In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Ten organizers, artists and advocates are receiving a no-strings-attached $25,000 grant to support their work in the fields of art, media, storytelling and justice. The award is given annually by the Field Foundation, with support from the MacArthur Foundation. Reset learns more about who the leaders are and the future they envision for Chicago. We talk to Mark Clements, community organizer at the...

City Council goes for a vote today on making the Warehouse a Chicago landmark. Music director and resident DJ Frankie Knuckles helped the Warehouse grow to be regarded as the birthplace of house music. Reset speaks with DJ Lady D Jackson and DJ Terry Hunter about what this landmark status would mean for the city and the iconic music genre.

The city of Chicago will be receiving nearly $7 million dollars to fund eight memorial projects including a memorial dedicated to survivors of torture by the “Midnight Crew” in the South Side. Reset learns about this effort to honor over 100 survivors of police torture from Dan Mihalopoulos, investigative reporter for WBEZ’s government and politics team.

Chicago renters must make at least $50,000 a year, or work two jobs at minimum wage, to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment. That’s according to a new study by Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Reset discusses the causes of and solutions to the lack of affordable rental housing in Chicago and Illinois with Bob Palmer, policy director for Housing Action Illino...

Health experts are raising the alarm on rising rates of depression, suicide and other mental health issues among U.S. teens. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, youth between the ages of 10 to 25 years old make up 15% of all suicides. Reset discusses why the teen mental health crisis is happening, the role social media plays and how Chicago-area organizations are work...

Mayor Brandon Johnson is a month into the job; so how’s it going? Reset talks to WBEZ reporters Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg to get an update on Johnson’s initial political and policy moves, his negotiating style with City Council, how well he's keeping campaign promises and his handling of the city’s resource crisis for asylum seekers.

Almost 70% of visitors to national parks in the U.S. are white, and Black people are the most underrepresented group to visit them. Reset meets Chevon Linear and Kameron Stanton, the Chicago couple working to change that through their popular TikTok account Black People Outside and through meet-up events.

Juneteenth has only been a federal holiday since 2021. If it’s new to you or you want to learn more, here are some resources.

Hip hop marks its 50th anniversary this summer. For Juneteenth, we look back on that history and celebrate highlights of the genre.

Five fresh hip-hop and R&B tracks are "In Rotation” all month on Vocalo Radio, WBEZ’s sister station. Chicago emcee Jovan Landry brings the heat on a new catchy tune with an uplifting message, singer th0rn’s latest track will make you want to dance, and up-and-coming Chicago artists Elijah LeFlore and Galaxy Francis team up for a summer banger. Michigan musician Bri Miller and Ohio native Amar Mil...

Reset talks with florist John Pendleton of Black Men Flower Project, which allows Black men to give other Black men a bouquet.

Asylum seekers, NASCAR, a ban on book bans, and the latest from City Hall. Reset goes behind the headlines of these stories and more with David Greising with the Better Government Association, Brandis Friedman with WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight,” and WBEZ reporter and editor Natalie Moore.

Chicago is a deep dish and tavern-style town, but there’s good pizza by the slice available if you know where to look. Join Reset and Curious City as we go on the hunt for delicious single slices around the city.

Reset heads out to Chinatown to hear about some key sites in the neighborhood, including the Chinatown Gate on Wentworth Ave. just south of Cermak Road. Sasha-Ann Simons speaks with What’s That Building contributor Dennis Rodkin of Crain’s Chicago Business.

Since February, police officers have been turning unhoused people away at O’Hare International Airport so they won’t sleep there. The situation is just one sign of how persistent and pervasive homelessness is in Chicago. Shelter beds are full, and recently arrived asylum seekers are also in need of the social safety net. Reset learns more about the options left for the city’s unhoused population a...

lllinois Democratic lawmakers continue pushing to keep abortion accessible after the U.S. Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade last year. Since then, five measures expanding and protecting abortion access passed in Springfield, while GOP lawmakers have failed to pass anti-abortion-rights bills. Reset talks to Mawa Iqbal, statehouse reporter for WBEZ about the efforts.

In another installment of our series “What’s That Building,” Reset learns about a building in the West Loop that played an important role in Chicago’s transit history with Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter at Crain’s Chicago Business.

Earlier this year, Illinois formed the African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission to look into economic inequities due to the impacts of slavery. Reset learns more about the commission’s mission and work with Illinois State Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood) and Marvin Slaughter, chair of the African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission.

Longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak says he’ll be leaving the show after its 41st season, which starts in the fall. He was raised in Chicago and initially pursued a career in radio. Reset learns more about Sajak’s Chicago roots and the void he’ll leave in the game show world with Darel Jevens, entertainment editor for the Chicago Sun-Times

A downtown building known for its legacy pipe and cigar lounge, holds layers of history dating possibly as far back as before the great Chicago fire in 1871. Reset’s architecture sleuth, Dennis Rodkin, reveals the stories within this classic marvel in The Loop.

In his show “Little Syria,” MC and rapper Omar Offendum explores the forgotten history of Syrian Americans in Manhattan. Offendum performed earlier this month at the Old Town School of Folk Music, along with DJ Thanks Joey and Chicago-born multi-instrumentalist Ronnie Malley. Reset sat down with the three artists to talk about weaving both different languages and genres in his music.

Widespread catalytic converter theft has cost millions of dollars in repairs for car owners across the city. A Chicago Sun-Times analysis looks into how the thefts are pulled off and how the city is working to crack down on the crime. Reset speaks with Stephanie Zimmermann, consumer investigations reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, to find out what you should know about the issue.

According to recent data from the U.S Census Bureau, Americans are spending more time alone. But what happens when a lack of social connection leads to loneliness? Reset talks to Eve Escalante, clinical social worker with RUSH University Medical Center, about what’s behind the so-called “loneliness epidemic” in America and ways to build connections.

How is Chicago responding to the growing sense of loneliness in the U.S? Reset talks to groups working to build social connection and community in the area. The panel features Jeremy Foster, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago; Julia Logan Labow, director of impact and learning at OneTable; and Jacob Rosenblum, Shabbat dinner host for OneTable.

Stalled trains and blocked railroad crossings have created dangerous conditions for residents of cities like Hammond, Ind., for decades. Now a first round of federal funding aims to change that. Reset talks to Joce Sterman, national investigative reporter for InvestigateTV, to learn more about the $570 million nationwide plan.