In the Loop (Segments)

Chicago’s 11th ward has a new alderperson, City Council is still debating two different ward re-maps, and Mayor Lightfoot is considering rolling back her 2021 gas tax. Reset discusses those stories and more.

Hollywood wrapped its biggest night of the year with a bang, with plenty of surprises, laughs and drama. From CODA winning Best Picture to the slap heard around the world, Reset recaps the highs and lows of the 94th Academy Awards with two film critics and a film enthusiast from an alt-cinema.

Illinois’s growing population of older, undocumented workers are blocked from accessing social programs many seniors depend on, leaving them with few options. Reset talks to the two journalists bringing this story to light.

WBEZ’s Motive podcast takes listeners inside real-life stories to answer the question: How could this have happened? The investigative series returns with a closer look at the hidden world of big prisons in small towns in Illinois. Reset learns more from the host of season 4.

Bell Bowl Prairie on the Rockford International Airport’s property represents five of just 18 acres of dry gravel prairie left in Illinois – thePrairie State – and is home to rare plants and an endangered species of bumble bee. The Greater Rockford Airport Authority agreed to preserve it back in 1977 but now plans to destroy the prairie as part of a $50 million expansion. Reset learns more about w...

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, cases are low in the U.S., but concerns remain about the BA.2 variant. Reset charts the variant’s spread and ask an expert how we can stay safe. Plus, the FDA is planning to authorize another COVID-19 booster for adults 50 and up.

What progress has the Chicago Police Department made toward meeting required reforms and why does the department need three more years to meet them? Reset talks to CPD’s point person on reforms and a civil rights attorney who’s been involved in the consent decree litigation.

About 350 businesses are participating in the 15th annual Chicago Restaurant Week kicking off Friday. Reset learns about the best deals and talks to a participating chef. GUESTS: Aimee Leavitt, deputy editor at Eater Chicago Mary Nguyen Aregoni, founder and CEO of Saigon Sisters

After 17 months of conflict, thousands dead and millions in crisis, the Ethiopian government is calling for a “humanitarian truce.” The government has expressed hope that a truce will ease the flow of humanitarian aid to Tigray: no aid trucks have been allowed to enter since December and both sides blame the other for the impasse. The conflict, which began in November 2020, has displaced millions,...

About 170 comedians from 18 different countries are gathering in Chicago for a series of workshops, performances, and panels all about comedy. The event, which takes place the weekend of March 25, will feature performance at improv and stand-up mainstays, like the Annoyance Theater and Laugh Factory. GUESTS: Kerry Shehan, World Comedy Expo business director Saku Yanagawa, World Comedy Expo artisti...

City Council enters a new era of electronic voting and area drivers line up for a mayoral candidate’s free gas. Get all the news of the week in a half hour on the Weekly News Recap. GUESTS: Amanda Vinicky, WTTW political correspondent Alex Nitkin, city hall reporter, The Daily Line

Chicago’s City Council is on its way to bringing its first Asian American woman onboard. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has tapped Nicole Lee to fill the vacant 11th Ward seat. Reset learns more about Lee and what she would bring to the role. GUESTS: Heather Cherone, Chicago politics reporter for WTTW News Josina Morita, commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District; chairwoman of the Illinois...

This week, judge Ketanji Brown Jackson faced questions about her judicial record and views on race, gender and other key issues. Reset recaps the Supreme Court nomination hearings on the fourth and final day of the confirmation process. GUESTS: Steven Schwinn, professor at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School; co-editor of the Constitutional Law Prof Blog Judith Browne Dianis, civil right...

WBEZ reporter Natalie Moore’s new book, The Billboard, tells the story of a fictitional women’s health clinic in Englewood and their fight with a local politician who puts up a billboard reading, “Abortion is genocide. The most dangerous place for a Black child is his mother’s womb.” Reset brings on the author and the director of the play, produced by Berwyn’s 16th Street Theater. GUESTS: Natalie...

While individual action does not replace governmental action to address climate change, we all have a role to play.

With a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country— the majority of which target trans people — 2022 is being called “the worst year for LGBTQ and trans people.” Reset talks through the recent deaths of two Chicago trans women and the violence their community faces on a regular basis.

Germany, one of the largest importers of Russian oil and gas, has taken a stand against Putin, and halted a pipeline project between the two countries. Companies like BP and Exxon are pulling out of Russia, and President Biden has banned the import of Russian gas, oil and coal. Reset talks about the sustainability implications of this with our Sustainability Contributor.

Illinois' senior Senator will have a front row seat to history being made, as Judge Jackson could soon be the nation’s first Black female Supreme Court Justice. But the Republican National Committee has called Jackson a radical, left wing activist. How will Sen. Durbin keep the hearings from turning into a bitter partisan process?

Sleep experts partially agree with the U.S. Senate on moving away from the seasonal clock changes. Reset talks through how that bill could affect your sleep if it were to become law.

We dig into the latest developments on a fourth dose of the vaccine, and the newest guidance about the BA.2 omicron variant.

The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson kick off Monday. And after the memorable if not contentious hearings of recent justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, what can we expect from the hearings for Biden’s pick? Reset previews the nomination hearings with Steven Schwinn, law professor at University of Illinois Chicago’s Law School.

Renowned community organizer Rodolfo “Rudy” Lozano fought for labor rights and forged coalitions between Black and Latino Chicagoans before he was tragically murdered in 1983. Lozano was instrumental in the election of Harold Washington, the city’s first African American mayor, and led the push for Latino faculty and courses on Latin American history at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Reset l...

It’s been two years since Governor JB Pritzker declared a statewide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois. The past two years have shaped our lives in countless ways, and today we focus on the lessons we’ve learned, both big and small, that we want to take with us moving forward. Reset reflects on this with the author of a book about burnout and building a better life.

President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act included a massive infusion of funding for people with disabilities. But some states are still waiting on those federal funds. Reset learns more about what’s behind the holdup and what it means for the disability community.

Reset talks to Nicolas Cage expert, Lindsay Gibb, about the legendary actor’s new movie, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and his unparalleled career.