Joan Esposito is joined by Stephanie Zimmermann, award-winning consumer investigations reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times.  Zimmermann has recently written a series of articles under the banner, "Chicago's Baltic Bond: Lithuania, America and Democracy," which she talks to WCPT about. 

"I did a whole story answering the question, why Lithuania?," she said. "I mean, personally, I have a connection to Lithuania because I had a Lithuanian mother. There are about 60,000 Lithuanian Americans in the Chicago area. We have one of the biggest diasporas in the whole world." 

Zimmermann described Lithuania’s strategic vulnerability beside Belarus and Russia, concerns about NATO reliability, and strong public support for democracy among both older and younger Lithuanians.

She also talked about stories she's recently written on insurance claims ("Insurance industry makes millions each day claims go unpaid, analysis shows"), and the enforcement (or lack thereof) of restrictions on Chicago restaurant owners barring sidewalk string lights ("Lights out for a Roscoe Village cafe's outdoor dining — even as others shine on").

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

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