In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Next year, for the first time, Chicago voters can elect the members of the Chicago Board of Education. We check in with WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp on one hurdle that’s standing in the way: the state legislature needs to agree on a voting map.

I don’t ONLY like to listen to one type of music,” says Resavoir frontman Will Miller. So, of course, his new work is a blend of genres. Resavoir started as a musician collective, but during the pandemic Miller embraced a more solitary style of making music. The hard work paid off, and the new album is out now. Reset talks with Will Miller, frontman of Resavoir and the man behind the project.

Chicago gets the season's first snowfall, fierce debate continues in City Council over where to house the more than 20,000 migrants, and Mayor Brandon Johnson heads to Washington D.C. with other mayors, looking for federal help. Reset goes behind those headlines and more with Paris Schutz, reporter and anchor with WTTW; Daniel Knowles, Midwest correspondent with The Economist; and Tina Sfondeles,...

For the second Halloween in a row, Chicago saw a mass shooting. Reset learns about the shooting that happened in North Lawndale over the weekend and what survivors need to heal from the physical and emotional trauma of gun violence. If you want to listen to more conversations exploring topics that impact Chicagoans, check out wbez.org/reset.

Disco is at the root of many of our favorite music genres today, but there’s more to its history than Saturday Night Fever, and you don’t have to look far to find it. Reset learns more about The War on Disco and the genre’s influence on popular music from Ayana Contreras, music and content director at our sister station Vocalo 91.1 FM. If you want to check out our entire catalog of interviews, go...

Chicago Public Schools doesn’t track immigration status, but this year nearly 8,000 students are enrolled in the district as English-language learners, compared to a yearly average of around 3,000. Reset speaks with Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin to learn more about a program at Brighton Park Elementary to support the unique needs of migrant students.

Chicago is juggling multiple housing crises at once. There’s a growing number of unhoused Chicagoans; more asylum seekers are arriving in the city; and there’s a lack of affordable housing overall. Reset discusses how Chicago’s housing system has evolved over the years and explores potential solutions.

Cook County property tax bills are due Dec. 1, and most homeowners will be paying more than last year. Reset explores why bills are rising with WBEZ Cook County and public health reporter Kristen Schorsch and Chicago Tribune county and city government reporter A.D. Quig.

Chef Sohla El-Waylly’s debut cookbook explains the hows and whys of cooking, introducing the fundamental skills any home cook needs to be confident in the kitchen. Reset speaks with the chef about her career and Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook. If you want to check out our entire catalog of interviews, go to wbez.org/reset.

Do you have a morning ritual? For Chicago pianist Pat Leary, each day starts behind the keys improvising beautifully calming tunes. He recorded this practice and turned it into an album. And Reset chats with the musician to learn more. If you want to check out our entire catalog of interviews, go to wbez.org/reset.

Temperatures are dropping in the Chicago area and there are thousands of asylum seekers and unhoused without adequate shelter. The Johnson Administration recently announced sending warming buses to locations around the city, but what else is needed? Reset checks in with leaders and volunteers working directly to provide services to new arrivals and the existing homeless population in Chicago to ta...

Happy Friday! We’re back with our Weekly News Recap where we bring you the top stories this week and go behind the headlines with a panel of Chicago journalists. This week we were joined by CW 26 reporter and anchor Brandon Pope, Chicago Tribune state government reporter Dan Petrella and Block Club Chicago reporter Quinn Myers, covering Wicker Park, West Town and Bucktown. If you want to check out...

More people are starting to bring their climate anxiety, also known as eco-distress, to their therapists. And as more are starting to become aware of climate change, therapists and other professionals are starting to practice climate therapy. Reset explores what climate therapy looks like in practice and how we can turn that distress into action with Marilee Feldman of the Life Counseling Institut...

If you’re an avid public radio listener, you’re probably familiar with the weekly educational program Science Friday. And if you’re a fan, you have a chance to catch host Ira Flatow and the rest of the SciFri team on Sunday, Oct. 29 for a special live event! Reset chats with journalist and host Ira Flatow to get to know him more and learn more about the Don’t Be A Stranger event. Check out our ent...

According to an annual report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 2022, 17 million households are food insecure. That’s up from 13.5 million households in 2021. This trend is reflected with what’s happening in Chicago where 1 in 5 American households are food insecure. Reset discusses what contributes to food insecurity and what could be done to address the problem with Sophie Milam of the...

Halloween is just around the corner and do you know what winged animal might be waiting there, too? Bats! There are swarms of bats making their ways through Chicago as they migrate to warmer places to get away from the cold. Reset talks with Liza Lehrer, assistant director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo, to learn about our bat friends. Visit wbez.org/reset to hear more of our...

The city of Chicago is eyeing a vacant lot in Brighton Park to serve as a winterized base camp to house migrants. Last week, Ald. Julia Ramirez of the 12th ward went to a protest outside of the site to hear residents’ concerns and it turned violent. Reset hears from Alderwoman Julia Ramirez about getting more feedback ahead of a community hearing tonight.

Craft cannabis growers in Illinois face systemic obstacles to gaining a foothold in the industry, so Illinois is investing millions in an effort to solve the problem. Reset learns more from Alex Nitkin, reporter with the Illinois Answers Project of the Better Government Association.

There are nine officers who were on a leaked membership list for the anti-government group the Oath Keepers currently serving in the Chicago Police Department. Reset learns about the investigation into the way these officers interacted with the public and what’s being done to address the extremism and racism within CPD with WBEZ investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos and Chicago Sun-Times crimina...

The new graphic novel ‘Monica’ bends genre and reality to confront the themes of belonging, family and home. Reset talks with the author about the novel.

Anti-hate group the Anti-Defamation League and the University of Chicago’s Chicago Project on Security and Threats surveyed 8,000 American adults to learn about the connections between antisemitic views, political violence and antidemocratic conspiracy theories. We talked through the results of the survey, how they connect to antisemitism we’ve seen since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and what...

Chicago DIY superstar Sen Morimoto says his forthcoming album “Diagnosis” is a commentary on capitalism, the music industry and more. Ahead of the November 3 album release, we had a listening party with Sen. Check out more conversations like this at wbez.org/reset.

The nation mourns the killing of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume. Meanwhile, as the city attempts to set up housing for migrants ahead of winter, some residents are upset. We went behind these headlines and more with Block Club Chicago’s Melody Mercado, WTTW’s Heather Cherone and Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng. Check out more conversations like this at wbez.org/reset.

Jewish Voice For Peace and If Not Now planned protests in cities across the country and in Washington D.C. at the White House and U.S. Congress. They’re calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Reset hears from an organizer who went to D.C. and a local rabbi about why they support this movement.

After hundreds died in an explosion at al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City Tuesday night, international efforts to verify claims about who is responsible have been unsuccessful — and it’s overshadowed the loss of life and trauma inflicted on health care workers and civilians seeking safety. Reset speaks with a Dr. Zaher Sahloul, a local doctor who is president of MedGlobal — an NGO with doctors working...