In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Quiet quitting has been a big buzzword this year. For some, it means having clear boundaries between work and life. For others, it looks like not putting any extra effort into your job. Reset digs into how some people’s views on work-life balance is changing with Reset producer Micah Yason, Major League Baseball writer Justice delos Santos, product designer Viet Nguyen, and Mike Melendrez, founder...

Dozens of Illinois counties are now deemed high-risk for COVID-19 transmission. The flu and RSV are also hitting hard. Reset sits down with Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist with Duly Health and Care.

An estimated 30 percent of charitable donations happen during the holiday season, but with so many causes to choose from, how should we think about maximizing impact? Reset speaks with Dylan Matthews, senior correspondent and lead writer for Vox and Future Perfect, Tim Bresnahan, senior director of gift planning at Chicago Community Trust, and Michael Plant, founder and director of the Happier Liv...

Rapper, activist and actor Vic Mensa wants to provide potentially transformative books to underserved prison libraries across the state. Reset learns more about his latest initiative, Books Before Bars. GUEST: Vic Mensa, Chicago rapper

Bekoe shares the top five tracks he’s spinning on WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo on 91.1 FM in December.

Assault weapons ban. Red Line extension. A new alderperson. Stricter fines for blocking bike lanes. Crypto controversy. CPD Whistleblower settlement. Reset goes behind the week’s headlines with Chicago Sun-Times chief political reporter Tina Sfondeles, ProPublica Illinois reporter and columnist Mick Dumke and City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran.

Moen’s latest release shows off her unique combination of genres, borrowing elements from country, soul and some classic rock. Reset checks in with the Chicago singer songwriter.

Fentanyl is ravaging communities across the country. Why are we seeing so many fentanyl-related overdoses and what makes it so deadly? Reset speaks with experts Tanya Sorrell, co-chair of the Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition, and Taylor Wood, lead technician and drug checking program manager for the Chicago Recovery Alliance.

Heat pumps can be air conditioners in the summer and can work in conjunction with your furnace to heat your home in the winter. And despite misconceptions, they can work in cold climates. Reset learns practical tips you need if you’re considering buying a heat pump and how they fit into the fight against climate change with Reset Sustainability contributor Karen Weigert, and Brandon Clement, sales...

Shabbat has been around since the first chapter of Genesis, but it’s recently taken off in a new way for the millennial and Gen Z crowd. Reset chatted with Aliza Kline, CEO of OneTable and Leah Weinstein, head of OneTable’s Chicago Chapter, about how they’re making Shabbat accessible for young people.

Chatting with a psychologist once a week is far from the only way that Black people are taking charge of their mental health. Reset hears from wellness advocates DeAnna Taylor, certified life coach and founder of Mom-Care Oasis, Ytasha Womack, a writer and dance therapist and her sister Veronica Womack, associate director of inclusive learning communities at Northwestern University.

The Chicago Fire Department has long had a diversity problem, with a predominantly white and male staff. Despite new testing procedures aimed at boosting Black and Brown applicants, some are still being locked out. Reset learns more about the issue with Lieutenant Quention Curtis, head of Chicago’s Black Fire Brigade, and Will Lee, reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Inflation slowed in November for the fifth consecutive month. Reset discusses the numbers with David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution.

Need holiday gift ideas? “Social and emotional learning” toys can help kids practice skills like identifying emotions, self-soothing and communicating needs. Reset digs deeper with Jessica Jama, product manager at the Chicago-area toy company hand2mind.

A viral video of the dean at Francis W. Parker school talking about an optional LGBTQ sex ed class got Reset thinking about what makes good sex ed, and why LGBTQ focused sex education is so important. Reset hears from sex educators and LGBTQ organizers Luke Romesberg, director of the Youth Housing Program at the Center on Halsted, and Stephanie Skora, Chief Operating Officer of Brave Space Allianc...

As lawmakers meet to discuss gun control proposals in Springfield, the nation prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary that killed 27 people, many of them children. Reset talks with Sara Knizhnik, chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Earlier this year, Illinois educators began to roll out lessons on Asian American history to fulfill a new requirement in the state. Reset discusses the challenges of teaching traditionally underrepresented histories and how educators are working together to share a richer story of Asian Americans with Grace Pai, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago, and Laura Houcque Pr...

Reset checks in with the actor about his new film Corsicana, a fictionalized retelling of the story of Bass Reeves, a formerly enslaved man who became the first Black deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi.

What sets poet Sandra Cisneros apart is how she writes with biting honesty about her life. Reset learns about her latest book Woman Without Shame and how it illustrates how she’s found beauty in self-love, feminism and aging.

Five mayoral candidates face challenges that could remove them from the ballot. Chicago holds its largest citizenship ceremony on record. Faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago announce a potential strike date. A Chicago-based architect is awarded one of the highest honors in the profession. Meanwhile, details continue to be revealed about plans for Chicago’s casino. Reset goes behind th...

The Biden Administration announced her release as part of a prisoner exchange. The U.S released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Reset talks with sports reporters Cheryl Raye-Stoutand Annie Costabile, about Griner’s release and what impact her detention has had on WNBA players who routinely play in Russian basketball leagues in the offseason.

After the first installment of Reset’s series on Black mental health, listeners called in with stories of cultural competency in their mental health experience. Reset hears from Charles, a Black man and Oak Park Resident, who has had a positive experience with a therapist of another race.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a link between gun violence and abandoned homes. Researchers found that fully restored areas showed about a 13% decrease in gun assaults there. Reset discusses the findings with Kanoya Ali, housing coordinator at Chicago CRED that works individually with at-risk individuals to reduce gun violence through coaching, workforce...

Airline security can be notoriously challenging, especially around the holidays, but some airports are turning to facial recognition technologies to speed up the process. Reset learns more about the risks and benefits of this tech at the airport from Geoffrey Fowler, tech columnist for the Washington Post

Can a website designer refuse to work with same-sex couples even though the state has an anti-discrimination law? How much power should state courts have when it comes to federal elections? The Supreme Court will soon be weighing in. Reset gets a rundown on these issues and more and what it could mean for us with Steven Schwinn, professor at University of Illinois Chicago Law School.