Four-Star Stories

Crain’s Audio Studio presents compelling Chicago stories that will deepen your understanding of the city, its people, and the key issues it faces.

News Business News Society & Culture Documentary

Update frequency: every 5 days
Average duration: 17 minutes
Episodes: 9
Years Active: 2021 - 2023

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The Felonious Adventures of a Chicago Mole - Chapter 4

Just because you’re in federal prison doesn’t mean you can’t still do real estate deals. John Thomas found a way. One potential partner was a fellow inmate. That partner, a farmer from South Dakota,…

00:28:38 | Mon 27 Mar 2023

The Felonious Adventures of a Chicago Mole - Chapter 3

In June of 2010, a federal judge gave John Thomas a second chance. He had admitted his guilt in a billboard leasing scam in New York City and worked as an informant for the FBI in Chicago, helping th…

00:18:50 | Mon 20 Mar 2023

The Felonious Adventures of a Chicago Mole - Chapter 2

In 2000, John Thomas needed a fresh start. With a new name and the FBI on his trail, he moved from New York to Chicago and founded a real estate business. But Thomas also found other work in his new …

00:23:59 | Mon 13 Mar 2023

The Felonious Adventures of a Chicago Mole - Chapter 1

John Thomas has great stories, lots of them. Like when the Rolling Stones sang him Happy Birthday at the Lone Star Café in New York City, where he worked as a bouncer, or when his dad put a 44 Magnum…

00:20:16 | Mon 06 Mar 2023

The Felonious Adventures of a Chicago Mole

John Thomas helped convict a Chicago alderman and a key fundraiser to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But there’s a lot more to his story, which includes lots of real estate deals, two felony convicti…

00:01:58 | Mon 06 Mar 2023

Bronzeville - Chapter 3: "A New Black Experience"

In this episode, we examine Bronzeville’s multiple transformation plans in the era following the demolition of the towering public housing projects. Reporter Dennis Rodkin also explores the importan…

00:16:30 | Mon 07 Feb 2022

Bronzeville - Chapter 2: "Displacing Fear"

As the residential construction boom revitalizes Bronzeville, reporter Dennis Rodkin explores why the growth of commercial amenities hasn’t kept up. Plus, what does displacement look like in a neigh…

00:25:37 | Mon 31 Jan 2022

Bronzeville - Chapter 1: "Unapologetically African-American"

For a century. Bronzeville suffered at the hands of Chicago’s long history of disinvestment and segregation. Dennis Rodkin uses the lens of real estate to report on whether the present and the future…

00:18:59 | Mon 24 Jan 2022