In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

EXPO Chicago is the largest art fair in the Midwest, bringing together the best of the contemporary art world every April. From seasoned gallerists to amateur art collectors, this is not an event you want to miss. Reset chats with members of the 2025 selection committee John Corbett and Jim Dempsey to learn how to navigate the massive event and maybe walk away with a piece of artwork you love. For...

eison Rodrigo Jaimes-Rincon, a migrant from Venezuela, was deported to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador, also known as CECOT this month. He is one of 238 Venezuelans flown out by the Trump administration for purported gang affiliation, despite no evidence being provided. Reset digs into what we know, and what legal precedent this sets for immigrants in the United States with WBEZ im...

Housing First is an approach to addressing homelessness that prioritizes housing without requiring supportive services for unhoused people. Reset learns more about how these changes could impact homelessness efforts in the city and the state with local leaders on the frontlines of the issue: Christine Haley, Chief Homelessness Officer of Illinois; Sendy Soto, Chicago’s Chief Homelessness Officer;...

Pope Francis died early Monday morning at the age of 88. Known for his championing of marginalized people, he was also known for prioritizing inclusion over traditional doctrine during his 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church. In his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, he used his Easter blessing to appeal for peace in Ukraine and Gaza. Reset checks in with local Catholics to reflect o...

Many research projects at Northwestern University are coming to a stop. The Trump administration is cutting $790 million dollars in federal funding for the university. That money would go toward a variety of research projects from developing new technologies to disease research. On top of those cuts, the U.S. Department of Defense sent more than 100 stop-work orders to university research staff. T...

Portillo’s is entering the breakfast space, rolling out a breakfast menu at five of its locations – and, yes, you can get an Italian beef in the morning now, too. For their breakfast twists on Portillo’s classics, you can try a Polish sausage egg sandwich and a chocolate cake donut. Reset team members try select items. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Alders ban January 6th Capitol riot participants from city jobs. Staff say the Chicago History Museum retaliated against them for unionizing. The University of Illinois sues the Department of Energy over funding cuts. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap with Heather Cherone, WTTW Chicago politics reporter; Ray Long, Chicago Tribune investigative...

The legal system is coming under attack from the Trump administration. The White House is defying judges’ orders and threatening law firms – in Chicago and across the nation. Northwestern University Law School’s legal clinic also faces federal scrutiny. Is all of this legal? Carolyn Shapiro, co-director of Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States Carolyn Sh...

Mail art began in the 1960s with Ray Johnson, who used the postal system to send collages, drawings, and notes as a form of artistic exchange. In Chicago, his ideas sparked a lively community of mail art clubs, turning the city into a central space for this accessible and unconventional art form. Reset learns about the history of mail art from Sofia Canale-Parola, multi-media artist and Ray Johnso...

Mental health struggles, community violence, and chronic absenteeism are the biggest challenges facing young people in Chicago today, according to a new report from the nonprofit A Better Chicago. But the youth remain hopeful for their future. Reset hears from Beth Swanson, CEO of A Better Chicago, and artist Diana Gomez to learn how we can best support Chicago youth. For a full archive of Reset i...

Mental health struggles, community violence, and chronic absenteeism are the biggest challenges facing young people in Chicago today, according to a new report from the nonprofit A Better Chicago. But the youth remain hopeful for their future. Reset hears from Beth Swanson, CEO of A Better Chicago, and artist Diana Gomez to learn how we can best support Chicago youth. For a full archive of Reset i...

Back on Inauguration Day in January, Reset spoke with Kathy Salvi, the chair of the Illinois Republican Party. At the time, she said that concerns that President Trump’s mass deportation policies would overreach and extend to students, legal residents and citizens were unfounded and a result of “fearmongering.” Nearly three months into the Trump administration, we check back in with her to hear he...

In a world where we’re constantly being bombarded with advertisements and multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns, we’re bound to hit “Add to cart” without a second thought. In the new book No New Things, author Ashlee Piper issues a challenge, where — you guessed it — you don’t buy anything new. Reset sits down with Piper to learn why we have so much stuff and where to start saving our money, tim...

President Trump’s back-and-forth on tariffs in recent days has led to major ups and downs in the stock market, worrying investors. So, what, if any, changes should people consider making to their portfolios. Reset gets tips from the director of personal finance and retirement planning with the firm Morningstar, author of 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances Chr...

All over the country, international students are having their student visas revoked. Their respective universities and the federal government have provided little to no information regarding why their status was changed. Most recently, students at the University of Chicago have been targeted. Reset explores the issue further with Professor of American constitutional law at the University of Chicag...

Marketbox, started in April 2020, is a twice-monthly food delivery program based on a model of neighbors funding farms to feed neighbors. Some of the co-founders are envisioning a new way to engage neighbors, over shared meals and discussions of pressing issues facing the community. Reset learns more about the Marketbox Lecture Series with co-founders Mara Heneghan and Maira Khwaja. For a full arc...

Introducing WBEZ's latest podcast series, Making: Stories Without End. Host Natalie Moore takes you on a journey to learn about daytime soap operas and their broad reach on television. From the early radio days in the 1930s through the invention of TV to streaming, this way of telling immersive stories has endured. There are intergenerational family stories, discussions about divorce and abortion,...

Bandmates and best friends Elena Buenrostro, Amaya Peña and Jasmin Feliciano make up the Chicago band starcharm. Last year, the trio came together and played their very first show. Now, they’re working on their very first album release. Reset sits down with two members Elena Buenrostro and Amaya Peña to learn more about their friendship, finding their sound, and more. For a full archive of Reset i...

Mayor Johnson’s first aldermanic appointment is approved and a Chicago City Council committee advances a measure banning Jan. 6 participants from city jobs. Reset dives into these and other top local stories in the Weekly News Recap with Quinn Myers, Block Club Chicago reporte; Brandis Friedman, WTTW “Chicago Tonight” anchor; and Tom Schuba, Chicago Sun-Times reporter. For a full archive of Reset...

Ready for some mandolin? How about music played on the balafon, a kind of West African marimba? Those are just two of the instruments taking center stage this month in concerts around Chicago as artists like Sierra Hull and Winard Harper come to town. Reset gets a roundup of shows you don’t want to miss this month from Mark Guarino, WBEZ contributor, author of Country & Midwestern: Chicago in the...

Chicago has a major rogue tow operator problem. Rogue towing operators prowl crash scenes, take vehicles away, and then stick drivers with massive fees to get their cars back. More than 500 predatory tows were reported in the Chicago area in 2023. But now, a new proposed ordinance making its way through City Council could crack down on the problem, and would allow drivers and insurers to sue rogue...

Earth Day is an opportunity to think about the environment around us. From park cleanups to film festivals focusing on climate change and environmental issues, there’s plenty to choose from. Reset gets ideas of ways to plug in from the founder and executive director of the One Earth Film Festival Ana Garcia-Doyle, Community Relations Manager at the Chicago Park District tMaria Stone and the direct...

Michael Shannon is an Oscar-nominated actor, known for his movies like “The Shape of Water” and “Revolutionary Road,” and the TV show “Boardwalk Empire.” Now, he’s enjoying the view behind the camera as he makes his directorial debut in the new film “Eric Larue.” It tells the story of Janice, the mother of a teenage boy who shot and killed three of his classmates and how she tries to cope with the...

The stock market has been showing the effects of President Trump’s tariffs on imports over the past week. But those effects certainly aren’t confined to the money markets. To learn more about the impact on Chicago-area businesses, Reset sits down with Elliot Richardson, president of Small Business Advocacy Council; Bruce Wesley, owner of Wesley’s Shoe Corral; and Mark Doyle, founder of Rags of Hon...

Love triangles, amnesia, cliffhangers, blackmail – there’s no trope or plot device that soap operas haven’t seen – or invented. But who invented the soaps themselves? Turns out, the genre got its start in Chicago. It’s a piece of broadcast and pop culture history that is getting its due in a new podcast from WBEZ. Reset gets the inside story with Natalie Moore, host of “Stories Without End,” a WBE...