In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Article: There’s been a wave of bills making their way through state legislatures across the country – bills that directly impact trans youth by restricting bathroom access, name changes, healthcare, and participation in sports. So it was more important than ever for one Highland Park, Ill., family to find empowering and positive messages about trans youth – except they say they couldn’t find any....

After COVID-19 relief money runs out, Chicago Public Schools and the Regional Transit Authority, which oversees CTA, Metra, and Pace, are two of the agencies with the biggest projected shortfalls. Reset sits down with education and transportation reporters to learn more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Families have been fleeing to Illinois to protect their transgender and non-binary children from anti-trans laws and enroll them in more inclusive schools. The Supreme Court agreed to review one law this week that restricts gender-affirming care. But many of the laws on the books directly relate to school policy. Across the nation, many educators are fighting back and confronting these school poli...

Nearly half of Toronto’s 2.7 million population identifies as immigrants. As the United States doubles down on restrictive immigration policies, particularly around asylum, Canada is viewed as the friendlier neighbor where politicians describe immigrants as a possible solution to labor shortages. But Canada now faces immigration problems too — a housing crunch and a rising cost of living. The gove...

Former 14th Ald. Ed Burke was Chicago’s longest serving councilman. Burke was charged with racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion while serving on city council. These corruption charges landed him two years in prison, $2 million in fines and one year of supervised release. Reset gets the details on the sentencing and other plans from the Mayor’s office from WBEZ’s city government and politi...

A rise in small children accidentally overdosing and poisoning themselves from cannabis edibles is raising alarms for legislators and parents across Illinois. Reset learns about how to identify poisoning and overdosing symptoms in children, and what conversations legislators are having about reducing the risk to kids and teens. We sit down with the state Medical Cannabis Advisory Board’s Dr. Lesli...

Illinois borders three states with abortion bans, and two with gestational limits. Since the Supreme Court overturned a federal right to an abortion, providers, lawmakers and advocates have been working to ensure that Illinoisans, and people traveling to the state, can access the medical procedure. Reset learns about the current state of access to abortions in Illinois, legal challenges to reprodu...

Looking for some fun things to do this summer? Alongside days at the beach or bike rides through a park, maybe check out some live music! Starting today, Reset is profiling a few of the music hot spots in Chicago for our "What’s That Building" series. First up? That warehouse with the iconic roof: The Salt Shed. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Nutritionists are raising the alarm that focusing on one diet as “the best” can make people feel like their own heritage foods aren’t adequate – or even healthy. This can affect mental and physical health. Reset learns more about how to value traditional foodways. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Mayor Johnson explores making reparations a reality. Cooling centers close for Juneteenth holiday during a record-breaking heat wave. Candidates for Chicago’s first-ever elected school board line up in the heat to get on the ballot. And Chicago City Council considers public financing of aldermanic campaigns. Reset dives into these top stories and more with a panel of local journalists. For a full...

Why are all your friends running a half-marathon? How come the park is swarmed with run clubs every weekend? Should you be waking up at the crack of dawn to get your miles in? Running surged in popularity as a solo sport during COVID, and has burst onto the public scene in the years since. For example, the Chicago Marathon neared 50,000 runners in 2023, a threshold it’s expected to break this year...

Dim Sum and Drag is a vibrant display of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage and LGBTQ+ glamor in Chicago. You can check out Dim Sum and Drag’s latest installment on Saturday, June 22. Performers will be celebrating the event’s three-year anniversary. Reset sat down with a drag performer and DJ to hear more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Do I have enough money saved? How will I spend my time once I’m no longer working? What if I have a medical emergency or accident? These are just some of the questions that we all face when thinking about retirement. It’s not an easy decision, and everyone thinks about it differently. Reset talks about retirement with Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell, Suburban Cook County Area Agency on A...

We’re not even officially in summer and it’s hot, hot, hot here in Chicagoland. So much so that Monday’s record-breaking temperature was the hottest it’s been in this area on that date (June 17) since 1887. Reset hears what’s ahead for the week, and the season. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A new Injustice Watch investigation reveals that 18 detainees died at Cook County Jail, the highest number of people in almost a decade. A spokesperson for Sheriff Tom Dart points to an influx of fentanyl-laced paper smuggled into the jail as the “primary driver” for the spike. Advocates say there’s more need for oversight. Reset sits down with Injustice Watch reporter Carlos Ballesteros who follo...

While there are tens of thousands of migrants in Chicago, there are millions in Colombia. And the South American country takes an integration approach, providing healthcare and job opportunities to migrants. Reset discusses what Chicago and the U.S. can learn from these Colombian policies. This story is part of The Democracy Solutions Project, a collaboration between WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times an...

Summer is tied to childhood memories. Italian ice. Running through the backyard sprinkler. Hanging out at the beach. Sports are tied to that, too. Kicking a ball down the street. Catching a baseball game. Cannonballs off the diving board. To ring in the summery temperatures, we’re collecting stories about favorite sports memories. Whether it’s an embarrassing story or a moment of glory. Here’s a t...

Toronto singer and songwriter Abigail Lapell is out with a new album, Anniversary, which features 11 intimate songs that explore youth, grief and eternal love. The multi-instrumentalist joined fellow Canadian group Great Lake Swimmers at the historic St. Mark’s Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario to record this latest project. Inspired by many milestones in her life – from turning 40 to the 15t...

The news can be a lot to handle. On our Weekly News Recap, we give you the top stories from the week, and dive into their nuances. This week, Chicago’s City Council approved one of the largest ever police misconduct settlements, but deferred on an earlier teen curfew and ethics ordinance. Senate Republicans blocked Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s bill to protect in vitro fertilization. And Riot Fest depart...

Lawmakers in Springfield want more federal oversight and regulations on a controversial technology that is at the center of meeting the Biden administration’s national climate goals. Reset finds out more about the “gold rush” carbon capture industry, and also gets an update on “Cicada Watch 2024.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Whether you’re poking around at farmer’s markets or tending a veggie garden, learning what’s ready to be harvested is a way to get in rhythm with the seasons in the Midwest. Plus, it often means eating produce at peak ripeness. Reset talks about what to cook and how to tend to a veggie garden with Eliza Fournier, urban farm center director, College of Lake County For a full archive of Reset interv...

We celebrate pride every June, but year-round, Chicagoans are carving out spaces to protect and center Black queer joy. And there’s a long history of Black queer Chicagoans creating these spaces across the city. The tradition of Black queer nightlife in this city is marked with a great deal of creativity, resilience and plenty of lessons to be learned across generations of organizers. To learn mor...

Next time you’re on a walk, try leaving your phone and headphones at home and make what’s happening around you your next playlist. This is something called a soundwalk. People can be guided through a soundwalk to slow down, become more present and begin to notice and pay attention to the interplay of sounds happening around us. To learn more about this practice and how to try it this summer, Reset...

Six in ten. That’s how many people are projected to be impacted by cardiovascular disease by the year 2050, according to new studies from the American Heart Association. To learn more about these predictions and how this health problem could eventually affect more than half of the country’s population, Reset spoke with Dr. Mitchell Elkind of the AHA. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head ov...

An increase in Chicago’s homeless population. A proposed quiet zone around a West Loop women’s clinic. A $50 million settlement paid by the city to four men wrongly convicted of a murder as teenagers. And more. Reset spoke with WBEZ city government and politics reports Tessa Weinberg and Mariah Woelfel to unpack the news coming out of city hall this week. For a full archive of Reset interviews, he...