In the Loop (Segments)

From COVID-19 to the heat to athletes being open about the mental strain of performing at the highest level, the Tokyo olympics have been anything but ordinary. Reset checks in with Stacy St. Clair, reporting live from Japan.

After protests over $1.5 million in proposed budget cuts, the Niles-Maine Library board voted last week to retain current staffing levels and building hours. But a coalition of community members says it’s not enough. Reset discusses what’s next for the Niles Coalition, which organized the #SaveNilesLibrary campaign, and what the future holds for the funding of libraries.

As aspiring weed dispensary owners in Illinois inch closer to obtaining a license to sell, Reset talks to a Chicago Sun-Times reporter about the lottery process, and hears from a local budtender.

It’s been four years since Chicago police officers got a new contract. Former mayoral candidate and Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas was instrumental in negotiations between the Fraternal Order of Police and the city’s negotiating team. Reset gets details on the new police union contract from negotiator Paul Vallas.

As the CDC cautions against unmasked gatherings indoors within COVID hotspots, Chicago prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of music fans to Lollapalooza. One of the city’s top doctors weighs in.

Reset checks in with The Washington Post for the latest on what social media giants like Facebook and YouTube are doing to fight the spread of COVID misinformation.

The training ground for everyone from John Belushi to Tina Fey to Stephen Colbert found its own culture taking center stage, but accusations of discrimination were no joke. Second City was facing a racial reckoning, questioning its long revered culture of comedy and creativity. Reset puts the spotlight on improv artist and playwright Jon Carr, executive producer of Second City.

Collective effervescence — the feeling of joy we get from group activities — has been largely missing during the pandemic. Reset asks listeners how they’ve been getting together now that reopening is in full swing.

The pandemic has given us a lot of time to think. So how do we make decisions and what shapes our judgment? A new discovery center in downtown Chicago allows visitors to explore these questions and participate in groundbreaking research. Reset talks to one of the behavioral psychologists behind Mindworks to discuss the interactive space and his ongoing studies on social cognition.

As the Americans With Disabilities Act marks its 31st anniversary this week, Reset takes a closer look at what progress has been made in the advancement of civil rights for people with disabilities — and what work still needs to be done.

District officials want kids back in classrooms on Aug. 30, but some parents aren’t so sure.

Last June, three months into the pandemic, iO Theater’s co-founder Charna Halpern announced that the theater would have to close down permanently. In a recent turn of events, however, iO has found a new set of owners that want to preserve its legacy. Reset talks to Halpern about what the future holds for the Chicago improv mainstay.

Reset checks in with an infectious disease specialist to answer your latest COVID-19 questions as cases continue rising across Chicago and Illinois. GUEST: Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist with DuPage Medical Group

Joe Mansueto, the billionaire founder of Morningstar, continues to look for investments in Chicago, its people and its neighborhoods. Reset talks to Mansueto about the many ways he’s working to raise up a city others have given up on.

Stanford political scientist Terry Moe argues that, while urban school systems are in desperate need of innovative reforms, productive change is often blocked by stiff resistance from education's vested interests — notably, teachers unions and school boards. Moe joins Reset for the latest installment of our series “Re-imagine Chicago.”

Chicago’s nearly a year into Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s ambitious plan to combat violence in the city’s highest crime neighborhoods. Yet, so far this year, shootings are up 10% compared with the same period of 2020. Reset looks at whether communities have benefited from the mayor’s “Our City, Our Safety” plan.

The U.S. wastes an estimated 30 to 40% of its food supply. A new app hopes to reverse the trend by connecting restaurants with leftovers to hungry customers.

Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre on Thursday named ensemble members Glen Davis and Audrey Francis as artistic directors of the company. It’s the first time a pair is elected to co-lead the company. Reset speaks with Francis and Davis about their future plans.

Research shows mothers have especially borne the brunt of the pandemic’s economic toll, with many leaving their jobs or cutting back on work to take on child care and household duties. Reset talks to a sociologist and opens the phones to listeners to discuss how mothers are navigating parenting and work, and how the country can address its child care crisis as more parents return to the office.

The City Council takes steps towards police reform, approving a civilian oversight board for the police department, while three mass shootings occur in the city just hours before U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland arrives. Plus analysis of the not-so-surprising announcement that Governor Pritzker is seeking reelection. Reset goes behind the headlines of the week’s news.

Chicago had three mass shootings in eight hours Wednesday. What can be done to stop the violence? Reset checks in with UChicago’s Crime Lab for solutions.

In the summer of 1919, a Black teenager was stoned for drifting into an area of Lake Michigan tacitly reserved for whites only. He then drowned, leading to one of the worst incidents of racial violence in Chicago. Reset brings on the co-director of a project that holds an annual bike tour to mark the anniversary of the riot and to educate the public about how the events that summer shaped the city...

A 99-year old restaurant, which took patrons back to old Russia and Bohemia with it’s food and décor, is in danger of being torn down. Reset takes you inside Klas Restaurant in Cicero on the latest edition of our series “What’s That Building.”

Supporters of the restorative justice movement say it’s a better alternative to dealing with crime by focusing on healing instead of punishment. Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker gave the restorative justice movement a big boost, making it illegal to use statements or actions made during restorative justice sessions in court. Reset hears about the potentials and challenges of restorative justice.

Reset checks in with WBEZ’s education desk and a suburban superintendent to discuss how Chicago-area schools plan to reopen this fall.