OTL: Episode #306- Chicago Police Department staffing, Chicago as a global city

TO HEAR THE SHOW, PRESS THE “PLAY” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST… (podcasting from the studios in the OTL Bunker, somewhere in Chicago) (broadcasting on the “global city” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen discusses Chicago Police Department staffing levels and explores the topic of Chicago as “a global city.”   Tracy Siska– Executive Director of the Chicago Justice Project The CJP examined available data to see how Chicago compared to other cities when it comes to police staffing and homicides.  Tracy discusses the results and what they mean this week.   Photo courtesy of Chicago Justice Project Aaron Renn– Urban analyst and publisher of The Urbanophile Aaron wrote an article called  “What is a Global City?” where he examines the state of Chicago in relation to a global city.  He discusses his thoughts on this topic this week.     OTL #306 local music provided by The Golden Horse Ranch Band…  

OTL: Episode #302- Windy City Rib Classic preview, Chicago’s population grows, The Metro at 30

TO HEAR THE SHOW, PRESS THE “PLAY” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST… (podcasting from the studios in the OTL Bunker, somewhere in Chicago) (broadcasting on the “BBQ” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen previews the Windy City Rib Classic, discusses the slight growth in Chicago’s population, and airs a conversation with Metro’s Joe Shanahan.   Gary Wiviott— Co-founder of the Windy City Rib Classic, Author of Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons An authentic BBQ competition comes to Chicago on August 12th.  We get the tasty details this week. Chicago’s population grows – According to this article on Crain’s Chicago Business website, Chicago’s population is finally growing.   Graphic courtesy of chicagobusiness.com   Joe Shanahan– Owner of Metro This year one of the best-known music venues in Chicago, Metro, turns 30.  Mike digs up an interview he did with Joe Shanahan from 2002 when the club turned 20.  We hear part of this interesting conversation. Joe Shanahan.  Photo courtesy of msn.com.   OTL #302 local music provided by Careful Q…  

OTL: Episode #300- Art on (The El) Track, OTL’s 300th show, Lake Claremont Press covers Chicago

TO HEAR THE SHOW, PRESS THE “PLAY” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST… (podcasting from the studios in the OTL Bunker, somewhere in Chicago) (broadcasting on the “30o is the new 50” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen celebrates the 300th episode of the show, learns about turning the El into an art gallery, airs a clip from Robert McChesney, and talks to the founder of Lake Claremont Press.   Tristan Hummel— Founder of Art on Track On September 22nd, a 6-car CTA El train will become a mobile art gallery.  We get a preview of the event this week.  You can check out the event’s Kickstarter page HERE. Robert McChesney – Media reformer, professor of communication at U of I, founder of FreePress Since this is OTL’s 300th show, we take a look back at Mike’s first interview on the program.  It’s a discussion about localism in our media.     Sharon Woodhouse–  Founder of Lake Claremont Press This local press has been publishing books on Chicago-specific topics since 1994.  They have a great body of work and we hear about the origins of this fantastic press. OTL #300 local music provided by Hollows…  

OTL: Episode #297- Mick Dumke on new pot law, Near North Side, The Second Rate City?

TO HEAR THE SHOW, PRESS THE “PLAY” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST… (podcasting from the studios in the OTL Bunker, somewhere in Chicago) (broadcasting on the “smoke ’em if ya’ got ’em” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen talks new Chicago pot laws, learns about the Near North Unity Program, and explores whether or not Chicago is in decline.   Mick Dumke— Senior writer at the Chicago Reader Recently, Mayor Emanuel announced his support for a plan that would lessen the consequences of getting caught with small amounts of marijuana.  We get the latest on this from Mick. Photo courtesy of ChicagoReader.com Abu Ansari – Content manager of connectnearnorth.org Randall Blakey- Facilitator of the Near North Unity Program The Near North neighborhood has gone through many changes over the years.  We learn about efforts to bring that community closer together through local social programs and technology.     Aaron Renn– Urban analyst and publisher of The Urbanophile Aaron wrote an article called “The Second Rate City?” where he argues that our city could be in decline.  He discusses his thoughts on this topic this week. OTL #297 local music provided by Soft Jolts…