2025 is going to be quite the year for local education. (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen gets an update on important education issues in the new year from Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin, discusses the positive impacts of a few Illinois Department of Corrections programs with Jennifer Vollen-Katz, executive director of the John Howard Association, and previews an upcoming show by the local band Poi Dog Pondering with band founder Frank Orrall. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.

We get an update on local education issues this week. (Photo credit: Mike Stephen/WGN Radio)

Mike Stephen welcomes Chalkbeat reporter Reema Amin to discuss the latest on Chicago Public Schools’ position on police officers in schools and how schools are funded and then discovers the Secret History of the 1960s soul group from Evanston: The Drew-Vels. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our Apple Podcasts Page, Spotify, or our RSS feed.