In the Loop (Segments)

Music venue owners are waiting on a 16 billion dollar federal grant to assist them during the COVID pandemic. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant process is stagnating while local venue owners struggle to keep from closing, permanently. Reset gets updates from Chicago area owners on their businesses and financial challenges.

Census results confirm America’s population is shifting from Northeast and Midwest rust belt states to the sun belt states of Texas, Florida, North Carolina and westward. Reset gets analysis from Dave McKinney, WBEZ Government and Politics reporter for Illinois on the numbers, and what it may mean for Illinois to lose a Congressional seat.

Three people of Asian descent were nominated in acting categories and two Asian women — director Chloe Zhao and actor Yuh-jung Youn — broke new ground with historic Oscar wins during the 93rd annual Academy Awards Sunday. Reset shines the spotlight on the Academy Awards and Asian American representation in television and film.

A report from the Chicago Tribune and Better Government Association reveals 41 fatal house fires killed 62 people between 2014 and 2019. Some buildings had blocked exits, no fire alarms, and some were slated to be demolished by the city. The one thing they share in common is that they were cited for those violations before. Today on Reset, we talk to the reporters behind the investigation about th...

An anti-Asian hate crime bill passed in the Senate Thursday is a response to the surge of violence and racism against people of Asian descent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reset speaks with a researcher who studies how racism, hate and violence are affecting the mental health of Asian Americans.

Professor Julian Agyeman originated a concept called “Just sustainabilities,” which argues that “who can belong in cities will determine what cities can become.” Agyeman joins Reset to discuss how transit justice fits into his concept of cities and equitable city life.

Four months into the state’s vaccine rollout, roughly half of Chicagoans and half of Illinoisans have gotten a first dose. Now that supply is catching up with demand, the state faces its next hurdle: vaccine skepticism. Reset checks in with two reporters to learn how local leaders are responding.

Reset brings on an infectious disease expert for our weekly check-in to provide clarity and answers to your questions, comments and concerns about COVID-19.

The federal government took swift action after guilty verdicts were announced in the police killing of George Floyd, with the Department of Justice announcing an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department. Here in Chicago, both the City Council and public high schools met in-person for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Reset breaks down the week’s top stories in our Weekly...

As part of a new weekly segment to discover Chicago through its iconic eats, Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons tries listeners’ favorite pizza joints.

After years of working independently, the coalitions behind two competing proposals have come up with a new plan: the Empowering Communities For Public Safety ordinance. Organizers say it would give civilians a decisive role in reshaping public safety here in the city. Reset learns how two groups came together to propose a new model for police reform.

By 2030,United Airlines plans to hire 5,000 new pilots with half of them being women and people of color. Reset learns more about United’s new diversity goal and other ways the industry can better support women and people of color.

Reset brings on Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth on the two-year anniversary of her Environmental Justice Caucus. We also get her reaction to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial.

A major new arts funding initiative is music to the ears of struggling local artists and arts organizations. Drawing on $60 million in city funding, Arts 77, named after Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods, hopes to help revive one of the economic sectors that’s been hit hardest by the pandemic.

The guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin brought up mixed feelings for one WBEZ senior editor, especially after he reviewed the data. Reset checks in with the head of WBEZ’s race, class and communities desk about the data on fatal police shootings in Chicago and what that data and the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial mean to him as a Black man.

Laquan McDonald. Rekia Boyd. Emmett Till. Reset talks with their families to get thoughts on the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.

Reset talks to local activists about how George Floyd’s murder inspired a new generation of youth activism. What role did last summer’s protests have in the charges and verdict in the case of George Floyd? And what’s next for youth organizers?

Reset talks to a faith leader on Chicago’s South Side for his reaction to the Derek Chauvin verdict, the role racism plays in police killings of Black and Brown people and his thoughts on this moment in America.

After former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd, how do we make meaningful change in our policing system to prevent future police killings? Reset checks in with a criminal law expert and a scholar who studies race and policing in America.

Reset breaks down the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, and digs into the significance of a guilty verdict for a police officer. We also take a look at what sentencing could look like.

On the heels of Black Maternal Health Week, Reset brings on Illinois Congresswoman Lauren Underwood and an obstetrician-gynecologist from Advocate Trinity Hospital to discuss the barriers Black women face when it comes to maternal care. Rep. Underwood is a co-sponsor of the Momnibus Act of 2021, which addresses the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on Black expectant mothers.

A series of virtual culinary journeys is connecting Chicagoans with some of the best Indian restaurateurs in America and their stories. Reset checks in with one of the organizers and the restaurateurs behind several top Indian restaurants in New York City.

Cellist Tomeka Reid has been one of the brightest lights in Chicago’s world-famous creative music scene for 20 years. In addition to playing, composing and teaching, Reid put together the Chicago Jazz String Summit, which brings together some of the world’s best players on cello, harp, violin and more — instruments not normally associated with jazz. Reset talks to Reid about her career and the upc...

Reset checks in with the molecular biologist behind Herban Produce, a community and sustainability-focused urban farm on Chicago’s West Side, to discuss how she’s been navigating the pandemic and get an update on her application for a social equity cannabis license.

You know what they say: April shower brings Spring flowers. But Chicago is getting more than rain — we’re also getting snow. Over the next two days, temperature will drop into low 30s, bringing back some snow to the area. Reset brings on an atmospheric scientist to explain why this is happening.