City Cast Chicago logo
Display Ad: Enjoy Illinois, Meet in the middle
January 12, 2024

Migrant Funding Gap, Second City Strike, and ‘Rat Hole’

City Cast Chicago

Migrant Funding Gap, Second City Strike, and ‘Rat Hole’

00:00:00
View all City Cast Chicago episodes

Back in October, the city projected it would spend more than $360 million in 2023 to care for the thousands of asylum-seekers living in Chicago. Now the administration says it only spent $138 million. Why were these figures so different and what does this mean for the Johnson administration’s plan to house migrants in 2024? WTTW’s Heather Cherone is here with receipts to help us make sense of the city’s spending plan. Plus, we discuss what’s next for convicted former Alder Ed. Burke, a planned strike at Second City, a rat hole in Roscoe Village and an ice skating rink in Englewood


Vote City Cast Chicago as best podcast and Hey Chicago as best newsletter in the Reader’s Best of 2023!


Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter


Follow us @citycastchicago

You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Hey Chicago

Stay connected to City Cast Chicago and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

Latest Episodes

See all
May 15

What Are Mental Health Courts? Plus, United Center Tax Break and Obama Center Gentrification

Mental health courts have proliferated in Illinois, but how effective are they? Grace Hauck with the Illinois Answers Project joins Justi...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 14

Churches Build Housing, Maxwell Street’s Loss, and It’s Patio Season!

Lawmakers in Springfield are considering legislation that would make it easier for churches to build multifamily housing on land they own...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 13

The DNC in Chicago ... Again?! Plus, Best Late-Night Bites

DNC officials are wrapping up a three-day visit as the city is a finalist to host the 2028 and 2032 conventions. We talked with contribut...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 12

Are Chicago’s Scooters Safe? Plus, How Bad Will Mosquito Season Be?

Are more regulations coming to the city’s scooters and ebikes? Following several fatal accidents involving minors, lawmakers have propose...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 11

A Rare, All Good News Episode

What sets Chicago brick apart? Why are bald eagles returning to Chicago? What would you wait in line for? City Cast Chicago contributors...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 8

Why Is Mayor Johnson In Springfield? Plus, Chicago's First Baby Eagles in a Century

Why did Mayor Brandon Johnson go to Springfield? Will state police actually investigate the killing of Silverio Villegas González by ICE...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 7

What Chicago Kids Want Us to Know

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Earlier this year, we visited the Carole Robertson Center for Learning at their Albany Park site to talk...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 6

Will Chicago Hospitals Resume Trans Youth Healthcare? Plus, What is the RIFL Act?

In April, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration could not cut Medicare and Medicaid funding to hospitals providing gender-affirm...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 5

Immigrant Families Facing Evictions. Plus, CPS Manages May Day

A new report shines light on how immigrant families in Chicago continue to suffer months after the height of Operation Midway Blitz. Many...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art
May 4

Your Guide to May 2026 in Chicago

May flowers are blooming all around us as summertime Chicago is on the horizon. We’ve got your guide to what’s happening in Chicago this...

City Cast Chicago podcast episode art