Mike Stephen gets an update on the secrecy around a plan to buy back the city’s parking meters from Block Club Chicago’s Mick Dumke and learns about a new series of live local performances that explore the history of the Untied States from co-producers Cheryl Corley and Lucy Smith. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

Mike Stephen discusses the impact of the departure of the Chicago Housing Authority CEO with Block Club Chicago investigative editor Mick Dumke, learns about a crisis in Illinois’ Early Intervention Program from Start Early director of legislative affairs Jonathan Doster and speech pathologist Sarah Ziemba, and gives an update on the efforts to preserve the history of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

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.

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.