Anna Mason

1 week ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Matt Moore |Courtney Kueppers |Thomas Maier |Anna Mason

Links Hall, a staple of Chicago’s dance scene, announced Thursday it is closing for good, citing financial troubles. The closure marks the end of the venue’s nearly 50-year legacy of boundary-pushing dance — and raises alarms for Chicago’s creative community about funding for small, independent spaces. In today’s newsletter: WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers weighs in on this development in Chicago’s creative community. Plus: Illinois Sen.

Oct 24, 2024 | wbez.org | Marie Mendoza |Maggie Sivit |Andrew Gill |Anna Mason

Editor’s note: This story originally published in 2023. The term “Chicagoland” is part of the region’s DNA. You’ve probably seen it plastered on car dealership billboards or grocery store coupons. Maybe you’ve even heard the weatherman refer to “sunny skies across Chicagoland.”There’s no New York-land or Boston-land, so why does the Chicago metropolitan area have its own unique name? It turns out this has been a question on the minds of many Curious City listeners.

Oct 17, 2024 | wbez.org | Maggie Sivit |Andrew Gill |Anna Mason |Andrew Meriwether

Curious City listener Diane Judge thinks a lot about what she throws away. The longtime Ravenswood resident composts what she can, recycles what she can and consigns to the garbage bin only what she has to. Because of that, she makes a trip to her alley to toss her garbage in the city-issued bin less often than most. But when she does, she sometimes runs into a Chicago Streets and Sanitation collection crew making their rounds. That got her curious about the people who pick up her trash.

Oct 4, 2024 | chicago.suntimes.com | Anna Mason

If you see a low-riding bicycle with high handlebars, shining chrome and a banana seat, you might think:That’s one hot retro bicycle. And, if you know bicycle history, that’s a Schwinn. Schwinn Bicycle Co. shaped bicycle culture for decades while maintaining its strong Chicago identity through four generations of family ownership. Schwinn long ago was sold and no longer is based in Chicago. But a devoted few keep the legacy of Schwinn alive.

Sep 19, 2024 | wbez.org | Anna Mason |Andrew Meriwether |Robbie Q. Telfer |Max Lubbers

Nowadays, if you see a low-riding bicycle with high handlebars, lots of shining chrome and a long banana seat, you may think two things. First: that’s one hot retro bicycle. And second, if you know your bicycle history: that’s a Schwinn. Schwinn Bicycle Company single handedly shaped bicycle culture across the country for decades, all while maintaining their strong Chicago identity through four generations of family ownership.