Chicago owns a lot of vacant land during the current housing crisis. (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen discusses the vast city ownership of vacant land during Chicago’s housing crisis with Block Club Chicago reporter and investigative editor Mick Dumke and discovers the Secret History of prewar jazz clarinet player Mezz Mezzrow. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

The old Cabrini-Green area in Chicago. (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen discusses the decaying properties of the Chicago Housing Authority with Block Club Chicago investigative editor Mick Dumke, talks to writer Kevin Jakubowski, a Batavia native, about writing a new Holiday short film directed by Bryce Dallas-Howard called The Note, and gets the lowdown on Skip Class & The Dropouts‘ new music from lead singer Danny Jacobson. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

Mike Stephen talks to Kalyn Belsha, senior national education reporter at Chalkbeat, about a new influx of money for local school desegregation, goes deep into a controversy around Chicagoland burritos with Chicago Tribune food critic Nick Kindelsperger, and gets an update on the City of Chicago leasing land to the Chicago Fire soccer team from Block Club Chicago investigative editor Mick Dumke. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.