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  "path": "/wbez-newsletter/2026/03/25/the-rundown-how-the-iran-war-is-raising-chicago-prices",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-25T20:45:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.wbez.org",
  "textContent": "<p><i>Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and I’m still thinking about how good the “</i><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m08TxIsFTRI\" target=\"_blank\" ><i><u>Project Hail Mary</u></i></a><i>” movie adaptation is. Here’s what you need to know today.</i></p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/economy/2026/03/25/iran-war-raising-chicago-gas-travel-medicine-food-oil-prices\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>1. The Iran war is raising more than just Chicago’s gas prices</u></b></a></p><p>Any kind of disruption to oil markets, even abroad, impacts prices in the U.S. Experts say it’ll be felt in sectors like transportation, pharmaceuticals, travel and food, Mariah Rush reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world’s oil supply passes. It’s the largest disruption the oil industry has ever faced, according to Sam Ori, executive director of the University of Chicago’s Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth.</p><p>“There’s never been anything in the history of the oil market that really is at the same scale as this. You’re talking about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies being disrupted,” Ori said. “There are some alternative routes, but in the best case, you’re still talking about a supply disruption of 10 [million] to 15 million barrels a day.”</p><p>Seventy percent of the oil consumed daily in the U.S. is in the transportation sector, according to Ori. A spike in transportation fuel, like diesel, acts as a hidden tax on deliveries.</p><p>Chicagoans could also see more grocery price spikes at the checkout because petroleum is commonly used in fertilizer. The Green Markets Weekly North America Fertilizer Price Index that charts the price of fertilizer, value-weighted by annual nutrient demand to reflect market trends, showed a 31% increase from the start of the war on Feb. 28 through Mar. 24. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/economy/2026/03/25/iran-war-raising-chicago-gas-travel-medicine-food-oil-prices\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/transportation/2026/03/25/oneill-burke-transit-task-force-cook-cta-crime-prosecution\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>2. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office is training a new prosecutor task force to focus on CTA crimes</u></b></a></p><p>An internal transit crime task force will train about 30 prosecutors and provide new guidance on seeking court orders to restrict defendants from parts of Chicago Transit Authority property, according to State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s office.</p><p>As my colleague David Struett reports for the Chicago Sun-Times, the prosecutors will receive enhanced training on CTA video evidence, track data on transit crimes and serve as liaisons with Chicago police and CTA on transit-related cases.</p><p>Burke’s office says it is aware of the uptick in crime on transit and is making prosecuting these crimes a priority.</p><p>The initiative comes as a judge ordered the Trump administration to back off its $50 million funding threat to the CTA over the transit system’s stubbornly high crime rate. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/transportation/2026/03/25/oneill-burke-transit-task-force-cook-cta-crime-prosecution\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2026/03/24/broadview-mayor-demands-closure-of-ice-facility-reimbursement-of-village-costs-business-losses-police-fire-congress-trump-detention\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>3. Broadview’s mayor wants the village to be reimbursed for costs and economic losses associated with Operation Midway Blitz</u></b></a></p><p>As my colleagues Nader Issa and Lauren FitzPatrick report, Mayor Katrina Thompson also called to shut down a de facto immigration detention center that was the epicenter of protests — and violent responses from federal agents — that engulfed the western suburb last fall.</p><p>The municipal costs associated with responding to activity around the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility amounted to $361,536, according to Broadview officials.</p><p>“Broadview did not ask for this operation, and our residents, our police officers, our firefighters, our business owners should not be the ones paying for it,” Thompson said in a news release. “I advocated for federal reimbursement for communities like ours impacted by ICE operations, emphasizing that local taxpayers should not bear the cost of federal responsibilities. I also pushed for the closure of the Broadview ICE Processing Center, centering dignity, safety, and a stronger vision for our community.” [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2026/03/24/broadview-mayor-demands-closure-of-ice-facility-reimbursement-of-village-costs-business-losses-police-fire-congress-trump-detention\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/03/24/finalist-for-cps-ceo-sito-narcisse-courted-controversy-in-past-jobs-but-defenders-praise-his-vision\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>4. A CPS CEO finalist courted controversy in past jobs, but his defenders are praising his bold vision</u></b></a></p><p>Some say Sito Narcisse, one of two contenders to lead Chicago Public Schools, is a transformational leader and a victim of local politics that have stymied his vision. Others say he bypasses staff and community input when instituting changes, Emmanuel Camarillo reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, families sued him and the district over a controversial event he promoted. Early in his career in Boston, Narcisse was criticized for making sweeping changes at the school he led with little or no community input, a concern that would follow him.</p><p>For his part, Narcisse said that while not everyone has supported all his moves, he has made decisions with the best interests of students in mind.</p><p>“In every place I have been, outcomes for students and culture for staff have improved,” Narcisse wrote in an email. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/03/24/finalist-for-cps-ceo-sito-narcisse-courted-controversy-in-past-jobs-but-defenders-praise-his-vision\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/dance/2026/03/25/chicago-dance-contemporary-rena-butler-black-womanhood-red-clay-la-femme-festival\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>5. In dance, Chicago-born choreographer Rena Butler honors the breadth of Black womanhood</u></b></a></p><p>Butler is quickly amassing a reputation as a go-to choreographer across the country, my colleague Erica Thompson reports. The new piece, “Her Table,” will premiere Saturday at Red Clay Dance Company’s La Femme Dance Festival and honors the kitchen table in Butler’s grandmother’s South Side home.</p><p>“I’ve been reprimanded there,” she said. “I’ve been celebrated there. I’ve been questioned there about a night out, when I should have had my butt inside at 10 p.m. There have just been so many milestones.”</p><p>Beyond reflecting her personal experience, Butler said she hopes her dance shows the multifaceted nature of Black women.</p><p>The work is inspired by “The Kitchen Table Series,” a seminal 1990 photo project by Black artist Carrie Mae Weems. The set of black-and-white images depict Weems in different scenes around her kitchen table — embracing a lover, getting her hair brushed by her mother, applying makeup with her young daughter, conversing with friends, even sitting in solitude. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/dance/2026/03/25/chicago-dance-contemporary-rena-butler-black-womanhood-red-clay-la-femme-festival\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><b>Here’s what else is happening</b></p><ul class=\"rte2-style-ul\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\" id=\"rte-a164e6c1-2882-11f1-8fe6-47432f9ad868\"><li>A jury found Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trial. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/social-media-addiction-trial-la-5e54075023d837ccdc76c4ca512e925d\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>Transportation Security Administration officials said the partial government shutdown may force some U.S. airports to close until funding resumes. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/live/tsa-government-shutdown-ice-03-25-2026\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>Up to 3,000 U.S. Army paratroopers have received written orders to deploy to the Middle East amid the Iran war. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5760675/iran-war-military-deployment#One\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li><li>Chicago Housing Authority Commissioner Debra Parker was accused of defrauding the agency. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/housing/2026/03/25/chicago-housing-authority-board-commissioner-debra-parker-accused-fraud-contracts\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ</u></a>]</li></ul><p><b>Oh, and one more thing …</b></p><p>WBEZ’s Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis, an avid baker more experienced with sweet baked goods, embarked on a journey to master the art of marrying rich fillings with buttery crusts in one comforting dish.</p><p>Savory pies, she writes, are not an easy baking medium to work with. They’re vulnerable to a number of fallibilities: You don’t want a dough that’s too overworked and loses its flaky texture, and your filling can’t be too wet or else the bottom of the pie will have, as “Great British Bake Off” host Paul Hollywood loves to say, a “soggy bottom.”</p><p>Paula Haney of Hoosier Mama bakery taught my colleague a pork, apple and sage supper pie recipe inspired by olden-day English-style savory pies heavy on meat and potatoes.</p><p>One important factor in creating a savory pie, Haney shared: intense flavors. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/03/25/how-to-make-savory-pies-baking-tips\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><b>Tell me something good …</b></p><p>What song gives you a pick-me-up when you need it most?</p><p>Jonathan writes:</p><p>“The George Harrison song, ‘Wah-wah,’ performed by the Tedeschi Trucks Band. A surge of energy!”</p><p>Lisa writes:</p><p>“Bob Marley’s DON’T WORRY ABOUT A THING. How can you not have a jiggle in your step whenever that song comes on?!”</p><p>Jim and Mary write:</p><p>“‘À la Mode’ by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. 1961 straight-up jazz swinger that gets you going in the morning!”</p><p>And Devon writes:</p><p>“Dee-Lite - ‘Groove is in the Heart’ always gets me singing and moving anytime it comes on. Bonus Song: ‘Uncontrollable Urge’ by Devo is a song I could listen to on loop for days.”</p><p>Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.</p>",
  "title": "The Rundown: How the Iran war is raising Chicago prices",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-25T20:45:01.138Z"
}