The Rundown | Chicago News

In one bite-sized episode every weekday, we'll keep you informed, tickled, geeked, and pondering on Chicago's news, culture and people. Each episode starts with a quick news roundup from the WBEZ newsroom, followed by a deep-dive into one of the biggest or most curious stories from our city. The Rundown podcast is a one-stop-shop for all things Chicago.

The Rundown | Chicago News is a news podcast hosted by WBEZ Chicago, with 1,000 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

WBEZ Chicago hosts The Rundown | Chicago News, a news show with 1,000 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  The Rundown | Chicago News

  Friday, August 21, 2026

  Aug 21, 20269 min

  A Chicago police officer who racked up more complaints than any other officer in recent years now faces firing. Tornado sirens were accidentally activated this morning in multiple Chicago suburbs for the second time in three days. The annual Supertri Chicago is returning this weekend to the city. Plus, we hear from a journalist in Gary, Indiana, about the city’s continued struggle to regain electricity following last week’s storm.

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  The Rundown | Chicago News

  Thursday, August 20, 2026

  Aug 20, 202611 min

  Northwest Indiana power utility NIPSCO now says all of its customers should be restored by the end of Tuesday. Chicago will continue to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. with a free concert at Clarendon Community Center Park. The Pulitzer Prizes and the Chicago-based American Library Association on Thursday announced the national tour of “Pulitzer on the Road.” Plus, when a 64-year-old man from west suburban Addison was detained during the early weeks of Operation Midway Blitz last September, his family tried for months to keep his sandwich shop afloat while trying to get him out of detention. But Asif Amin Cheema was deported to his native Pakistan in January. So much has changed in the past year for the family without their patriarch.

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  The Rundown | Chicago News

  Wednesday, August 19, 2026

  Aug 19, 20269 min

  The Illinois Tollway Board Wednesday morning unanimously approved the first passenger toll increase since 2012. Rats are a problem that have plagued Chicago for years, but there are ways to prevent their spread. The Chicago Bears are continuing training camp, but their injury list is starting to pile up. Plus, school lunch used to be good. We explore how Chicago Public School lunches went from delicious to disappointing.

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  The Rundown | Chicago News

  Tuesday, August 18, 2026

  Aug 18, 202610 min

  A gruesome discovery at a far South Side funeral home earlier this month has exposed a lack of state oversight of the funeral and burial industry. A long-delayed casino complex in Chicago's River West neighborhood says its massive debt creates “substantial doubt” for its future. Millions of birds migrate through Chicago every year, but traveling around glass buildings can be deadly. Plus, Puerto Rico is going through a major water crisis due to severe drought. The island’s government began cutting water service to people’s homes and that’s causing anger. The crisis is exposing major weakness in Puerto Rico’s water delivery infrastructure.

  ListenShow Notes
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  The Rundown | Chicago News

  Monday, August 17, 2026

  Aug 17, 202611 min

  Puerto Rico is experiencing a major water crisis due to severe drought, and Chicago's large Puerto Rican community is keeping an eye on what’s happening on the ground. Chicago has a break from the rain on Monday, but don’t put away the umbrellas yet. The Chicago Bears beat the Cleveland Browns in a preseason matchup on Saturday and had a practice Sunday. Plus, former charter school operator Aspira has declared bankruptcy. It comes just 11 years after the nonprofit built a modern school in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood with $27 million dollars from the state of Illinois. Now, Aspira wants to sell the building for $11 million dollars and pocket some of the proceeds for its own operations.

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Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

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