City Cast Chicago
Chicago’s daily news podcast, fresh every weekday morning. Host Jacoby Cochran brings you timely conversations with news and culture makers; activists and artists; bus drivers and students; those who love and hate this place. City Cast Chicago is a smart and delightful new way to connect with the city we share. Learn more and subscribe to our newsletter at chicago.citycast.fm. Named Best Podcast by Chicago Reader 2022
Episodes
January 9, 2026 • 36 mins
The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability held a meeting this week to hear testimony from Chicagoans about federal immigration enforcement over the past six months. We talk about the latest news with Block Club Chicago’s Francia Garcia Hernandez and The Triibe’s Corli Jay, including a teen curfew advancing in the City Council, an affordable housing initiative in North Lawndale, indoor farmers markets, and how yo...
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January 8, 2026 • 31 mins
As the federal funding outlook for child care and educational programs looks more and more uncertain, we decided to visit the after-school program at Carole Robertson Center for Learning’s Albany Park site. As the center celebrates its 50th anniversary, host Jacoby Cochran and producer Michelle Navarro ask some of the kids in the program what they think Chicago adults should know, and they talk to staffers about why these programs ...
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January 7, 2026 • 31 mins
If your New Year’s goals involve being a better Chicagoan, then we think there are some things about the city you should know. That’s why we’re revisiting these essential Chicago rules from host Jacoby Cochran, Hey Chicago newsletter editor Emmi Mack, and social media manager Rick Homuth. This episode was first published Aug. 7, 2025 — and make sure you go back to part one.
Good News: Douglass Park Creative Space and Crate Town op...
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January 6, 2026 • 37 mins
We’re back to catch up on some of the biggest stories around the city! The State & Lake CTA station officially closed Monday for a three-year renovation. Host Jacoby Cochran and executive producer Simone Alicea discuss what the $444 million project means for commutes and budgets. We also discuss the Bears’ playoff outlook and recap what happened with the city budget (spoiler: no veto, and no shutdown). Plus, we’ve got some New Year...
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January 5, 2026 • 57 mins
Nobody understands a city’s pulse quite like a City Cast host — and that makes them the best predictors for 2026’s biggest local stories. City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran joins CEO David Plotz and the other 12 hosts from across the network to talk about the big changes coming to our cities, from political shifts to data centers.
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January 2, 2026 • 33 mins
Happy New Year! We’re getting 2026 started right with a guide to what’s happening in January, from how to celebrate Martin Luther King Day to how to make the most of Restaurant Week. Host Jacoby Cochran, executive producer Simone Alicea, and social media manager Rick Homuth are here with all the tips you need.
If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the C...
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December 30, 2025 • 44 mins
Holidays are a great time to catch up on movies, from summer blockbusters to nostalgic classics. Earlier this year, the City Cast Chicago team set a lofty goal: To put together a list of the best Chicago movies of all time. Host Jacoby Cochran, executive producer Simone Alicea, Hey Chicago newsletter editor Emmi Mack, and social media manager Rick Homuth came up with 12 films deserving of this honor.
The List:
Medium Cool (196...
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December 29, 2025 • 35 mins
As we look back on the year’s milestones, 2025 marks 25 years since Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley unveiled the Plan for Transformation. It was a decade-long initiative that demolished Chicago’s public high-rises, overhauled the city's public housing system, and displaced thousands of Chicagoans. Author Natalie Moore and investigative reporter Mick Dumke have tracked the city’s claims about its overall success. We spoke to them ear...
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December 23, 2025 • 37 mins
Chicago’s airports are boasting another season of record travel. But what travelers really need to know is what to eat, where to find last-minute gifts, and general tips for navigating the busy travel season. That’s why host Jacoby Cochran is talking with Axios reporter Justin Kaufmann, who’s also been covering the massive renovations at O’Hare.
Good News: ChiTown Drive-In
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December 22, 2025 • 26 mins
The Bears are making threats again — this time saying they’re considering a move to Northwest Indiana after they hit a wall trying to reduce their property tax burden in Arlington Heights. It’s just another chapter in the ongoing back-and-forth, but with other Chicago teams vying for new stadium projects, we’re wondering: Is there a better way to do this? Host Jacoby Cochran talks with the Chicago Architecture Center’s Michael Wood...
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December 19, 2025 • 39 mins
After leaving Chicago a few weeks ago, Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino has returned with about 200 federal agents and camera equipment. We are joined by the Tribune’s Laura Rodriguez Presa who has been following this terror campaign since the beginning. Plus, Chalkbeat Chicago’s Samantha Smylie is here to discuss forthcoming school board elections, the search for the next CPS CEO, and a South Side production of ‘The Wiz.’Good Ne...
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December 18, 2025 • 24 mins
For 10 years, nonprofit Open Television has been supporting Chicago filmmakers as an incubator and with their own streaming app. Host Jacoby Cochran sits down with OTV co-founder Elijah McKinnon to discuss which of the app’s 500+ titles you should start with, how it could have only happened in Chicago, and why intersectional storytelling is so important.
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December 17, 2025 • 35 mins
The solstice may be this weekend, but it’s been winter in Chicago for weeks now. Still, there’s plenty of cold ahead, so it’s a good time to revisit last year’s essential winter rules with WBEZ’s Susie An.
Vote City Cast Chicago as Best Podcast and Hey Chicago as Best Email Newsletter in the Reader's Best of 2025.
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December 16, 2025 • 39 mins
In June, Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera was shot and killed by fellow officer Carlos Baker during a foot chase. The department described the shooting as an accident. Now, Rivera’s family says she broke off a romantic relationship with Baker shortly before the shooting and claims the department failed to protect her. Host Jacoby Cochran and executive producer Simone Alicea break down the latest details in the case. Plus, they...
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December 15, 2025 • 42 mins
Back in January, we discussed the most powerful people in Chicago. But a lot has changed since then…or has it? TV host Brandon Pope and the Tribune’s A.D. Quig are back to discuss how political power has shifted across Chicagoland and who might emerge as power players in 2026.
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December 12, 2025 • 43 mins
It has been two months since Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced his $16.6 billion budget plan, which he argues leverages new taxes on Chicago’s largest corporations to avoid layoffs, service cuts, and property tax hikes while funding critical public safety initiatives. This week a group of alderpeople introduced an alternative budget. We ask WTTW’s Heather Cherone and Block Club Chicago’s Jaime Nesbitt Golden, how it differs from the...
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December 11, 2025 • 43 mins
We have covered hundreds of stories in 2025; some good, some bad, and some bone-chillingly authoritarian. From this, executive producer Simone Alicea and host Jacoby Cochran have drafted their Chicago ‘Naughty or Nice’ List of 2025. Who do you think deserves to make the list?
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December 10, 2025 • 41 mins
Being a City Cast Chicago Neighbor costs $10 a month, so we created a list of gifts you can get in Chicago for $10 or less. Host Jacoby Cochran, executive producer Simone Alicea, and producer Michelle Navarro share their picks, including gifts from shops like Adams and Son and Daughter Gardens, Strange Cargo, Beelove Cafe, Gene’s Sausage Shop and Delicatessen, and more. Plus, where to donate gifts this holiday season and local toy ...
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December 9, 2025 • 38 mins
Residents of a soon-to-be foreclosed South Shore apartment complex, raided by federal agents in September, have asked a Cook County judge for more time and resources to move out. Executive producer Simone Alicea and host Jacoby Cochran discuss how they got here. Plus, we’ve got tips for handling this season’s record-breaking snow, and how do you feel about robot food delivery?
Good news: Market Box
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December 8, 2025 • 32 mins
Former President Barack Obama announced last week that his long-awaited presidential center would officially open to the public in June 2026 — 11 years after the project was initially announced on the South Side. Host Jacoby Cochran talks with Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bey about what took so long and his first impressions of the building and surrounding grounds in Jackson Park.
Good News: Chicago Public Library events
Wan...
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