chicagonews

The Gilded Age was a time in America for railroads, industrial booms and, of course, secret societies. In this special Saint Patrick’s Day episode, we follow the story of the Clan Na Gaels in Chicago during the 1880’s and how a handful of Irishman got the holiday celebrations canceled. 

This episode includes a story told by the author of the book "Blood Runs Green: The Murder That Transfixed Gilded Age Chicago," Dr. Gillian O'Brien. 

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Sources: 

https://www.enjoyillinois.com/travel-illinois/the-history-of-chicago-river-dyeing/

https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/teaching_packages/early_chicago/doc23.html

https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/158805

Hunt, Henry M. The Crime of the Century; or, The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin. A complete and authentic history of the greatest of modern conspiracies. University of California Libraries. Chicago : H.L. & D. H. Kochersperger, 1889. · McEnnis, John T., The Clan-Na-Gael and the Murder of Dr. Cronin. San Francisco: G. P. Woodward, 1889.Free full text on the internet archive: https://archive.org/details/clannagaelmurder00mcenrich

In a special Friday release, we look at the Gilded Age of Chicago where one of the first celebrations of St. Patty's Day didn't happen due to secret societies, a murder and violent protests.

Make sure to subscribe to Courier Pigeon so you don't miss this special episode.

In the latest episode, we talk with an iconic Chicago-based children's choir that was created in a direct response to the civil rights movements to bring people of all background together. 

From the suburbs to the city proper, we hear from a student who's been performing since she was a child, the president of Uniting Voices of Chicago, a parent looking for enrichment for her daughter plus, a look at how this group continues their efforts to instill the arts into the youth of today.

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Thanks to Josephine Lee, Judy Hanson, Mitchell Owens, and Ella and Donna Anello for their contribution to this month's episode

Follow the UVC to stay up to date on their initiatives: 

-Uniting Voices: FB, Insta, Twitter

-Josephine Lee: Insta, Linktree

-Mitchell Owens: Insta

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Have an arts/culture/entertainment idea for us to cover in an upcoming Backstage episode? Tweet @Lisa_Fielding

Courier Pigeon is taking this week off in order to transform into our spooky forms.

Our mini series for the rest of October examines the questions: why do we like to be scared? Are ghosts real? Why are so many places haunted? 

To help us investigate, we tap in experts like Chicago's own Adam Selzer, sociologist Dr. Margee Keer and more.

Make sure to check back next week Thursday for the first creepy episode!

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Courier Pigeon is a new podcast from WBBM that will highlight trending topics in Chicagoland

Want us to cover a topic you think needs more attention? Tweet at us @WBBMPodcasts and let us know! Keep up to date with us too over on Insta.

Like the podcast? Make sure to rate and subscribe on the Audacy app, ITunes and Spotify so you don’t miss an episode. 

On this week's episode of InDepth, we discuss the current uptick in violence on the CTA trains and buses, equitable transportation, and new solutions to a long standing problem.