In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Preservation Chicago has released its 2025 list of endangered buildings. Reset learns about the importance of these buildings from Jonathan Solomon, a partner in the Chicago firm Preservation Futures and associate professor at the School of the Art Institute and Adam Natenshon, director of operations and communications at Preservation Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to w...

The U.S. Forest Service recently fired over 3,000 employees across the country. Twelve come from Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, a preserved grassland in Will County, Illinois. Reset sits down with Abbey Hays, Siobhan Solkowski-Peacy and Erick “Iggy” Ignaczak, three terminated employees to unpack how they’re feeling, how Midewin’s programs have to adapt and how this is harming conservation eff...

When eligible people turn 65, they can sign up for Medicare. One thing to consider is drug coverage, or Part D. Reset learns more about Medicare drug coverage and answers listener questions with Illinois Senior Health Insurance Program director Sandy Leith. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Many Venezuelans in Chicago will have their work permits and protection from deportation revoked as early as April. WBEZ checked in with local TPS recipients about how this uncertainty is affecting them and their community. Reset checks in with WBEZ reporters Adriana Cardona-Maguigad and Chip Mitchell. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

On Feb. 28, President Trump issued an executive order that the federal government will not fund gender affirming or “transition” surgeries. In response, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago announced it would pause these surgeries, and not schedule future ones, for patients under 19 years of age. Reset discusses the impact this is having on trans teens and their parents with WBEZ’s...

During her 40 years at the Sun-Times, Fran Spielman has been a fixture at City Hall through seven mayoral administrations. Reset checks in with the city’s longest-tenured local politics reporter as she marks a milestone with the Sun-Times. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A small park used to be home to the first Catholic Church for African Americans west of Baltimore, served by the first openly Black priest. Reset gets the story from architecture guru Dennis Rodkin for our series What’s That Building? For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

From the creation of fabrics to the washing of synthetic fibers to the quick disposal of yet another piece of en vogue clothing, fast fashion harms the environment in multiple ways. Reset discusses local alternatives to fast fashion with Reset sustainability contributor Karen Weigert, co-director of Monarch Thrift Shop Mireya Fouché and Kate VanAsten, founder of the sustainable fashion brand Wulfk...

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to borrow $830 million squeezed through the City Council Wednesday. Meanwhile, two high-profile trials are underway in Chicago and a near-miss at Midway Airport had Chicagoans questioning the safety of air travel. Reset checks in on those stories and other big local news of the week in our Weekly News Recap with WBEZ’s Patrick Smith, Tessa Weinberg and Alden Loury. For...

Most people celebrate paczki day on Fat Tuesday, but in keeping with Polish tradition, many bakeries in the Chicago area actually start selling paczki on the Thursday before Lent. We caught up with a bakery manager and people picking up their paczki orders to hear what makes this jelly filled donut so special. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Feeling the impact of inflation, many Americans are leveraging their buying power – by not buying anything. Thousands of people on social media are promoting what’s called the Economic Blackout. People in Illinois and Chicago are also mobilizing around the idea. To learn more about the effort and motive behind it, Reset was joined by the founder of The People’s Union USA John Schwarz; Rev. Otis Mo...

A new report from WBEZ finds that the rise in rents in Chicago is rising faster than the rise in median household income. Whereas the latter has only risen 9% on average, rents in the city have gone up more than 28%. The result? Families are struggling to find an affordable place to call home. Reset digs into it with WBEZ data reporter Amy Qin and housing director of Impact for Equity Daniel Kay H...

usic Box Theatre has curated a selection that will hit the home run for baseball fans and film buffs alike in their series “Play Ball!” Reset sits down with the series programmer Jeremy Marder and WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout to break down what makes this pairing of film and baseball so riveting. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

When Vivian Harsh became a Chicago librarian, she began what was called at the time the “Special Negro Collection” – an archive housing Black history and literature. Harsh knew writers like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston personally. Their work is also housed in the Vivian Harsh Research Collection, at Chicago’s Woodson Regional Library. Reset chats with th...

The goal of Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed cell phone ban is to improve student performance and social skills and fight cyberbullying. But can parents handle the limiting of direct access to their kids during school hours? Reset checks in with Chicago Sun Times education reporter Nader Issa and hears from expert Devorah Heitner on the impact of screens on kids. We also check in with Sharon Desmoulin-...

More than 1,200 water mains in Chicago violate Illinois law, which states that pipes should be at least 10 feet away from sewer connections. Reset checks in with the city’s inspector general Deborah Witzburg about that issue and others. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A lesser known figure in the early 1900s labor rights movement, Lucy Parsons made waves. Reset speaks with Ellen C. Temple Professor of Women’s History Emerita at the University of Texas at Austin Jacqueline Jones about the significance of her life and work. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Artist and musician Damon Locks is no stranger to creating something special through audio and spoken word. His latest project “List of Demands” is an experimental mixture of archival tape, text-based work and poetry exploring themes of Black liberation, art, love and freedom. Reset sits down with Locks ahead of his first solo show in Los Angeles on Feb. 26. For a full archive of Reset interviews,...

Efforts to reduce Chicago’s speed limit stalled in City Council. Mayor Brandon Johnson named his final appointee to the Chicago Board of Education. The Chicago Bears announced a 10% ticket hike. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap with City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran, Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long and WBEZ statehouse repor...

We’re in the thick of cold and flu season. To what extent can the foods we eat strengthen our immune system? Reset chats about chicken soup, Vitamin C and more with a clinical assistant professor of nutrition at UIC Shayna Oshita. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The Trump administration has begun negotiations with Russia about the war in Ukraine – without any representatives from Ukraine involved. Reset checks in with Ukrainian Americans from Chicago Olya Soroka and Dania Hrynewycz to hear their hopes, apprehensions and predictions for the future of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ukraine. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head ov...

This episode features Gov. Pritzker’s State of the State address. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Gov. JB Pritzker took to the Illinois House floor in Springfield on Wednesday to deliver his State of the State address. In it, he presented his budgetary priorities and legislative plans, including regulating prescription drug prices, and he discussed how to address the state’s $3.2 billion deficit. Reset digs into the main takeaways of the governor’s budget address with WBEZ statehouse reporter...

Illinois grocers are scrambling to meet egg demand as farmers try to contain an avian flu outbreak, all while dealing with tariffs and end of USAID. Reset hears from Investigate Midwest editor-in-chief Ben Felder, ChiliTrout Farm owner Chad Troutman and Kakadoodle Farms owner Marty Thomas about how they and other farmers are coping. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/res...

President Trump directed federal agencies to fire probationary workers on Thursday, Feb. 13. Federal workers are typically on probation for a year or two after being hired. There are roughly 82,000 federal workers based in Illinois according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Reset gets the latest from Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitch Armentrout and gets reaction from former federal worker An...