OTL: #581- Decatur, IN’s WDBF-LP, Dorothy Day’s personal story, Illinois Election Data

Mike Stephen talks with:   Jovan Mrvos, Zach Martin, and Quinton Swenski, Members of WDBF-LP in Decatur, IN, to talk community radio from the High School prospective for another installment of Low Power to the People;   Kate Hennessy, author of Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved By Beauty; and,    Scott Kennedy, creator of the website Illinois Election Data.   This week’s local music is provided by Minor Characters. Mike Stephen analyzes the data from the last municipal election courtesy of Illinois Election Data. (Also, he’s standing in Lake Michigan) To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

OTL: Episode #569- DACA’s impact in Chicago, Chicago State University’s revamp, Inside Compound Yellow arts space

Mike Stephen talks with:   Ere Rendon, Director of National Partnerships for the Resurrection Project, about the recent news concerning the changes to US immigration policy and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals);   Dr. Rachel Lindsey, Interim President of Chicago State University, about how CSU has rebounded after some rough recent history; and   Lora Lode, Co-Founder of Compound Yellow, about an art gallery space in Oak Park that is located in the backyard of a house.   Don’t forget our Outside the Loop Listener Survey. We really appreciate your time and consideration!   This week’s local music is provided by Tinkerbelles.   OTL host Mike Stephen gets educated about Compound Yellow in Oak Park. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

OTL: Episode #566- Rust Belt Chicago, The importance of high school libraries, The Secret History of Ritz

Mike Stephen talks with:   Belt Magazine senior editor Martha Bayne about collecting stories for the new book Rust Belt Chicago: An Anthology;   Hinsdale South High School librarian Ellen Lawrence about the importance of libraries in high schools; and   Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) about arena-ready rockers Ritz for this week’s edition of The Secret History of Chicago Music.   Meanwhile, we present the Outside the Loop Listener Survey. We’d love your feedback!   This week’s local music is provided by Kerosene Stars.   OTL host Mike Stephen reviews the Outside the Loop Listener Survey.   To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

OTL: Episode #544- IL’s crumbling infrastructure, The Secret History of Forest City Joe, We All Live Here

Mike Stephen talks with:   Darren Olson, co-chair of the Infrastructure Report Card Committee for the Illinois Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), about the state of Illinois’ roads and bridges;   Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) about Muddy Waters-endorsed harmonica player Forest City Joe for this week’s “Winter Blues” edition of The Secret History of Chicago Music; and   Rich Alapack, founder of we all live here, about his social startup that works on community-based art projects with local schools.   Meanwhile, Mike announces that his family is growing!   This week’s local music is provided by Capital Soirée.   OTL host Mike Stephen stands outside of the Pulaski International School of Chicago in Bucktown in front of an inspiring “we all live here” installation.   To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.