In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

PACKS frontwoman Madeline Link felt blessed to write about love that made her “feel wonderful — not deranged,” like relationships in her past. The 2024 album Melt the Honey explores partnership and life with crunchy guitars and loose rhythm sections. She joins Reset to talk about her love of South America, live music, and paper mache. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/r...

What happened this week, Chicago? Well, the city is making final preparations for the Democratic National Convention, a judge dealt a blow to protest organizers, Riot Fest does an about-face, and a former school official is sentenced to prison for stealing nearly $1.5 million in chicken wings. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap, with Julie Bosma...

If you ever find yourself strolling down Armitage Avenue in Logan Square, you may encounter a friendly beaver on a three-foot wide baby blue button, greeting you with a simple “Hello!” The button marks the entrance to the Busy Beaver Button Company and Museum, a spot in Logan Square that has archived 60,000 pin-back buttons. They’ve got everything from a “pre-button” celebrating George Washington’...

From the deep-dish-versus-tavern-style debate to the fierceness of defending ketchup-less hot dogs, Chicagoans have feelings about food. Is it giardiniera that unites us? Reset hears the case for why the spicy pickled condiment is one thing Chicagoans can agree on. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In 1971, a group of friends crowded around a dining room table in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood. They were putting together the first issue of the Chicago Reader, one of the first free alternative weekly newspapers in the country. With its origins beginning more than 50 years ago it would go on to become a model for alt-weeklies nationwide. Now, an effort is underway to create a coffee-table book...

The busy summer travel season coincides with hurricane season, so travelers and airlines should brace for storm-related flight delays and cancellations. But that’s just one part of an almost never-ending chain reaction: more air travel (and its carbon emissions) contributes to severe weather, severe weather wreaks havoc on air travel, and so on and so on. Reset learns about this cycle, and what is...

The CDC tracker shows coronavirus levels are much higher nationwide than they were this time last year. With infection levels on the rise, should folks get another COVID booster? Are tests effectively catching the latest strains? How long are we supposed to isolate again? To learn more, Reset checks in with UChicago Medicine’s infectious disease specialist Dr. Emily Landon. For a full archive of R...

More than half of the average American adult’s diet consists of ultra processed foods. Foods like the frozen meal you grabbed for lunch, or your go-to morning granola bar or even your plant-based chicken nuggets. All of these foods can be ultra-processed. And eating these foods has been linked to overeating and higher risks of all kinds of diseases, from diabetes to cancer. Reset checks in with he...

A Chicago hotline that normally serves as a simple way for people to join a waitlist for subsidized housing has been disconnected for more than a month, with no clear return date. Now, people in need of housing are redirected to call 211 and find their closest in-person office – there’s seven in the city. Advocates say that puts a burden on people who are already struggling. Reset sits down with C...

The language that gave Chicago its name had not been spoken in more than 50 years – until recently. Chicagoans of Myaamia (or Miami) heritage have been reviving their native language, Myaamiaataweenki – and even creating new words for modern times. Reset speaks with Chicago Reader journalist Paul Dailing as well as George Strack and Brad Kasberg, two descendants of the Myaamiaki, about what it tak...

Summer is the most delicious time in the Midwest. So what techniques can we use to ensure that we have bites of delicious tomatoes, stone fruit, melons, sweet corn and summer squash all year long? Reset checks in with a chef and preservation expert. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A panel of movie fans join Reset to talk about movies and their iconic scores and soundtracks. Plus, we discuss the new EP I Wake And Remember from local composer Ray Hou. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

What happened this week? Well, Kamala Harris tapped a Midwesterner to join the top of the Democratic ticket – and it wasn’t JB Pritzker. After breaking a long losing streak, the Chicago White Sox also lost manager Pedro Grifol. And on its 20th anniversary, we remember the Dave Matthews Band and “poopgate.” Reset digs into those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap. Our panel this week: Mitche...

Chicago is at the center of industrial music – and a museum in the Bridgeport neighborhood tells that history. Outside, the brick building is nondescript. But inside, posters, T-shirts and cassette tapes overlap on the walls and cascade down to the floor. Today, Reset heads to the Museum of Post-Punk & Industrial Music as part of our series featuring museums off the beaten path. For a full archive...

Just in time for the Democratic National Convention, theatergoers can catch overtly political musicals, like 44, a tale about Obama told from Joe Biden’s perspective, a revival of Hair, and much more in Chicago’s theaters this August. Reset gets recommendations for shows to catch around town from WBEZ theater reporter, Mike Davis. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset...

Sonya Massey was shot in her own home by former sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson after calling for help from a potential prowler. Now, Massey’s family is demanding a police reform bill that would prevent officers like Grayson, who bounced between six police departments in four years, from holding a badge and a gun. But some state senators, including Doris Turner, want to turn to existing legislation...

Tree health in Illinois is on the decline. One major issue contributing to this is the widespread use of weedkillers on commercial farms, lawns and turf. Herbicide drift, or the movement of toxic chemicals found in common weedkillers to non-targeted plants and trees, is damaging leaves, branches and even fruit. Not only do these chemicals affect plant growth, it’s still unclear whether it has an i...

The mayor is racing to prepare the city to host the DNC. Plus, the convention is working with tourist arm Choose Chicago to promote diverse neighborhoods among convention attendees, but it’s unclear how effectively this will spread the benefits of the convention across the city. Reset learns the latest on the DNC. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Sorry, Josh Shapiro and JB Pritzker: Kamala Harris has tapped Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. The pair will kick off their campaign together touring battleground states – starting Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Plus: Harris gains support from Illinois Republican politicians. Reset gets the latest on Harris’ efforts to court the Midwest vote. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head...

The rich stone edifice of Thalia Hall is a lot to take in. Now a concert venue, this Pilsen building has a history as a gathering place for ethnic communities, and theater for movies and Shakespeare plays. Reset’s Sasha-Ann Simons and architecture expert Dennis Rodkin head to the beloved music venue for the latest in our series “What’s That Building.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head o...

This year, breaking – aka breakdancing – is joining the Olympics. The dance sport joins a score of other recent additions, like surfing, skateboarding, and sports climbing. Reset spoke with a couple of local superfans of these sports for more on what they’re excited to see at the Olympics, and finds out more about what the local surfing and skateboarding scenes look like in Chicago. For a full arc...

Do you avoid the stove and the oven on hot summer days, or do you just sweat it out? Either way, we’ll get ideas for salads, cooking with appliances besides your stove and marinades for grilling. Reset gets recommendations for beating the heat and still eating deliciously. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

“To my community: feel it all. Don’t run from things that scare you. Use it. It is power. Let it guide you wherever it wants to take you with your creativity. You are valid,” says Yna. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Trump makes false statements about Kamala Harris’ race at a Black journalists’ convention in Chicago. Hundreds gather in Springfield and Chicago in response to Sonya Massey’s death. Lawyers for R&B singer R. Kelly appeal his conviction. Reset breaks down those stories and more in our Weekly News Recap. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Nestled along Lake Shore Drive in the Gold Coast sits an old mansion styled after a French chateau. But this isn’t Versailles. It’s Chicago’s International Museum of Surgical Science. Inside you’ll find some things maybe you’d expect: vintage surgical instruments, skeletons, and archival medical books. But then, it ventures into what feels and looks more like an art museum. Sculptures, murals, and...