In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Food insecurity is one of the nation’s leading health crises, affecting 1 in 6 people — and the pandemic is making things worse. Now, with illness and record job loss, more people than ever are worrying about barren cupboards. So what does food insecurity look like in Illinois? Who is most affected, and what resources are available to help residents make ends meet? In this four-part series, Reset...

President Trump attacked Congress’ $900 billion COVID-19 emergency relief package. Reset talks to a congressional reporter and business writer covering the relief efforts, and a columnist who explains why the money earmarked for restaurants won’t be enough to keep businesses afloat. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find u...

Chicago’s City Council held a hearing Tuesday morning to find out more details about the wrongful raid on Anjanette Young’s West Side home. The hearing comes as lawmakers and community leaders are calling for swift police reform in Chicago and Illinois. Reset talks to an activist working with Chicago lawmakers to draft legislation that would restrict no-knock warrants and raids in the city. For mo...

Congress’s latest $900 million stimulus package includes $600 checks to eligible Americans, $13 billion in food assistance, and protection for renters. What it doesn’t include is the funds struggling state and local governments were hoping for from Capitol Hill. We check in with a few experts on what the aid package includes, where it falls short, and what it means for Chicago and Illinois.

Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist at the DuPage Medical Group, explains the latest coronavirus science and the precautions to take to navigate the pandemic. Look for our latest interview with her in your podcast feed every Sunday. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, you can...

In this bonus podcast episode, Reset shares an incredible audio documentary from WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp that takes listeners inside the challenges of teaching during the pandemic. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, go to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset...

A COVID-19 vaccine arrives, Gov. Pritzker wrestles with a massive state deficit, and Mayor Lightfoot finds herself in a real jam over a botched CPD raid. Those are just some of the state and local stories we dive into with Dawn Rhodes of Block Club Chicago and Paris Schutz of WTTW. For more  Reset  interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other liste...

A new Kaiser study showed that 35% of Black people were either ambivalent toward or disinterested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Reset unpacks what’s behind the distrust of the vaccine with a Chicago community health professional and a historian who specializes in Black medical history. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners fi...

An investigation by CBS 2 reporter Dave Savini forced the Chicago Police Department to release disturbing body-cam footage of officers conducting a “wrong raid”, leaving an innocent woman traumatized. Savini joins Reset to talk about that incident, and more than 50 others he found where CPD officers smashed down doors and held frightened women and children at gunpoint. For more Reset interviews, p...

Emergency room doctors, nurses and other front line medical workers have put their lives on the line to care for others during the pandemic. That’s why they’re the first to get the new vaccine. Reset talks to one of the doctors who gave someone their first vaccine dose today. Plus 2 people who run community health facilities talk about the challenges of getting the vaccine to skeptical patients. F...

Emergency room physicians, nurses and folks in long-term care facilities will be some of the first people in the Chicago area to receive the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccinations are scheduled to begin Tuesday at Loretto Hospital on Chicago’s West Side. Rese t checks in with some of the people who will be first in line to see how they’re feeling and what’s on their minds. We talk with WBEZ’s Kristen Sc...

Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist at the DuPage Medical Group, explains the latest coronavirus science and the precautions to take to navigate the pandemic. Look for our latest interview with her in your podcast feed every Sunday. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, you can...

After 15 years in broadcasting, with high-profile gigs in Washington D.C. and Toronto, Sasha-Ann Simons has landed in Chicago as the new host of Reset . WBEZ’s Susie An talks with Simons about her journey, the unique perspective she brings to Reset listeners, and why she just can’t stop dancing! For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other lis...

How does the city and state plan to roll out the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine when they arrive? What’s going on with the plan to possibly re-name Lake Shore Drive? Those are just some of the state and local stories we’ll tackle with WBEZ’s Dave McKinney and WTTW’s Heather Cherone on WBEZ’s Weekly News Roundup

Weekly jobless claims in the U.S. jumped to 853,000 last week — the highest since September. Nearly every state saw an increase in claims, with Illinois leading the pack. Reset takes a closer look at what these numbers mean for the state of economic recovery in the U.S. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more a...

President-elect Joe Biden won Georgia by less than 13,000 votes, thanks in part to a large Asian American turnout. But election season isn’t over yet for Georgia, with two senate runoff elections coming up in January. Reset checks in with organizers in Chicago and Atlanta to discuss their “get out the vote” efforts and the unique challenges of rallying a diverse community. For more  Reset &nb...

School districts in Illinois and across the country are scrambling to find substitute teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s part of a growing teacher shortage nationwide. Reset takes a closer look at how the pandemic is exacerbating the substitute shortage in the Chicago area and how local districts are ramping up their recruitment efforts. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this...

During this pandemic organizations fighting against poverty have stepped up to create Mutual Aid programs for people throughout Chicago, including My Block, My Hood, My City. The non-profit’s CEO and founder Jahmal Cole joins Reset to talk about what his organization is up to this holiday season, and how you can help. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a ratin...

Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist at the DuPage Medical Group, explains the latest coronavirus science and the precautions to take to navigate the pandemic. Look for our latest interview with her in your podcast feed every Sunday. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, you can...

The alarmingly rapid spread of the coronavirus, hospital systems on the brink, trouble ahead for House Speaker Mike Madigan and more. NBC-5’s Mary Ann Ahern and WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopolous give you context and understanding to the biggest local and state stories this week. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more ab...

WBEZ archivist Justine Tobiasz recently uncovered a short audio documentary on the life and death of activist, organizer, and Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. Hampton was killed by Chicago police while sleeping in his home on Dec. 4th, 1969. For more  Reset  interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. It helps other listeners find us.  For more about the pr...

Illinois prisoners rely on grievances to flag dangerous conditions, from guard abuse to unsanitary conditions and poor medical care. But with virtually no oversight, the system leaves thousands of prisoners vulnerable to harm. Reset brings on WBEZ’s Shannon Heffernan for more on the issue. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners...

This year, World AIDS Day is a reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the only public health crisis the world is facing right now. Reset discusses the importance of World AIDS Day and the parallels between AIDS and COVID-19. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, head over to the WBEZ web...

Chicago Public Schools officials are determined to get students back to in-person learning after winter break. But the Chicago Teachers Union remains in opposition, saying that even with the district’s COVID mitigation efforts, it’s still not safe enough to return to in-person learning. Reset sits down with CPS CEO Janice Jackson for more on the district’s decision. For more Reset interviews, plea...

Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist at the DuPage Medical Group, explains the latest coronavirus science and the precautions to take to navigate the pandemic. Look for our latest interview with her in your podcast feed every Sunday. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating and a review. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the prog...