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.

We learn about how local high schoolers are working to fight climate change. (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen talks to Oak Park & River Forest High School seniors Kate Wallace and Katie Stabb about their recent experience at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, chats with musician Dan Abu-Absi about new music from Chicago’s Radio Free Honduras, and discovers the Secret History of the 1970s soul group The Lost Generation. 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.