Are Chicago students struggling? (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen discusses the preliminary results of Chicago student test data with Mila Koumpilova of Chalkbeat Chicago, gets the lowdown on the expansion of the Chicago Tool Library from co-founder Tessa Vierk, and learns about a new locally-produced film featuring Chicago street artists called Tagged from writer and executive producer Grant Troyer. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

Mike Stephen talks to Greg Jacobs, co-director of a documentary called The Road Up, that tells the story of overcoming obstacles to employment, learns about the issues surrounding Chicago’s last Black-owned bank with ProPublica journalist Mick Dumke, and talks to Kate Fagan about her new Holiday album. Happy new year from Outside the Loop! To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

Mike Stephen’s original Nintendo Entertainment System. (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen chats with Batavia native Kevin Jakubowski, the screenwriter of the upcoming film 8-Bit Christmas, talks to Oak Park & River Forest High School senior Jelena Collins about her experience at the UN Climate Change Conference, and learns about local musician Guy King’s new music. And Mike remembers the joys of old-school Nintendo from the 1980s. (Pictured above: Mike Stephen’s original Nintendo Entertainment System) To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

Inside The Co-Op Wars. (Photo Credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen talks to Erik Esse, the producer of a new documentary about the internal divisions in the co-op movement called Co-Op Wars, learns about the struggles of Afghan refugee youth in Chicago from ProPublica reporter Melissa Sanchez, and discovers the Secret History of 1970s one-hit wonder Jamestown Massacre. And Mike ponders the question: do we still need street sweeping in Chicago? To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.