OTL: Episode #308- Chicago’s squirrel population, Chicago Writers Conference preview, Loyola’s sustainability efforts

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 “there’s a squirrel in the attic” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen discusses the local squirrel population, previews the Chicago Writers Conference, and learns about the environmental sustainability of Loyola University’s campus.   Steve Sullivan – Principal Investigator for Project Squirrel and curator of urban ecology at the Notebart Nature Museum Steve tells us if the local squirrel population is decreasing and how we can be citizen scientists.   Mare Swallow– Founder of the Chicago Writers Conference This conference is coming up September 14-16 at the Tribune Tower and will bring together local writers for a unique networking and education experience. Gina Lettiere– Sustainability specialist at Loyola University’s Office of Sustainability Loyola has been working to make its campus more environmentally sustainable.  We hear about those efforts and their affect on our environment. Working towards sustainability on Loyola’s campus.   OTL #308 local music provided by Exit Ghost…  

OTL: Episode #307- Serious Eats Chicago, Goose Island goes national, Chicago Votes engages youth

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 “serious eats” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen talks to the editor of Serious Eats Chicago, discusses Goose Island Brewery going national, and learns about the great work of Chicago Votes.   Nick Kindelsperger– Editor of Serious Eats Chicago We learn about this great website that celebrates local food.  From sandwiches to ethnic meals, this blog covers it all.   Photo courtesy of Serious Eats Chicago. Josh Noel – Staff writer for the Chicago Tribune Goose Island Brewery will be going nation-wide later this year.  Josh has the details.  You can check out his article on this topic HERE.   Photo courtesy of Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune. TJ Crawford– Executive Director of Chicago Votes Getting youth involved in the political process is important to the future of our democracy.  We learn about this local non-profit that aims to just that. OTL #307 local music provided by Minor Characters…  

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 #305- Doug James of BOSS, El Stories on stage, Forgotten Chicago’s Corporate Kings tour

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 “indie king’s” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen talks to one of the cast members of BOSS, gets the lowdown on the play El Stories, and previews a cool tour led by Forgotten Chicago.   Doug James– Chicago-based actor who portrays “The Gray-Haired Man/The Cleaner” in BOSS BOSS, a show starring Kelsey Grammer as the Mayor of Chicago, begins its second season this Friday.  We get a preview of the season and go behind the scenes of this great drama.   Kelsey Grammer and Doug James on the set. Thomas Murray – Creator of El Stories This weekly stage show at the Greenhouse Theater (2257 N. Lincoln) takes your unique El-riding stories and turns them into a play.  We find out the details.   A scene from El Stories.  Photo courtesy of Waltzing Mechanics via gridchicago.com. Patrick Steffes– Contributor to ForgottenChicago.com On August 26th you can be a part of “The Corporate Kings of the Suburbs and Stern Pinball Tour.”  We learn about this fun and historic tour. Motorola’s Old-School HQ. OTL #305 local music provided by Uh Bones…