In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Voices of Hope Community Chorus features more than 60 men and women affected by breast cancer, many of whom are breast cancer survivors. The local chorus puts on fall and spring concerts in Glenview and Oak Park. For their 2024 fall concerts, they will be performing the music of great American icons like Bob Dylan, Carole King, Smokey Robinson and more. Reset sits down with Kevin Kelly, artistic d...

As a divided country braces for election results, we examine how our online actions can have real world consequences with Jill Hopke, associate professor of journalism at DePaul University’s College of Communication and George Scully, assistant clinical professor of business law and business ethics at the University of Illinois Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org...

Under Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed budget, the Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform would see a 45% cut and vacant positions continuing to go unfilled. Plus, a new Chicago Sun-Times investigation details how CPD’s remaining staff struggle to fill the gaps. Reset gets the details from Sun-Times assistant criminal justice editor Tom Schuba. For a full archive of Reset interviews,...

In Lebanon, a fifth of the population has been displaced in the process of seeking shelter from Israeli airstrikes. The death toll is nearly 3,000 with more than 13,000 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health. Meanwhile more than 60 have died from Hezbollah rocket fire in Israel, according to Israeli officials. Reset checks in with Chicago emergency physician Dr. Thaer Ahmad. He recentl...

As president, Republican Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord and attempted to slash funding for the Environmental Protection Agency. As vice president, Democrat Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation that advances climate action. Reset takes a look at how each might deal with environmental issues and how those decisions could affe...

Hamartia comes from Greek tragedy and refers to a hero or heroine’s fatal flaw. For Meredith Johnston, it’s self-hatred. This is the focus of her new album Hamartia. Reset sits down with the singer to talk about the inspiration behind the project and getting a taste of Warm Human’s range from electronic to indie to pop. GUEST: Meredith Johnston, singer and songwriter, Warm Human

How does one say goodbye to what feels like the utterly perfect television series? Season 3 of HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere,” which just kicked off on Oct. 27, will be the Peabody award-winning comedy-drama’s last hoorah. The show takes viewers to Manhattan, Kansas, where finding your people is possible. Reset sits down with members of the cast and crew Bridget Everett, Jeff Hiller, Hannah Bos and Pa...

To find one of the most unusual miniature golf courses in the Chicago area, you arrive at a funeral home in Palatine and then go a little more than six feet under, to the basement. At Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home on Northwest Highway, the main floor is for funerals and downstairs is where the family’s homemade mini golf course called Ahlgrim Acres has been for 60 years. Reset went on a field trip w...

Reset gears up for Halloween with a deep dive into Chicago history through the lens of the supernatural. Haunted, mysterious Chicago tales live in every corner of the city, and ghost stories can also be history lessons, a unique way to explore and learn. Reset checks in with Adam Selzer, Chicago historian, tour guide and author of Mysterious Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head ov...

n his annual budget address delivered Tuesday, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was left with no choice but to propose a $300 million property tax increase to help close a $982 million budget gap. Reset discusses those and other proposals from the mayor with WBEZ city government and politics reporter Mariah Woelfel. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Delaney Bailey started writing music her freshman year of college at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Her first released single “Loving & Losing” garnered over 163,000 streams on Spotify and her following quickly grew to over 30,000 listeners on the music platform. Now, the singer has released EPs like “This Is About You” and “(i would have followed you).” Her newest project “Chiaroscur...

Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have different ideas when it comes to both growing housing stock and making it more affordable – a major concern for voters this election. Reset checks in with Erika Poethig, a leader with the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and board member for the Illinois Housing Development Authority, to help compare the two candidates’...

Immigrant advocacy groups in Chicago are preparing for mass deportations under a potential Trump presidency and a tighter border regardless of who wins. From know-your-rights training, reengaging rapid response teams and preparing legal clinics, advocates say they’re leaning into lessons learned during the first Trump presidency. Reset speaks with Erendira Rendon, vice president of immigrant justi...

RealPage, a company owned by a Chicago-based private equity group, is facing DOJ and class-action lawsuits alleging that their software for landlords violates antitrust laws. The software, which generates recommended rent prices, is used to price over 70,000 apartments in Chicago alone, according to RealPage’s own data. Reset sits down with WBEZ data reporter Amy Qin to learn how Chicago renters c...

The U.S. Mint and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum have collaborated to release quarters with the faces of 25 women throughout history who have changed the country and the world. The series spans over a four-year period to feature artists, activists, scientists, and more. Reset finds out more about the women featured and their place in American history, with Jennifer Brier, professo...

Researchers haven’t yet been able to pinpoint why breast cancer is becoming more prevalent among younger women, but a study out this year from Washington University charts how those rates play out among demographic groups, with younger Black women seeing the biggest increase in diagnoses. Reset learns more from Kaitlin Washburn, Chicago Sun-Times reporter about what’s driving the trend and what’s...

Witnesses have begun to take the stand in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s hand-picked board of education met for the first time. And the city is combining its shelters for migrants and other Chicagoans into a single, unified system. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories with Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema A...

It started with “The Sports Bra” in Portland. Then, “A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis.” Now, bars catering to women’s sports fans are popping up all over. Chicago is home to Whiskey Girl Tavern in Edgewater and future home to Babe’s Sports Bar in Logan Square. Reset learns how these spaces came to be and how their owners think about community amidst a huge surge in popularity with Nora McConnell-...

There’s a movement in the works to restore voting rights to incarcerated people in Illinois. Advocates say it’s a racial justice issue and could reduce recidivism. Reset talks to associate professor of political science at DePaul University Cristina Rivers, formerly incarcerated person Jimmy Soto, and the policy manager at Chicago Votes Frederique Desrosiers. For a full archive of Reset interviews...

More than 54,000 incarcerated people, including more than 1,000 in Illinois, responded to a Marshall Project survey about their thoughts on the November election. Reset digs into what they had to say about the issues that matter to them and who they plan to vote for in the presidential race with Nicole Lewis and Jamiles Lartey of The Marshall Project. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head o...

Illinois is one of 48 states that revokes the right to vote for people in prison convicted of a felony. But that hasn’t stopped some from learning – and teaching – about voting and political engagement to prepare for when they reenter society. Reset sits down Brian Beals, a Chicagoan who was wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years and taught civics education classes to other incarcerated people. For a...

Let’s be honest. There’s a lot to be stressed out about. And while there are umpteen tips and tricks for de-stressing, one route could be building emotional resilience. Research coming out of Northwestern University shows that positive emotions can help people cope and adapt to stressful situations. Reset sat down with Judith Moskowitz, Chief of Intervention Sciences in the Department of Medical S...

Cases of syphilis are on the rise in the United States. Chicago is also mirroring nationwide trends. The sexually transmitted infection was down to just over 30,000 cases in 2000, but that number rose to above 200,000 in 2022. To understand why, and how to slow this trend, we talked with Dr. Kimberly Stanford, associate professor of medicine at UChicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, hea...

The U.S. Surgeon General says parents across the country are struggling with increased stress and declining mental health. Parents are juggling work, childcare, education, finances, time management, loneliness and much more. So we’re revisiting a recent conversation looking at the biggest challenges parents are facing in the U.S. today and how communities are coming together to support parents and...

As early voting expands in Chicago and Cook County, voters will choose between a Democrat, Republican and Libertarian to replace Kim Foxx as the next Cook County State’s Attorney. The state’s attorney – the county’s top prosecutor – oversees an office of about 1,300 employees and sets the tone for how justice is meted out in Cook County. WBEZ’s Reset sat down with two of the candidates seeking to...