In the Loop (Segments)

Civilian deaths are on the rise as reports of bombs continuing in Kyiv, Mariupol, and other areas in Ukraine. Reset checks in with Chicagoans that have Ukrainian ties.

River otters are making a comeback in Chicago and a new study aims to find out how they’re adapting to city life. Reset checks in with two scientists working on the project.

Hazel M. Johnson founded People for Community Recovery to address tenant issues at Altgeld Gardens, including concerns about asbestos, lead contamination and high rates of cancer among residents. She was recognized for her work by two presidents, and she mentored young Barack Obama when he was a community organizer. In honor of Women’s History Month, Reset checks in with Johnson’s daughter, and cu...

New data shows violent crime on the CTA is up 17% year over year. To combat the surge in crime, CTA announced new safety measures in partnership with the city and police department. Reset learns more about the new protections to improve public safety and security for Chicago commuters and staff.

Kinexx Modular Construction designs these homes to fit on a typical Chicago lot, builds them in their South West side factory, and delivers and installs the homes. This process takes about three months, compared to a site build home which can take 7-10 months, and is more affordable for home buyers. Reset talks with the CEO of the company to learn more about this company and how this model can be...

Tech experts warn that Western countries limiting internet access in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine could backfire.

Del Close was an early innovator in Chicago’s improv comedy scene. His long and storied career included many positions like house director of The Committee, acting coach for SNL, and co-founder of iO. Reset invites Charna Halpern, his co-founder of iO, and Susan Messing, a former student and prolific improv teacher, to discuss is Del’s influence on Chicago comedy.

Two million people have fled Ukraine, half of them children, since the start of the Russian invasion. It’s a crisis of historic proportions which the United Nations has called the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. We heard from two Chicagoans offering medical supplies and volunteer support to Ukrainians.

Online disinformation about the war on Ukraine goes far beyond doctored TikTok videos. False Russian media reports continue to spread on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Reset dives into the spread of war-related disinformation and how it’s shaping the way some people around the world view the ongoing invasion.

In the latest round of economic sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil. The move comes as the country is already seeing record-high gas prices. Reset discusses what the new sanctions mean for gasoline prices in the Chicago area and beyond.

Geographic explorer Tara Roberts joined divers on a search for shipwrecks that once carried enslaved Africans. She tells Reset how the journey challenged her present assumptions about what home and belonging looks like.

It has taken more than 100 years and 200 tries for congress to pass a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime. But, on Monday, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed the Senate unanimously. We heard from Reverend Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s cousin, and Alvin Tillery, a associate professor at Northwestern University, about why this bill took a century to pass and what it means for rac...

Under Illinois law, school districts reimbursed for serving free and reduced lunches to low-income children are required to accept the lowest bid for their food contracts. But a new bill aims to give those districts more options to choose from. Reset learns more about the Better School Lunches Act and how well the National School Lunch Program is serving students in Illinois and beyond.

Rom-coms are still being churned out all the time. But despite more studios leaning into the genre, there is an art to a good romantic comedy — and some fans say that art is lost these days. Reset checks in with culture critic Scott Meslow about the history and future of romantic comedies. Plus, we hear from listeners about their favorites.

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan faces federal racketeering charges. Plus, Illinois and Chicago lift their mask and vaccine mandates as the state’s public health director announces she’s stepping down.

For “Food Friday,” Reset talks to local pizza expert Steve Dolinsky about his first annual Pizza City Fest Chicago kicking off in July.

As of Monday, it’s up to Illinois businesses to make their own rules about masking. Reset checks in with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Loyola University Chicago to find out how they’re approaching this phase of the pandemic.

Reset discusses the scope and impact of Ukraine’s current humanitarian crisis.

What’s That Building series with Dennis Rodkin of Crain’s Chicago Business. We’re talking about John and Mary Jane Jones, a Black power couple back in late 1800s Chicago, and the locations and structures where they left their mark in this city.

For the first time in nearly three decades, Major League Baseball games are being canceled due to a labor dispute. And the bad baseball news might not end there. Major League Baseball owners and the union representing players continue to be at a standstill over a new collective bargaining agreement. And they are far from seeing eye to eye. WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye Stout has the latest.

Residents flee Kherson as Russian troops claim their first Ukrainian city take-over. Reset gets reaction from a Ukrainian-Chicagoan on the lay of the land and from a senior policy counsel on the refugee crisis at hand.

Reset talks to the retired DEA special agents who took down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in the early 1990s. Javier Peña and Steve Murphy served as consultants on the first two seasons of the Netflix series Narcos, which follows Ecobar’s rise to power as head of the Medellin Cartel. They’re scheduled to speak Friday at City Winery.

The One Earth Film Festival features films about the most pressing environmental concerns of our time. Woven throughout the festival, and culminating in an awards night, are films made by young filmmakers from third grade to twenty five years old. Reset checks in with the founding director of that program, as well as a former participant in the young filmmakers contest, to learn more about these e...

A federal grand jury returned a 22-count indictment after a lengthy investigation in former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, alleging that his political endeavors resulted in personal financial gain. Reset uncovers the details of the crimes Madigan is accused of committing.

The Chicago Biomedical Consortium is capitalizing on the science that is happening within the participating institutions, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago, by investing in training scientists to understand the business side of things. The members of the inaugural cohort were just announced; they begin on March 7, 2022.