In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Harold Washington died months into his second term as Chicago’s first Black mayor but he left an impact people can still see in the city today. Reset hears about a new exhibit at the Harold Washington Library celebrating his contributions to Chicago. You can learn more about Harold Washington’s time in politics and relevance today At the Table with Laura Washington & Lynn Sweet virtual event, Apri...

Comedian Negin Farsad is coming to town to showcase her new stand-up show, Negin Farsad Presents: An Evening of Comedy From Her Mouth Hole. Reset chats with her about creating art in quarantine, hosting a podcast and mixing politics with humor. GUEST: Negin Farsad, comedian

Maternal deaths rose during the first year of the pandemic by 14 percent, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics. But the mortality rate of Black women was nearly three times that of white women. For Black Maternal Health Week, Reset learns more about the health disparities Black women are more likely to face during and after pregnancy and local efforts to reduce...

Illinois Democrats have approved a balanced budget plan for 2023 that includes $1.8 billion in tax cuts and direct inflation payments for thousands of residents across the state. Reset checks in with two reporters for the latest in Springfield. GUESTS: Dave McKinney, WBEZ state politics reporter Hannah Meisel, NPR Illinois government and politics editor

Lawmakers looking to get tough on crime and give back money to taxpayers before wrapping up the spring legislative session. South Side Alderman Ray Lopez becomes the first candidate to challenge Mayor Lightfoot, while the Mayor’s gas giveaway proposal stalls in City Council. Reset goes behind the headlines on the Weekly News Recap. GUESTS: Paris Schutz, reporter and anchor, WTTW-TV John Chase, Dep...

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it’s again extending the moratorium on federal student loan payments until Aug. 31. The U.S. Department of Education also plans on resetting the accounts of seven million borrowers who are in default. Reset learns more about how these repeated extensions are affecting borrowers and what else could be done to address the $1.6 trillion Americans owe in st...

In his new book The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER, Dr. Thomas Fisher takes us back to the early, scary days of the pandemic, when almost everything was unknown and a violent summer ensued. Reset talks with the doctor about his experience and how the pandemic exposed racial inequalities in the healthcare system. GUEST: Dr. Thomas Fisher, emergency medicine physician, U...

Crowds are returning to airports for spring break travel, but will high fuel prices impact airfares? And is it time to drop the COVID travel restrictions? Reset hears from two travel industry experts. GUESTS: Elaine Glusac, Frugal Traveler columnist for the New York Times Joseph Schwieterman, Director of DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development

Psychedelics are largely illegal throughout Illinois but ketamine is available for therapies. Reset hears from the sponsor of a bill seeking to decriminalize plant-based psychedelics, and from a Chicago group about the psychedelic therapies they offer. GUEST: Representative La Shawn K. Ford - D, 8th District of Illinois, Judy Seals, nurse practitioner at Field Trip Health Center in Chicago

Mayor Lightfoot reignites a monumental debate, announcing the statue of Christopher Columbus statue may return to Grant Park. Meanwhile, Democrats eye Chicago as a potential host city for the 2024 convention. Reset talks with WVON commentator and attorney Kimberley Egonmwan and Chicago Sun-Times chief political reporter Tina Sfondeles about the Chicago area’s biggest stories of the week. GUEST: Ti...

Gov. JB Pritzker is pledging new resources to help fight the opioid epidemic in Illinois. Reset takes a closer look at the state’s plans and talks to two advocates working on the ground on the West Side of Chicago. GUEST: David Jones, Illinois’ new chief behavioral health officer, Luther Syas, director of outreach at the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, Gail Richardson, outreach specialist at t...

In July of 2020, city crews quietly and quickly removed the Christopher Columbus statue from Grant Park after protesters tried to pull it down themselves. Now, she says the statue may be returning to its pedestal. Reset talks to Northwestern University art professor Rebecca Zorach about how statues can help frame our understanding of history, and what should be done about monuments that are deemed...

Chicago’s City Council unanimously confirmed Nicole Lee as the new alderman of the 11th Ward at its Monday meeting. Reset gets an update on this and more from WBEZ reporters Becky Vevea and Mariah Woelfel. Guests: Becky Vevea, WBEZ political reporter, Mariah Woelfel, WBEZ reporter city government reporter Producer: Brenda Ruiz, Andrew Meriwether
Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Hollywood wrapped its biggest night of the year with a bang, with plenty of surprises, laughs and drama. From CODA winning Best Picture to the slap heard around the world, Reset recaps the highs and lows of the 94th Academy Awards with two film critics and a movie superfan. GUESTS: Michael Phillips, film critic at the Chicago Tribune Brandon Weiss, Music Box Theatre concessions Robert Daniels, fre...

City Council enters a new era of electronic voting and area drivers line up for a mayoral candidate’s free gas. Get all the news of the week in a half hour on the Weekly News Recap. GUEST: Amanda Vinicky, WTTW political correspondent Alex Nitkin, city hall reporter, The Daily Line

With a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country— the majority of which target trans people — 2022 is being called “the worst year for LGBTQ and trans people.” Reset talks through the recent deaths of two Chicago trans women and the violence their community faces on a regular basis. GUEST: Iggy V Ladden (they/them), licensed therapist, Founder of Chicago Therapy Collective As...

Since the start of the pandemic, the national coalition Stop AAPI Hate has tracked over 10,000 incidents of verbal harassment and physical assault against Asian people nationwide. Reset discusses the problem and solutions with Josina Morita, commissioner of the Illinois Asian American Caucus, and Grace Pai, executive director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago.

It’s been two years since Gov. JB Pritzker declared a statewide stay-at-home order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois. Since then, the pandemic has taken many twists and turns and has shaped our lives in countless ways. Reset reflects on the lessons we’ve learned and what we want to take us with moving forward. GUEST: Jonathan Malesic [ma-LESS-ik], author of The End of Burnout: Why Work...

The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson kick off Monday. Her nomination is being praised by Democrats and condemned by the GOP. Reset previews what to expect from the hearings for President Biden’s pick. GUEST: Steven Schwinn, Professor of Law, University of Illinois Chicago Law School; Co-Editor, Constitutional Law Prof Blog

Crime and policing dominated the local news cycle this week. The mayor’s vaccine deadline for Chicago Police came and went, and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx declined to press charges against the officers who shot and killed Adam Toledo and Anthony Alvarez last March. Plus, the city’s ward remapping may end up in the hands of the people. And former mayoral candidate Willie Wilson gives gas...

Illinois’ senior senator will have a front row seat to history being made, as Judge Jackson could soon be the nation’s first Black female Supreme Court Justice. But the Republican National Committee has called Jackson a radical, left wing activist. How will Sen. Durbin keep the hearings from turning into a bitter partisan process? The senator also shares his concerns over what’s next in Ukraine, a...

Reset checks in with a police accountability expert following State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s decision not to file criminal charges against the officers who shot and killed 13 year-old Adam Toledo and 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez. GUEST: Craig Futterman, Clinical Professor at University of Chicago Law School; founder of Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project of the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law, which would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools. And now, similar measures are being introduced in at least seven other states. Reset uncovers the effects these restrictions could have on queer youth across the U.S. GUESTS: LaSaia Wade, founder and CEO of Bra...

Russia attacked a military base just outside Lviv, Ukraine, near the Polish border this weekend, killing at least 35 people. Reset checks in with freelance journalist Julian Hayda, who’s reporting on the ground in Lviv, about the aftermath of that attack and the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. Guest: Julian Hayda, freelance journalist, 3rd generation Ukrainian-American, former WBEZ prod...

Chicago schools remove its mask mandate. Mike Madigan pleads not guilty. Plus, actor Jussie Smollett is sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation. Reset goes behind the week’s headlines on the Weekly News Recap with Crain’s Chicago Business government and politics reporter A.D. Quig and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Nader Issa. GUEST: Nader Issa [NAY-der EE-suh], Chicago Sun-Times repo...