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Interviews with Ben Joravsky: The Rest of the Story

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Ben Joravsky writes the regular “The Works” column for the the Chicago Reader. Each week Ben and Mr Radio rendezvous under a neighborhood el track to talk about Ben's latest column and reveal the rest of the story.

7/24/08 “Magic Beans” • [Not yet available] • Read the article • Description: [To come]

7/10/08 “Seize the Moment” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: The astounding depth of Olympics opposition; the Olympics as fuel for a real-estate boom; and the Olympic development that'll happen regardless of the Olympics. Length 7.1 minutes.

7/3/08 “The Dead Zone” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Chicagoans' immunity from trespassing in the Dead Zone; how Mayor Daley undercut Bensenville residents' clout in the state legislature; and the demise of some of DuPage County's most venerable affordable housing. Length 9 minutes. To see photos click here.

6/19/08 “The Road to 2016” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Why Mayor Daley needed more than a slim majority vote on the Children's Museum; whether Ben needlessly dramatizes; and astounding aldermen denials. Length 9.4 minutes.

6/12/08 “Is Obama a Chicago Politician?” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Whether Obama needs Mayor Daley to win Chicago; the mayor's greater strength—patronage army or voter apathy; and corruption as a tourist attraction. Length 8 minutes.

6/5/08 “The TIF That Keeps On Taking” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Ben's confession and pledge; the fundamental Olympics question for Chicagoans; and how corporate leaders committed themselves to a lie. Length 8.5 minutes.

5/29/08 “The Mystery of the Construction Obstructionist” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Public-building development demystified; another way to keep public schools under control; and how alderman sign away their power. Length 8.2 minutes.

5/15/08 “A Commission of Puppets” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: The selective sight of lakefront protectionists; preparing for indictment of the mayor; and Bush's payback to the Daleys. Length 10 minutes.

4/24/08 “Worse Than We Thought” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Better soccer-field sites than Lincoln Park; why the end doesn't justify the means; and the latest on residents' litigation. Length 9.3 minutes.

4/17/08 “A City Off Track” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Background on a mayoral ally; Ben's great disappointment with bicycling advocates; and whether the press should count student murders. Length 7.1 minutes.

4/10/08 “Apparently Money Does Grow on Trees” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: The single dumbest move the Park District has made; moving the Bears out of Soldier Field; and the recipe for rubber stamps. Length 7.2 minutes.

4/3/08 “It’s All About the Olympics” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: How citizens become robots; how a non-robot sees his role; and, can advisory councils survive a purge? Length 8.7 minutes.

3/13/08 “An Independent Streak” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: The wealthy—our feeble hope; why you should embrace entitlement; and why the ward map looks like a jigsaw puzzle. Length 9 minutes.

3/6/08 “A New Twist on an Old Trick” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Daley and Thompson's negotiations hidden in plain sight; if the public screams, the Board of Ed did good; and a look inside the bureaucratic mind. Length 8.3 minutes.

2/28/08 “We Might Take Your House” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: The plan that doesn't plan; a TIF reform that Ben actually likes; and, did the alderman deserve a scolding? Length 8.8 minutes.

2/21/08 “Just Stupid Enough to Be True” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Winners of the Chicago citizenship award; how voting beats recycling; and Chicago elections—the new basketball? Length 8.7 minutes.

2/14/08 “The Mayor in the Mirror” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: The Block 37 debacle dissected; bonds better for building; and Alderman Ben and Alderman Dave's lesson in democracy. Length 9.3 minutes.

2/7/08 “The New School Shuffle” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: The roll call of abused schools; why city government hides how much revenue it needs; and Ben's perverse delight in reporting. Length 9.7 minutes.

1/31/08 2008 Primary Election Special • State's Attorney: Read the article • Click here to listen (length 4 minutes) • Board of Review: Read the article • Click here to listen (length 4.1 minutes)

1/24/08 “Mell Family Politics” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Where to find the real dirt on candidates; whether back-room drama trumps voting records; and the big Chicago issue that candidates won't face. Length 9.3 minutes.

1/17/08 “A Good Day for the Rainmakers” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Why you don't need a TIF primer; how West-Side residents discovered a city slush fund; and why the city won't contribute more to the CTA. Length 9.3 minutes.

1/10/08 “Hear Ye, Hear Ye: King Daley issues his self-serving proclamations for '08” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Why news media fear the mayor; Ben's defense of the Sun-Times; and the silence of the Olympics. Length 7.5 minutes.

1/3/08 “A Zell of a Deal” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Will the Cubs' owners get the same (huge) tax break as the the Sox' owners; the red herring of the Cubs' threat to move; and what Mayor Daley really wants. Length 9.3 minutes.

12/27/07 “Staff Cuts at the Chicago Reader” • Click here to listen • Description: Tho he's written no article about the Reader's layoff of his fellow staff writers, here Ben reveals how the layoffs have affected him, what the writers brought to the Reader, and what he sees in the paper's future. Length 6.8 minutes.

12/13/07 “Freshman Follies” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Why persons challenging Cook County incumbents often don't make it to the ballot; Ben's idea for open elections; and, which would you rather have decide the quality of your government—football or elections? Length 9.3 minutes.

11/29/07 “The Madigan Effect” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Demystifying the process for appealing property-tax assessments; Ben's plan for a fairer taxing scheme; and how champions of downtown talk on both sides of their mouths. Length 8.8 minutes.

11/22/07 “The True TIF Tally” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: Learn how to discover exactly how much of one's taxes get siphoned off to Tax Increment Financing districts; Ben and Mr Radio create an audio roadmap. Length 9.9 minutes.

11/1/07 “TIFs for Dummies” • Click here to listen • Read the article • Description: How Tax Increment Financing districts get gerrymandered; the dark underbelly of the public process; and public officials' off-the-record feelings about TIF. Length 9.8 minutes.