In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Legendy playwright August Wilson – considered one of the most important Black voices in theater – wrote the story of his life in the play How I Learned What I Learned. Today, that script is coming to life in a one-man show at the Broadway Playhouse in Water Tower Place. And Chicago-bred actor Harry Lennix (The Blacklist, Matrix Reloaded) is stepping into the role of August Wilson himself. How I Le...

Producer: Max Lubbers Editor: Meha AhmadWhile anyone can get scammed, older adults tend to face higher fraud losses. Victims over the age of 60 lose a collective $28.3 billion annually to scams or financial abuse, according to an AARP report. Still, people of any age can fall for these and other scams. Reset learns more about how to protect yourself and your loved ones with Chicago Sun-Times’s Ste...

This week marks the 100 year anniversary of the first radio broadcast of National Barn Dance in Chicago. That's a variety show that predates the Grand Ole Opry and is credited with popularizing country music. And it's high time that the genre writ large acknowledges the history and role of Black musicians and fans in shaping the genre, says Francesca Royster, author of "Black Country Music: Listen...

MIKE is on tour performing his latest album “Pinball,” produced in collaboration with Tony Seltzer. You can catch him at Metro next week. The 25-year-old artist tells Reset about keeping it real in his music, his friendship with the legendary Earl Sweatshirt and other friends out with new music. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Tensions rise between Chicago’s top cop and oversight agency. City Council delays vote on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s bond plan. Protesters block the road to O'Hare to raise awareness on war in Gaza. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and many more in our Weekly News Recap with Brandon Pope of CW26, Alex Nitkin of the Illinois Answers Project for the Better Government Association...

According to the USDA, about one third of food produced in the United States is never eaten and ends up in landfills, where it produces methane that contributes to climate change. Additionally, all of the fuel, water and resources that went into growing and transporting the food is wasted. Reset hears from local chef Devon Quinn and food writer Lisa Shames on their tips and tricks for creatively r...

Libraries are a haven of free access to books, movies, magazines, and even social supports. But those spaces have faced attacks and an unprecedented number of book bans – 4,349 instances of book bans across 23 states – in just the last half of 2023. Reset talks with Emily Drabinski, the head of the American Library Association, on why the county is divided between attacking and protecting librarie...

The first episode of the variety show Barn Dance aired on WLS on April 19, 1924. An event honoring this anniversary imagines what an episode of the show would sound like in 2024, with musicians, historical context and performances. It will be broadcast live on WFMT. Reset learns about the history of country music in Chicago, how the scene has evolved and what characterizes the sound today with Chi...

Chicago’s Office of Inspector General investigates misconduct on all levels of city government. And now it’s asking Chicago residents to weigh in on what’s important to them, and what governmental process or body they want to learn more about. It’s the office’s latest attempt to get public input on the inspector general’s priorities for the coming year. Reset sits down with Deborah Witzburg, the c...

Hospitals and clinics that offer maternal healthcare have been closing on the South Side for years. And this puts mothers in those communities at risk. Reset sat down with UChicago Medicine’s inaugural Chief Obstetrical Transformation Officer, Dr. Sarosh Rana, and The South Side Healthy Community Organization’s chief operating officer, Sarah Janvier, to learn about what work needs to be done to cr...

Chicago is more than just the place where Arionne Nettles grew up, she writes, it’s in her DNA. In her debut book, We Are The Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything, Nettles takes readers through the history of how Black Chicagoans have led pop culture in America for decades, and gives insight into the ways culture shapes our lives and spreads across borders. Reset sits down with Nettles...

Since 1989, LSCs have won funding for their schools, removed corrupt faculty, renamed schools and even opened new campuses. Ideally, an LSC is typically made up of a school’s principal, a couple of teachers, parents, community members, and even students. But that’s not always the case. Reset learns more about Local School Councils in Chicago from two council members, Chinella Robinson and JP Paulu...

Chicago has given the world many wonders: architecture, ketchup-less hot dogs, house music. But did you know about the influence the city has had on poetry? Slam poetry got its start in Chicago in the 1980’s, spawning worldwide competitions, including the largest youth poetry festival in the world, right here in Chicago. Reset sits down with three local artists, Haiku Fest founder Regina Harris Ba...

The smell of bread used to waft out of a five-story building in Washington Park. After years of vacancy, the factory is back on the market. So what’s that building? Architecture sleuth Dennis Rodkin stops by Reset to dig into the past and future of the Schulze Bakery. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Alvin Cobb, Jr. is an Atlanta-native who found his way to Chicago to play jazz. He’s worked alongside several musicians both in and out of the jazz world, like Chance the Rapper, Nola Adé and Marcus Printup. Reset sat down with the musician to hear more about his journey and on making his first album featuring fellow jazz artists Katie Ernst and Julius Tucker. For a full archive of Reset interview...

Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability releases body cam footage from a deadly March traffic stop where officers fired nearly 100 shots in less than a minute. Plus, new legislation aims to close a race gap in teacher evaluations, and stargazers head downstate for a total solar eclipse. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap with Andy Gri...

Life wasn’t always easy for poet Nikki Pitan, who grew up with domestic violence, and fatphobia affecting her self esteem in her far South Side home. She tells Reset about how her new memoir outlines her lifelong journey of healing and breaking those generational cycles. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Spring is coming and going in Chicago so fast you might think you’re on a bit of a roller coaster. Reset turns to cultural historian and chef, Jordan Wimby (aka Melanin Martha), for more on cool-season crops to plant now and in-season veggies for your dinners this week. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Congress has yet to pass a Green New Deal, a set of policies that aims to reduce emissions and provide a just transition to green jobs. So, high schoolers and the Sunrise Movement are taking matters into their own hands. Evanston Township High School is the third high school in the U.S. to pass a Green New Deal of their own. Reset learns more about the effort with student Milo Slevin and Reset Sus...

Dr. Tammy Abughnaim normally works as an emergency physician in Chicago. But in March, she spent two weeks living and working in Al-Aqsa Hospital, as part of a team under the World Health Organization. When it came time to leave, Dr. Abughnaim says she begged to stay longer. Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons sat down with Dr. Abughnaim to hear about her experience in Gaza. For a full archive of Reset in...

Illinois could soon join 10 states in the nation which allow what advocates call “medical aid in dying.” A bill in Springfield would give terminally ill people with six months or less to live the option to end their lives by self-administering a drug provided by a physician. Illinois lawmakers are considering the future of this legislation during the spring session, so Reset spoke with the bill’s...

Thousands of artists and nearly 200 galleries from around the world are showcasing their work here in Chicago. We check in with WBEZ's Courtney Kueppers. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The latest jobs report shows the U.S. economy is strong, but how consumers perceive and feel about it isn’t as positive. So, what’s really going on? Reset sits down with Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, to find out how the economy is doing and to get a lesson on how the Fed works. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In his new book, Chicago-area dentist Steven Potashnick digs into the surprising significance of the toothpick in Western culture. It features photos of his extensive collection of 1,500 toothpicks, which is believed to be the largest in the world. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago’s school board recently voted to prioritize neighborhood schools and de-emphasize selective enrollment schools, but board members are not ending school choice. Reset dives into the history of how selective schools came to be — from the space race to integration efforts. We talk with WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp, who recently reported on this history for Curious City. For a full archi...