In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

In the second of our mayoral forums, we pose voter questions to candidates organizer Ja’Mal Green and Alderman Roderick Sawyer live from the University of Chicago.

Reset sits down with Eric Davis and Frank Brim leaders of the BASE Chicago, an organization based in West Garfield Park that provides a range of programming for urban youth from baseball and softball training, to violence prevention and even college readiness.

From crime to transportation to education, we spent an hour talking about top issues with Alderwoman Sophia King, State Rep. Kam Buckner, former CPS CEO Paul Vallas, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Congressman Chuy Garcia. Reset breaks down our first round of mayoral forums with Mariah Woelfel, WBEZ city government reporter, Chip Mitchell, WBEZ criminal justice reporter and Jason DeSanto, a senior lectur...

Chicago Public Media and the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics are hosting two forums with the city’s mayoral candidates. First up, at the University of Illinois Chicago, we pose voter questions to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Congressman Chuy Garcia, former CPS CEO Paul Vallas, State Rep. Kam Buckner and Alderwoman Sophia King. On Thursday Feb. 9, we’ll bring you our second forum with thr re...

Dion’s Chicago Dream provides free boxes of fruits, vegetables and water to residents throughout Chicago on a weekly basis, as well as stocking a Dream fridge in Englewood that residents can “shop” from at their convenience. Reset sits down with the founder of the organization, Dion Dawson, to learn about the partnership and how its ability to provide food to food-insecure families has grown.

With Chicago’s mayoral race heating up, the nine candidates vying for the city’s top job have a lot to say about health. Mental health, health equity and lead pipes are top of mind for Chicago voters who responded to WBEZ’s People’s Agenda survey. Reset talks to WBEZ reporters Kristen Schorsch and Tessa Weinberg to find out where the candidates stand.

Rescue efforts are underway, and the number of casualties is expected to climb. Reset checks in with Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president and co-founder of MedGlobal and Amina Demir, COO of the Zakat Foundation of America, about the situation on the ground and what Chicagoans can do to help.

Chicago has an amazing art scene! So as a part of our Chicago Innovators series, we’re featuring two artists who are preparing for an upcoming joint exhibition. Reset chats with artists Blake Jones and Steve Seeley about their work, inspiration and hopes for the future.

The next mayor will inherit a bevy of challenges when it comes to Chicago Public Schools, including a looming budget deficit and declining enrollment. Reset talks to Sarah Karp, WBEZ education reporter, to find out how the mayoral candidates will approach these challenges.

On average, lead levels in Chicago soil are about 11 times above the natural baseline levels. Lead pollutes both our city’s water and soil, and researchers are trying to find ways to lower our chances of long-term exposure. Reset chats with Kevin Erickson, senior manager of sustainable agriculture at the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University, to learn about the possibilities...

In his new book ‘Dancing In The Darkness,’ Moss draws on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s idea of three sides making up a complete life: the personal, the communal and the spiritual. Reset checks in with Moss, Senior Pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, about his vision for spiritual resilience and why he believes it’s time to fight for the soul of the country.

The next mayor will inherit a bevy of challenges when it comes to Chicago Public Schools, including a looming budget deficit and declining enrollment. Reset talks to Sarah Karp, WBEZ education reporter, to find out how the mayoral candidates will approach these challenges.

What does it mean to be a “top-ranked” medical school? Many of the schools withdrawing from the long-standing rankings system say those rankings perpetuate inequities in medical education that then spill over into medical care. Reset talks with Dr. Vineet Arora, assistant dean at University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, and Hannah Priddy, a fourth-year medical student at University of...

Independent artists have it harder than ever, and big streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music pay less than a penny per listen. So how can you give back to the person behind that song on repeat? Musician Sen Morimoto, DJ Shane Bradley and Vocalo Host Stephen Bekoe join Reset to talk about how to find new music without streaming and how to support your favorite artists.

We’re only a few weeks away from Chicago’s mayoral election, COVID-19 public health emergency declarations are set to end in May, and Beyoncé is coming to Chicago. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with WBEZ editor Alden Loury; Lorraine Forte, head of the editorial board for the Chicago Sun-Times; and Maxwell Evans, reporter for Block Club Chicago.

We’re taught from a young age that fatness and weight gain are inherently unhealthy. But research shows being fat is not itself unhealthy, and anti-fat bias is immeasurably harmful to our health. The Health At Every Size framework of care presents solutions. Reset digs into the barriers larger-bodied people face in medicine — and how that impacts every other part of their lives with Dr. Kate Johns...

The Sun-Times is celebrating its 75 years of informing Chicago-area readers this week. Since January 2022, it has been part of Chicago Public Media alongside WBEZ and Vocalo. Reset talks with Sun-Times staffers Neil Steinberg and Stefano Esposito about the paper’s past, present and future.

Ready for some hip-hopera? Reset talks with Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, director, dramaturg and co-book writer for The Factotum, a fresh spin on The Barber of Seville that takes place on the South Side of Chicago and highlights diverse voices and diverse life experiences in a way that’s often missing from the genre of opera.

There are currently no federal U.S. laws that protect people from weight-based discrimination, and only a handful of cities and states have such laws on the books. Reset talks to professor Esther Rothblum and advocate Brandie Solovay about why this discrimination persists and how to address it.

After a tumultuous few years, the Chicago Reader moved to non-profit status in 2022. A six-month nationwide search for the right person to lead the new organization led to tapping a homegrown talent with experience at the Better Government Association and other Chicago-based organizations. Reset checks in with the former publisher and the publisher-to-be who starts in mid-February.

This newest WBEZ podcast shares stories of Asian Americans and their relationships with identity, confidence, and success. Reset chats with the hosts Susie An and Esther Yoon-Ji Kang, along with producer Stephanie Kim to get a behind-the-scenes look at the pod.

Plus-size fashion has come a long way in the 119 years since Lane Bryant opened its doors in 1904, but it still has a long way to go. Many people still struggle to access the same clothing options as straight-size people. Reset learns more from fashion blogger Natalie Craig and journalist Gianluca Russo, author of The Power of Plus. Then we’ll hear from Jovana Savic, founder of Thick Mall, a local...

A lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood was instituted in 1985, but change is afoot. Reset hears from Dr. Anu Hazra, University of Chicago infectious disease specialist, Jim Pickett, senior advisor with AVAC, Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention, Luke Romesberg, director of Youth Housing Program at the Center on Halsted, and Jennifer Brier, professor of history and gender and women’s s...

Many asylum seekers arrive in Chicago with little knowledge of where they’ll sleep or how they’ll access food and care, especially mental health care. Reset hears about one migrant’s experience from Chicago-Sun Times journalist Elvia Malagón and from professor and social worker Aimee Hilado about what support migrants needs most.

Structural fatphobia is everywhere, including the skies. Almost no one can get comfortable on airplanes, and that’s especially true for fat and plus-size people. Reset speaks to podcast hosts Nicci Nunez and Alex Stewart who are leading trips around the world for plus-size people.