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  "path": "/wbez-newsletter/2026/05/20/the-rundown-farmers-market-season-is-upon-us",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-20T20:45:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.wbez.org",
  "textContent": "<p><i>Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and heads up that Mayor Brandon Johnson will once again take questions from WBEZ listeners. Call 866-915-9239 at 9 a.m. tomorrow, and listen on 91.5 FM or </i><a class=\"Link\" href=\"http://wbez.org\" target=\"_blank\" ><i><u>WBEZ.org</u></i></a><i>. Here’s what else you need to know today.</i></p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/05/20/2026-farmers-market-guide-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>1. Here’s your 2026 guide to farmers markets throughout Chicago</u></b></a></p><p>Chicago has a wealth of farmers markets, but reliable information about them can be scattered across websites and social media. Luckily, my colleagues put together a guide that brings together the most current information.</p><p>This list of farmers markets in the city is organized by area, then by day of the week, Monday through Sunday, and alphabetically by market. Each listing includes the 2026 hours and dates of operation, address, links to websites and social accounts, bells and whistles (such as live music and specialty vendors beyond farm produce), and whether the Illinois Link card is accepted. A paw emoji next to the name of a market means pets — dogs on leash is the usual policy — are welcome. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/05/20/2026-farmers-market-guide-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p>This year, affordability and accessibility are priorities for farmers markets as they contend with cuts to SNAP benefits for customers and rising gas prices and high costs for market materials.</p><p>Urban Growers Collective operates a roving bus — called the Fresh Moves Mobile Market — that delivers produce to schools, community centers, churches and health clinics in Black and brown neighborhoods. Other market managers said they are excited to bring good things to the communities they serve, including complimentary rides for seniors to and from the Oak Park Farmers’ Market and free school uniforms at the Bronzeville City Market provided by the Struggling Black Girl Magic Club.</p><p>In the suburbs? We also have a suburban market guide with a bounty of options. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/05/20/2026-farmers-market-guide-for-chicagos-suburbs\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p>Need help narrowing down your options? These 12 markets stand out. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/05/20/here-are-12-farmers-markets-in-chicago-and-the-suburbs-worth-a-visit\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/environment/2026/05/20/microplastics-pollution-found-lake-michigan-chicago-river-water-environment-illinois\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>2. A test sampling of Lake Michigan, the Chicago River and other waterways across Illinois found microplastics</u></b></a></p><p>In all, 31 test sites showed broken-down plastics present in the water, my colleague Brett Chase reports for the Chicago Sun-Times. Known as microplastics, these small particles are being studied by government and academic researchers for possible links to illnesses, including cancer. Plastics don’t easily break down in the environment and also threaten fish and wildlife.</p><p>Plastic food containers and bags, clothing fibers, pellets used in manufacturing and many other sources contribute to water pollution, according to a report released Thursday by Environment Illinois Research and Education Center.</p><p>Single-use plastics, “fast fashion” trends and stormwater runoff from factories using plastic pellets are among the biggest sources of water contamination, the report says.</p><p>In Springfield, lawmakers are debating a bill that would require plastics manufacturers to better control stormwater runoff that potentially releases the contaminants into water.</p><p>Illinois has taken small steps to control the pollution, including a measure signed into law in 2023 that bans polystyrene foam food containers at state buildings. Polystyrene is commonly known by the brand name Styrofoam. Some municipalities have similar laws. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/environment/2026/05/20/microplastics-pollution-found-lake-michigan-chicago-river-water-environment-illinois\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2026/05/20/why-is-there-a-helicopter-flying-over-my-neighborhood-every-night\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>3. Why is there a helicopter flying over my neighborhood every night?</u></b></a></p><p>Over the years, WBEZ’s “Curious City” has received about a dozen questions from people intrigued — or annoyed — by helicopters buzzing over their neighborhoods, sometimes at odd hours of the night. There was an uptick in these questions last year, when Chicagoans became extra aware of aircraft activity during the federal government’s immigration enforcement crackdown.</p><p>There’s one simple way of identifying helicopters and airplanes as they fly over Chicago: Check out the real-time maps showing aircraft in flight at websites and apps like Flightradar24, FlightAware, AirNav Radar and ADS-B Exchange. Just click on the symbol for an aircraft and you’ll see information about it, along with a line that shows where it’s been flying.</p><p>But some of the apps, like Flightradar24, often block the identities of police and government helicopters. That’s why Soren Spicknall, a civic activist who lives on the Far South Side, uses ADS-B Exchange. He said it’s more comprehensive, showing data for helicopters that are masked on other apps.</p><p>When WBEZ contributor Robert Loerzel tried ADS-B Exchange for a week last month, a news helicopter shared by CBS and Fox spent more time in the air than anyone else, flying for a total of 46 hours, according to the website. No. 2 was a medical helicopter, which spent 30 hours going to and from hospitals. The next busiest helicopters were operated by WGN-TV, the Chicago Fire Department and the Chicago Police Department. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2026/05/20/why-is-there-a-helicopter-flying-over-my-neighborhood-every-night\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/housing/2026/05/20/latinos-homeless-chicago-illinois-greg-abbott-texas-busing-migrants\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>4. More Latinos are homeless in Illinois, spurred by Texas busing migrants to Chicago, a report found</u></b></a></p><p>Homelessness rates increased among Latinos in Illinois in recent years, exacerbated by the influx of migrants bused to Chicago by the governor of Texas, according to a new report. But experts worry tens of thousands more people without permanent housing are flying under the radar, WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang writes.</p><p>Titled “Latine Homelessness in Illinois: Structural Drivers of Inequality,” the report found on any given night in the past decade, more than 1,000 Latinos were staying in Illinois homeless shelters, with another 200 living on the streets.</p><p>Another 30,000 Latinos were “doubled-up,” meaning they didn’t have stable housing and were temporarily staying with family or friends. Report co-author Ivan Arenas, associate director at the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago, said doubled-up homelessness is far more prevalent among Latinos than other populations. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/housing/2026/05/20/latinos-homeless-chicago-illinois-greg-abbott-texas-busing-migrants\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/arts/2026/05/20/nathaniel-mary-quinn-chicago-national-public-housing-museum-rolling-stones-foreign-tongues\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>5. Artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, admired by the Rolling Stones and Leonardo DiCaprio, returns with a hometown show</u></b></a></p><p>Fresh off designing the Stones’ next album cover, the Chicago native opens his first solo exhibition in the city this week at the National Public Housing Museum.</p><p>As my colleague Erica Thompson reports, “A Love Letter to My Mother” opens tomorrow and honors Quinn’s late mother. The exhibit will feature his unique, collage-like, composite portraits and a replica of his family’s living room in their apartment circa 1984 in the Robert Taylor Homes project.</p><p>The work expresses the complexities of living in public housing, where Quinn experienced poverty and abandonment but also found love and inspiration. It comes at a time of growing visibility in the international art world for the Brooklyn-based artist, who is represented by Gagosian, one of contemporary art’s most notable galleries. His work, which has been presented at solo exhibitions throughout the U.S. and Europe, has been acquired by such prestigious institutions as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/arts/2026/05/20/nathaniel-mary-quinn-chicago-national-public-housing-museum-rolling-stones-foreign-tongues\" 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-6e627df1-5488-11f1-ae66-f34001f951ab\"><li>Officers who defended the U.S. Capitol from rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, sued to block payouts from a $1.8 billion fund for people claiming to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/irs-trump-settlement-tax-returns-police-capitol-riot-fc73eb5f35481bb6d8892ac1e14e98bd\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>President Donald Trump ordered banks to take a closer look at clients’ citizenship in a new immigration enforcement move. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-banking-citizenship-treasury-08eecd2738bb0b454dce1152492bc3e2\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>Here’s what to know about the rare strain of Ebola, known as the Bundibugyo virus, that has spread to more than 600 suspected cases in Congo. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/nx-s1-5826910/ebola-outbreak-africa-risks\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li><li>Green Day’s “American Idiot” musical will be part of the Goodman Theatre’s 2026-27 season. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/theater-stages/2026/05/20/green-days-american-idiot-musical-announced-as-part-of-goodman-theatres-2026-27-season\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</li></ul><p><b>Oh, and one more thing …</b></p><p>Have you ever waited for months to be able to download an audiobook from your local library? That’s because libraries don’t permanently own e-books and audiobooks. Instead, they have to temporarily license them from publishers and renew the license after a set number of checkouts.</p><p>Kate Hall, executive director of Northbrook Public Library, told WBEZ’s “Say More” that one of their most popular e-books, “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi, currently has 131 holds. Each copy costs $90. To meet patrons’ demand, the library would need to purchase 18 additional copies — a $1,600 expense.</p><p>But she said librarygoers shouldn’t feel bad about checking out e-books.</p><p>“Our job is to provide you what you want, and you checking them out actually helps us prove our case that we need fairer contract terms,” Hall said.</p><p>You can listen to the conversation in the link. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/say-more-with-mary-dixon-patrick-smith/2026/05/19/e-books-and-audiobooks-are-costing-libraries-an-arm-and-a-leg\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><b>Tell me something good …</b></p><p>What plans are you looking forward to this summer?</p><p>Nancy writes:</p><p>“This weekend I begin my quest to see my 48th and 49th State Capitol Tour. I’m going to Olympia, Washington and Helena, Montana. I’ve been on this quest for a couple of decades. The final capital will be Honolulu, Hawaii, likely in February 2027!”</p><p>Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.</p>",
  "title": "Farmers market season is upon us: The Rundown",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-20T20:45:02.108Z"
}