the CPS administration have locked educators out of their virtual classrooms, replaying their actions from last year when COVID cases were surging and teachers were locked out of their employee accounts and had their pay docked if they refused to return from teaching remotely. In this urgent, unscheduled mini-cast, we talk about the lockout with Ana, a CPS teacher and CTU member, and Quetzalli Castro, a CPS teacher and a delegate and organizer within the CTU.   Additional links/info below... Chicago Teachers Union website, Facebook page, and Twitter page Petition: "We need safe working and learning conditions in CPS!"  CTU informational posters: "Our Students, Parents & Communities Deserve Safety" Working People, "Mini-cast: #SafeReturnOrNoReturn (w/ Paula Ladin & Mariana Ruiz)" Quinn Meyer, Block Club Chicago, "Chicago Teachers Say They Want To Return To Classrooms, But They Need Better COVID-19 Safety Measures" Monica Eng, Axios Chicago, "Chicago Public Schools Cancel Thursday Classes" Permanent links below... Working People Patreon page Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show! Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org) Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"