What is the future of the Chicago Reader? (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen talks to Amber Nettles, the publisher of the Chicago Reader, and Salem Collo-Julin, the paper’s editor in chief, about the dire financial situation of the publication and its future and then discovers the Secret History of the local 1960s garage rock band The Monteras. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

What is the future of electric vehicles in Illinois? (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen explores the potential impact of the Trump administration’s position on environmental funding with Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs at the Respiratory Health Association, and learns about the impact of restorative justice practices in the North Lawndale neighborhood from Cliff Nellis, president and CEO of the Lawndale Christian Legal Center. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative helps protect one of the best natural resources in the world. (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen learns about the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative renewal in Congress from Don Jodrey, director of federal relations at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, and then discovers the Secret History of the 1970s counterculture band Yama & The Karma Dusters. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

This week we meet Chicago’s “Taping Guy” and learn why he taped thousands of live music performances in Chicago. (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen talks to Aadam Jacobs, a Chicagoan who has recorded thousands of local live music performances, about why he’s making his collection public and then discusses the ongoing civil rights work of The Surge Institute with executive director Ulric Shannon. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.