In the Loop (Segments)

Democrat incumbents U.S. Reps. Marie Newman and Sean Casten are battling it out for the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District in Illinois. Meanwhile, six Republicans are trying to flip the district. Reset gets the latest on the race. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Stephanie Kim Guests: Dave McKinney, Hannah Meisel

Chicago has seen a wave of union organizing and worker activism over the past year. Baristas at the loop Starbucks petitioned for a union last fall, and teachers at the Old Town School of Folk Music won a union contract on Thursday. Reset learns the details from lead union organizers at the Loop Starbucks and the Old Town School. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Char Daston Guests: Brick Zurek, Ch...

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Ethan Schwabe Guests: Glenn Curran, and Sen Morimoto

An ethics bill stalls in Chicago’s City Council and Illinois’ Attorney General files the state’s first-ever hate crime lawsuit. Reset takes listeners behind the week’s headlines in the Weekly News Recap. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Andrea Guthmann Guests: Ray Long, Alex Nitkin, and Dan Mihalopoulos

Whether you like them glazed or jelly filled with sprinkles on top, eating donuts are a good way to start the weekend. Reset celebrates National Donut Day and talks through favorite spots in Chicago. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Brenda Ruiz Guests: Burritt Bulloch, Naomi Waxman, Maya-Camille Broussard, Louisa Chu

The Court Theatre last week won the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The award recognizes the theater for “Fostering local talent,” according to the American Theater Wing, which manages the award. The Court is the University of Chicago’s professional theater company. Its current production, Two Trains Running, is the Court’s ninth of ten plays in August Wilson’s Century Cycle, which documents Bla...

This initiative was approved in March, but is being launched today. It is one of only a few initiatives nationwide to be housed in a prosecutor’s office. Reset gets specifics about the program. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Lynnea Domienik Guests: Sara Knizhnik, Eric Rinehart

Starting July 1, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will offer rebates to residents for buying electric vehicles and installing charging stations. Reset discusses the importance of setting a standard for these installations, and the health implications of transitioning from gas-powered vehicles to EVs.

Chicago had its most violent Memorial Day weekend in five years. However, new data from the Chicago Police Department show shootings this year are below the pace of 2021 and 2020. Reset gets the latest on these trends, plus a troubling rise in opioid overdose deaths in Chicago.

In Albany Park, neighbors met outside Wednesday for a walk. But this time, their City Council members and police officers went with them. Reset learns more about the event and other efforts to prioritize neighborhood safety.

Democratic Congresswoman Marie Newman is the current representative of Illinois’ 3rd Congressional district. But after redistricting, she’ll instead run in the 6th Congressional district ⁠— leaving a rare open seat. Reset gets the latest on who’s in the race for the newly redrawn 3rd Congressional district and what’s at stake for voters.

Episodes in the fourth season of Stranger Things were significantly longer and cost nearly $30 million each to make. But was it worth it? Reset digs into the show’s penultimate season

The elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has raised questions nationwide about what states require when it comes to keeping children safe in classrooms. Reset learns about the rules for schools in Illinois.

Republican legislators are passing laws banning social media platforms from banning users and posts based on political viewpoints, which they say violates their First Amendment rights. Tech companies argue their content moderation policies are their First Amendment Right. Reset talks through arguments from both sides and learns what the Supreme Court might weigh in. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer...

Home ownership generates wealth, but predatory lending practices and the legacy of redlining continue to lock many Black families out of this investment. A national initiative called Buy the Block aims to change this and counter displacement. Reset checks in with an organizer who is implementing this in her neighborhood. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Lynnea Domienik Guest: Asiaha Butler

Over Memorial Day weekend, Chicago reached high community risk level for COVID-19 transmission. New cases and hospitalizations are up. Reset asks a University of Chicago Medicine infectious disease specialist to break down what high risk means and explain how to stay safe at this stage in the pandemic. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Christian Elliott Guest: Dr. Emily Landon

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Meha Ahmad Guest: Becky Vevea

Reset talks to Chicago actor and producer Bashir Salahuddin about what it was like to play alongside Tom Cruise in the new film “Top Gun: Maverick”, and his big plans for season three of HBO’s “South Side.” Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producers: Meha Ahmad, Claire Hyman Guest: Bashir Salahuddin

Earlier this year, Illinois First Congressional District Representative Bobby Rush announced that he will not be seeking reelection after holding the position for nearly three decades. Now, there are 21 candidates vying for his seat. Reset learns more about some of the candidates and what’s at stake for the voters of the first district. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producers: Marie Mendoza, Stephanie Ki...

As gas prices near an unprecedented $6 per gallon in Chicago and nearly $5 per gallon in rural Illinois, drivers are wondering: how did prices get so high? What can the government do to bring them down? And are there ways to reduce our consumption of gas? Reset talks with an energy reporter who’s keeping an eye on prices at the pump. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Char Daston Guest: Steve Daniel...

In his new book ‘Black Oak,’ author and poet Harold Green highlights the work and cultural impact of Black men like Lebron James, the Rev. Otis Moss III, Marc Lamont Hill, and more. Reset talks to Green about the new work. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producers: Meha Ahmad, Brenda Ruiz Guest: Harold Green III

In response to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas last Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022. The bill failed in the senate on Thursday. The act would have assigned a domestic terror specialist to every FBI office and required the FBI to brief the federal government about white supremacists and neo-Nazis twice a year. All House Democrats an...

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Stephanie Kim Guests: Lori Post, Eric Madfis

Against the backdrop of a disturbing rise in anti-Asian violence, the group Asians Are Strong had made a mission of educating people on self defense techniques through online videos and in-person events. Reset hears from Natasha Chan, a member of the group who has practiced Krav Maga for 10 years, about how learning self-defense empowered her. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons Producer: Claire Hyman Guest: N...

The second amendment is only 27 words long, and has been fiercely debated for centuries. Debate focused on the meaning of militias and who belonged to them until the Supreme Court’s ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that private citizens have a right to handguns in the home for protection. Since then, many laws have been passed that protect the right to firearms, in ways not required by the...