In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Reset wraps a summer “What’s That Building?” series about Chicago’s incredible music venues at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square. Sasha-Ann Simons and Dennis Rodkin explore this old library turned music school and venue and dive deep into the history of its exterior as well as what lives inside. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Long-term stress can have many negative outcomes for parents in the U.S., so much so that the U.S. surgeon general says it’s time to start treating parental stress as a public health issue. Reset discusses some of the biggest challenges parents face today and how communities are coming together to support parents and children with Rosalia Salgado, mother of two from Hermosa and a community healer...

After 11 years, The Onion is bringing back its print edition. Subscribers are now able to enjoy deeper layers of the most pressing (fake) stories on paper, not just on screens. Reset learns more about covering the “political circus,” the website’s evolution and The Onion’s path back to print in a conversation with the editor-in-chief, Chad Nackers. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over...

The Chicago Jazz Festival happens every year over Labor Day weekend. Reset gets the rundown with an organizer, Frayne Lewis, DCASE senior policy analyst, and two artists taking the stage this weekend: Lynne Jordan, jazz and blues singer and jazz pianist and composer Miguel de la Cerna. Click here to see the full schedule for the Chicago Jazz Festival. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head o...

Attorneys for former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan request evidence be thrown out ahead of his upcoming corruption trial. Demolition begins on local landmark to make way for Chicago's riverfront casino. Local radio host resigns from high school coaching duties after controversial comments. Reset goes behind those headlines and more with a panel of local journalists that includes Natalie Moor...

What do you think of when you hear the word design? Maybe fashion, photoshop or video games? What about urban planning, street art and choreography? The Design Museum of Chicago on the corner of Michigan and Randolph has thought a lot about this question – they hope to contextualize and humanize how design shapes our day-to-day lives. Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons and production intern Ellie Gilbert...

Planning out the week’s meals, making a shopping list based on that plan, and then dedicating time to prepare veggies, starches and proteins can help avoid the dread of having to figure out what’s for dinner when you’re already hungry. Plus, it helps keep costs in check at the grocery store. Reset discusses the benefits of meal prepping and gets tips for keeping it interesting with Lisa Counts, ex...

With the two political conventions behind us, we take a look at the candidates' records on climate issues. From the three Supreme Court justices appointed by Trump affecting the court’s rulings on environmental cases to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act under President Biden. Reset discusses what this could mean for the Chicago area and what to keep an eye out for moving forward with Kare...

Until the 1980s, the former South Works site along Chicago’s lakefront on the South Side was home to steel mills. But soon it will house a quantum computing campus known as the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. Reset talks with two Southeast Side residents. Clifton Muhammad is a local business owner and board member of the Alliance of the Southeast. Roman Villareal is an artist and lifel...

Reset learns about efforts to bring resources to survivors and their families experiencing violence from Dr. Ted Corbin, professor and chairperson for the department of emergency medicine RUSH University Medical Center and Dr. John Rich, director of the RUSH BMO Institute for Health Equity. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Extreme heat is the most dangerous weather event in the country, according to the National Weather Service. The elderly, young children and people who work outside are the most vulnerable. Reset hears what’s up with the heat this week and how groups representing people who work outside are responding. Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist, Miguel Alvelo Rivera, executive director of Latino Unio...

During the Democratic National Convention, some people repeated harmful narratives about crime, framing Chicago as a “combat zone.” Chicagoans don’t deny that gun violence is a real issue, but exaggerations can be dehumanizing – and they often ignore the people who are most affected by gun violence, as well as the efforts of locals working to solve this issue. Reset learn more about local efforts...

Chicago Public Schools’ students returned to the classroom Monday for the first day of school. As students and educators get lessons underway, the district faces bus driver shortages, budget troubles and growing tension with the teachers union. Reset checks in with WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp for the details. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Often called the king of daytime talk, Phil Donahue redefined what daytime television could look like — and what topics it could tackle. From gay rights to feminism to politics, the TV titan never shied away. Reset reflects on his legacy in American pop culture. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Hailing from Greensboro, North Carolina, Master Steve is making waves in Chicago with his groovy beats and expressive lyricism. Reset sits down with the musician to talk about his roots in gospel music, finding his inner self and ‘MASTERPEACE.’ For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago was the center of the political and media universe this week as it hosted the Democratic National Convention. Thousands of delegates rallied inside the convention, while thousands of protesters made their voices heard outside the United Center. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more with Lynn Sweet and Nader Issa from the Chicago Sun-Times and Mariah Woelfel from WB...

Wisconsin and Michigan and two pivotal swing states in the presidential election, and organizing across the region is shaping the race in profound ways. Reset checks in with a panel about how political activism and labor organizing, long staples of the Midwest, are coming into play this election cycle. Our guests are Alex Han, executive director of In These Times magazine, Eman Abdelhadi, associat...

Vice President Kamala Harris will address the Democratic National Convention Thursday. A panel reflects on what this moment means and how Harris is being portrayed — and perceived — by the media and by politicians on the left and the right. Reset checks in with Moya Bailey and Nitasha Sharma of Northwestern University and Natalie Hopkinson of American University. For a full archive of Reset interv...

Reset sits down with a host, correspondent and producer who make the show about how they approach satire and how their jokes give voice to what a lot of people are thinking. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Kamala Harris will give her speech at the DNC this Thursday. What are voters looking to hear from her? So far we’re receiving a lot of words of inspiration versus plans and goals for her presidency. Reset speaks with Connie Mixon, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University to discuss, and also reflect on the DNC thus far. For a full archive of R...

For Reset’s “What’s That Building” series, architecture expert Dennis Rodkin and host Sasha-Ann Simons continue their summer run of visiting music venues across Chicagoland. Next up: Ravinia. We’ll learn more about how the venue that used to house a casino in the early 1900s eventually became a concert goer's dream just north of the city. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.o...

Across party lines, inflation is the most important election issue for young people, according to a new national poll by GenForward and the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. Reset sits down with two experts to understand the results. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

As the Democratic National Convention starts, journalists are on the ground to cover the news, both inside and outside the convention. But along with fears that protestors’ rights will be violated, advocates say press freedom is at stake this week. This isn’t just an issue for reporters. This is an issue for the public, who rely on journalists to report on the DNC accurately. Reset sat down with a...

Political conventions used to be the place where party faithfuls chose their nominee. But no longer. So why do we continue the tradition? And what purpose do they serve? Reset discusses as the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A lot of assumptions get made about Gen Zers: they’re always on their phone, they’re disengaged, they’re Tik Tok-obsessed. But young Chicagoans are breaking those stereotypes, and working to get their voices heard in the 2024 election – including at the Democratic National Convention. WBEZ reporter Lisa Kurian Philip spoke with college students who plan to be at the DNC to report, protest, or supp...