In this episode, Fran Spielman interviews Mickey Bergman, a former Israeli paratrooper turned international hostage negotiator. They discuss his incredible career, emotional intelligence, specific hostage cases, and the intricate dynamics of international negotiations. Mickey shares fascinating stories from the field, the challenges he faces, and h…

As CEO of Gaming U.S.A. Corporation and editor of the Gaming Industry Daily Report, Alan Woinski has watched cities like Detroit and New Orleans struggle to complete their ambitious casino projects. He believes that the financial hurdles now confronting Bally’s—including an $800 million construction funding gap and a buyout offer from its largest s…

It's been 28 years since the DNC was in Chicago, so this week, Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman welcomes Leslie Fox, former Executive Director of 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, to discuss what we can expect from a convention in the city and what's changed in the nearly three decades since. See Privacy Policy at https://ar…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by SoundThinking, Inc. CEO Ralph Clark to discuss ShotSpotter's future in Chicago. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson to discuss Chicago's political culture, ethics reform, and the challenges facing the city from a fiscal and governance perspective. Ferguson shares insights from his transition from inspector general to overseeing city finances, underscores the importanc…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman and WBEZ's city government reporters Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg, are joined by Chicago's Mayor Brandon Johnson to reflect on his first year in office. Mayor Johnson covers his progress, political struggles, and personal moments that have shaped his approach to governing Chicago. See Privacy Policy a…

Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara is lifting the curtain on the backstage maneuvering that culminated in Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker behind told to stay away from the funeral of slain Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca's funeral. The back-and-forth that only intensified the grieving family's anguish did not start a…

Marc Ganis, co-founder and CEO of Chicago-based Sportscorp Ltd., joins Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman to discuss the Chicago Bears' ambitious plans to build a new dome stadium on Chicago's lakefront. They explore the potential economic and community impacts, the hurdles of financing a multi-billion-dollar project, and the political land…

The Chicago Teachers Union is demanding an annual pay raise of 9% or the consumer price index-whichever is less—and won't rule out a strike, even with one of their own in the mayor's office, union president Stacy Davis Gates said Thursday. "We're a labor union. We're not a political party Leven though] people...want to redefine the Chicago Teachers…

Gin Kilgore, acting executive director of Friends of the Parks, is not about to go along with, what she called Bears President Kevin Warren’s “Buy now. This deal won’t last” sales pitch. “We need to slow down...Involve a lot of stakeholders…We need a lot of scrutiny because this isn’t just about the lakefront…It’s about public financing. It’s about…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Education Committee chair Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) to discuss her concerns and outlook on the transition of Chicago Public Schools to a hybrid elected school board, emphasizing the potential for chaos and political misuse. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Ravinia Festival president and CEO Jeffrey Haydon to discuss the guests and musical performers expected in Highland Park this summer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman welcomes colleagues Sun-Times political reporter Tina Sfondeles and WBEZ state and government reporter Dave McKinney to discuss the races to watch ahead of Tuesday's election. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

A City Council subcommittee overseeing the search for new revenue will report back in 30 days with ideas that include video gaming, helicopter service to and from O’Hare and Midway Airports and turning vacant downtown retail space into a haven for digital advertising. Freshman Ald. William Hall (6th), Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handpicked chair, also …

This week we spotlight the Oscars, with Jimmy Kimmel at the helm to host for a fourth time. Sun-Times film critic Richard Roeper shares exciting yet candid reflections on the ceremonies, the movie industry's pandemic recovery, and the waning suspense of Oscars night as he joins cinephile and City Hall reporter Fran Spielman. See Privacy Policy at h…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Rob Karr, to discuss the challenges faced by retailers in Chicago, including the decrease in foot traffic downtown and the impact of tax increases on businesses. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P…

Eddie Johnson served as the city’s police superintendent when the ShotSpotter technology was integrated into the 12 district technology centers. He doesn’t blame ShotSpotter for declining the extension. Still, the former top cop told the Sun-Times he’s afraid about what will happen without the technology. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri…

Pretty pictures and rosy financial forecasts have piqued interest in building a new White Sox stadium in the South Loop, but it’s time to put some meat on the bone and talk about how to pay for it. That was the bottom line Thursday from Il. House Speaker Chris Welch, a key player in determining whether the dazzling renderings released by developer …

Anti-Defamation League Midwest Regional Director David Goldenberg joins Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman to discuss Chicago City Council's passing of a Gaza cease-fire resolution this week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

Neighborhood Building Owners Association president Mike Glasser and executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago Farzin Parang join Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman to discuss their arguments against Mayor Brandon Johnson's Bring Chicago Home referendum. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and …

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by former United Working Families Executive Director Emma Tai to discuss her role in campaigning for Mayor Brandon Johnson's Bring Chicago Home referendum. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Chicago City Comptroller Chasse Rehwinkel. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Chicago Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood to discuss the ongoing safety challenges facing the city and the steps he and the rest of Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration are taking. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by her colleagues to discuss the Burke trial as it approaches its end, the Northwestern scandal, and Mayor Brand Johnson's handling of the migrant crisis. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

Days after announcing his departure from the job growth agency known as World Business Chicago, Michael Fassnacht urged City Hall and the two major carriers to work out their differences on a massive project that started at $8.7 billion but has ballooned to $12.1 billion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice…

City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Sun-Times colleague David Roeder to discuss his storied career after over a total of 20 years at the newspaper. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The stumbling start for Chicago’s temporary casino prompted an influential alderperson to warn Thursday that the city may be stuck with the gambling den at Medinah Temple indefinitely. Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), chairman of the City Counci’s Public Safety Committee, said Bally’s was undercapitalized to begin with and he fears the company will run ou…

One day after Mayor Johnson’s tie-breaking vote spared Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) from a City Council censure, senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee said it was not a mistake for Johnson to empower the chair of the Democratic Socialist Caucus with the jobs of floor leader and Zoning Committee chair. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy a…

Budget Director Annette Guzman brought up the reserve funds when asked where Mayor Brandon Johnson would turn first if the $150 million Johnson has earmarked for the care and feeding of asylum-seekers in 2024 runs out. “The city has put forth a budget that includes the money that we are willing to contribute to this. But the city does have reserves…

The intelligence failure that “blind-sided” Israel and allowed Hamas to launch its surprise attack is “shocking” for a 70-year-old country with a “well-earned reputation for a security apparatus,” former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Monday. Now U.S. ambassador to Japan, Emanuel hinted strongly that public anger over an intelligence failure that …

Mayor Brandon Johnson's City Council floor leader, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), joins Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman to discuss the proposed city budget and the current state of the migrant crisis. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

“The driving force has always been inequity and injustice that Black and brown students and their families experience in this city. And that injustice did not roll away on April 4. We just got another gladiator in a place of power,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates told the Sun-Times. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pr…

The White Sox Aug. 25 game against the Oakland A’s should have been stopped completely— or at the very least delayed — after two women were struck by bullets near section 161 of Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago’s interim police superintendent said Thursday. Interim Supt. Fred Waller told the Sun-Times the reason the game was allowed to continue witho…

Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by the chairman of the City Council's Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Andre Vasquez, to discuss Mayor Johnson's plan for asylum seekers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

Mayor Brandon Johnson did not rule out budget cuts, tax increases or both to pay for a burgeoning humanitarian crisis already costing Chicago upwards of $30 million a month. “Sacrifices” will be required of the city he now leads and said the cost of not making those sacrifices would be far greater. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an…

Fed up with having Chicago Police officers “babysit” asylum seekers, Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara on Thursday proposed an alternative to district stations: allowing hundreds of migrants to sleep on open and hallway floors at City Hall. “I don’t think there’s one single one of `em living in City Hall—whether it’s on the county …

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday made no apologies for his go-slow approach and said he is “grateful to have a four-year term” because it’ll take time to “right this ship in its entirety.” Most of Johnson’s goal-oriented predecessors have come into office with a precise agenda for the first 100 days knowing they will be measured at that benchmark …

Mayor Brandon Johnson campaigned on a promise to make $1 billion in investments in people bankrolled by $800 million in increased taxes, fines and fees. But, Chief Operating Officer John Roberson said the mayor knows it’ll take years to deliver those investments and that the pace of progress will depend on the amount of new revenue he can get. See …

A rising star in Chicago’s progressive City Council, Fuentes shared her inspirational story on Thursday in hopes it will blaze a positive trail for young people making destructive choices. “I had pain and turned it into propane and just became an activist. I got lucky to have people who introduced me to a world of organizing and movement. It was a …

Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Thursday she is investigating “a lot” of allegations of payroll protection fraud by city employees and has launched a companion probe into $163 million in city spending on the migrant crisis. Whenever there is a state of emergency and a haste to deliver financial aid, there is an inevitable shortage of oversi…

The Northwestern University hazing scandal that cost head football coach Pat Fitzgerald his job will turn out to be the biggest in the history of college sports in terms of the sheer number of athletes involved, an attorney who filed the only two lawsuits in the case said Thursday. Attorneys Parker Stinar and Patrick Salvi said the Northwestern ath…

Anthony Driver, president of Chicago’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, said he is only human and does have a favorite among the three finalists from which Mayor Brandon Johnson will choose over the next 30 days. But, Driver won’t say who it is.“ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice…

Under fire for giving away the store, Chicago Park District Superintendent Rosa Escareno is defending the terms of NASCAR’s agreement to rent Grant Park as “consistent with how Lollapalooza was treated when it started.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

Deputy chief of staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas on Thursday described the new mayor’s style when asked why 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave for teachers and other Chicago Public School employees is the only item on the progressive agenda that Johnson has delivered. Big-ticket items are still being negotiated behind-the-scenes. They include: raising t…

Acting Civic Federation President Sarah Wetmore believes the election of Brandon Johnson, the most progressive mayor in Chicago history, along with a younger, more liberal City Council has created a host of reform opportunities that were once politically impossible. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ht…

After one month of the Brandon Johnson administration, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lavin likes what he sees. But he’s still not yet willing to back any of the $800 million in business taxes Johnson needs to fund the social programs that are key to his anti-violence strategy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cal…

One of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s closest City Council allies urged the new mayor on Thursday to fire the CEOs of the CTA and the Chicago Housing Authority. Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), Johnson’s hand-picked Education Committee chair, argued that CHA CEO Tracey Scott deserves to be ousted because she presides over an agency that has failed to deliver …

Johnson’s reorganization plan anointed Ald. Walter Burnett as vice-mayor, with a $400,000 budget, allowing him to retain the staff he had as chair of the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

After 50 years in political reporting, FOX 32's Mike Flannery is retiring. He joins Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman to discuss his storied career and what's next for the veteran journalist. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), Johnson’s City Council floor leader and handpicked Zoning Committee chair, said the first elected Chicago mayor in 40 years to be denied a second term had no business issuing any executive orders on her way out the door, let alone ten of them. Lightfoot’s decision to do just that underscored the fact that, what she …