In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

The respiratory illness RSV is straining pediatric hospitals across the country, with Advocate Children’s Hospital’s chief medical officer tweeting: “We are in a major crisis and we absolutely need all hands on deck for our children!!!” Reset checks in with Dr. Mia Taormina of Duly Health and Care about what signs to watch out for when it comes to RSV.

In an effort to expand bike transit to the South and West sides, the Chicago bike shop Working Bikes partnered with Divvy to train future bike mechanics. The program pays a weekly stipend and could lead to employment at Divvy. Reset speaks with the instructor for the program Xail Hernandez and one of the graduates, Eli Jackson.

Reset goes behind the biggest local headlines with Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times, Carrie Shepherd, lead producer of the podcast City Cast Chicago, and Alex Degman, statehouse reporter for WBEZ.

The latest jobs report out Friday shows the U.S. economy added 261,000 jobs in October. But can job growth stay strong as the Federal Reserve works to tamp down inflation? Reset checks in with Diane Swonk, chief economist at financial services firm KPMG.

Food waste emits methane as it breaks down, a process that contributes to global warming. Reset talks to Jonathan Pereira, executive director Plant Chicago and Amy DeLorenzo of the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition about composting pumpkins after Halloween to keep them out of landfills. Plus, we get some pumpkin cooking tips from Jordan Wimby, a food preservationist and cultural histori...

A patient at Northwestern Medicine’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is expected to go home this week after receiving the state’s first heart donated after circulatory death. Reset learns more from the institute’s Dr. Jane Wilcox about how this technology could help save countless lives.

For decades chemical relaxers have been central to the hair regimen of many Black women. Recently, court cases and ongoing studies have challenged that these same chemical relaxers are linked to cancer. Reset convenes a panel featuring Arionne Nettles, lecturer at Northwestern University; Mary Mitchell, Chicago Sun-Times columnist; and Dr. Maya Green, Chief Medical Officer at Howard Brown Health o...

Reset talks about recent reports of ring-wing campaign mailers disguised as newspapers with NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik and WBEZ politics reporter Dan Mihalopoulos. Then Reset learns about the importance of media literacy with Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director of National Association for Media Literacy Education, and Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise at the Poynter Instit...

The recent attack of Paul Pelosi has once again put a spotlight on rising political violence in the U.S. It’s just one of many examples of threats and attacks, particularly by far-right groups, that have occurred in the wake of Donald Trump’s former presidency. Reset speaks with historian Kathleen Belew about why we’re seeing this rise and violence and how it might affect the election just one wee...

If you’re not going to fight for your community, then who is? Residents of the Southeast Side came together when a car-shredding facility planned to move its factory to their neighborhood. But with General Iron behind them, what’s left to do in the fight for clean air and water on the Southeast Side? Reset talks to two local residents: Gina Ramirez, Midwest outreach manager for the Natural Resourc...

One community-based project will get $10 million from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation for the best plan to improve the lives of residents on the South or West Side of Chicago through economic development projects. Reset speaks with Theodore Joseph of the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative; Ayesha Jaco with West Side United; and Kemena Brooks with Community Builders, to learn about their...

The Supreme Court heard two cases that could determine whether colleges and universities are allowed to consider race as one of many factors in the admissions process. Reset discusses what we learned from Monday’s oral arguments with Steven Schwinn, professor of law at University of Illinois Chicago Law School and co-editor of Constitutional Law Prof Blog. Then Reset learns what local college stud...

A good Samaritan’s work is currently at risk of being undone by the city and some neighbors. Andy Robledo has been supplying Chicago’s homeless with high-quality tents for about a year to brace for colder weather. But now some of those tents face removal by the city. Reset finds out more about Robledo’s efforts and what the city’s “sweeps” of tents and encampments could mean for Chicago’s unhoused...

Kevin Morby latest album, This Is A Photograph, explores anxiety, love, and even mortality. Morby sat down with Reset to discuss his musical influences, his latest tour, and his midwestern roots.

Weapon modifications like switches and extended magazines are making guns deadlier. Reset hears from Chicago Sun-Times reporters Stephanie Zimmerman and Frank Main to find out where this hardware is coming from and how it's affecting violent crime.

Candidates up and down the ballot are making their final pitches to voters ahead of the midterms, reported hate crimes are up in Chicago, and more local workers are unionizing as inflation puts the squeeze on Americans. Reset goes behind the headlines with its panel guests: Kimberley Egonmwan, commentator for WVON and attorney, Dave McKinney, WBEZ state politics reporter, Paris Schutz, reporter an...

Chicago is known for its architecture boat tours. Some companies run a haunted version, which is a treat, not a trick. Reset sets sail on one such tour and talks with Patrick Croft and Jake Thomas, haunted boat tour guides with Seadog River Tours.

Sports journalist and cultural commentator Jemele Hill’s new memoir Uphill is a thought-provoking, humorous and inspiring account of her rise to becoming an influential sports journalist and media iconoclast. Reset learns from Hill about growing up in Detroit, being a Black woman in sports media and how she found her voice as a writer and cultural critic.

From plants and critters dying to the passing of our loved ones, death and decay is all around us, and one Chicago professor argues there’s beauty in it. Reset talks with Liam Heneghan, DePaul professor of Environmental Science and Studies, about how we benefit from death and decay.

From Resurrection Mary to the Candyman, there is no shortage of urban legends and ghost stories in Chicago. What is behind all this local mythology and lore? Author and historian Adam Selzer joins Reset to dig into what goes bump in the night in Chicago.

Tinikling is a traditional Filipino dance that involves bamboo sticks, a lot of jumping and a bit of danger. But for many Filipinos, it’s more than just a dance. Reset talks with Ginger Leopoldo, executive director of Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts-Pintig, or CIRCA-Pintig. We also hear from dancers Neil Lagatao and Ysabel Claudio, students at Loyola University and members of KAP...

The Whole Foods on 63rd and Halsted is the largest grocery store in Englewood, but it’s closing for good on November 13. Reset talks with Cecile De Mello, executive director Teamwork Englewood, Asiaha Butler, executive director of R.A.G.E Englewood, Sana Syed, senior director of strategic initiatives with the Inner-City Muslim Action Network and Go Green On Racine, Ezra Lee, farm manager for Growi...

The Pritzker Traubert Foundation is set to invest $10 million dollars into a single community-driven initiative aimed at bettering the lives of residents on the South or West Side of Chicago. Reset sits down with Abraham Lacy and Florence Hardy of the Far South Community Development Corporation, one of the finalists for the prize.

Neighborhoods across Chicago are hiring private security firms to combat crime. Reset talks with Ald. Sophia King, 4th Ward, about why she’s bringing the idea to Bronzeville. Then, researchers Macro Fabbri from the University of Bologna and Will Pelfrey from Virginia Commonwealth University explain what research tells about the effectiveness of private security patrols.

You likely know Joe Trohman best for his role as the guitarist and founder of Chicago band Fall Out Boy. But his new autobiography, None of This Rocks, reveals much more about the artist and his relationships, as he tells Reset.