In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Hazel M. Johnson founded People for Community Recovery to address tenant issues at Altgeld Gardens, including concerns about asbestos, lead contamination and high rates of cancer among residents. She died in 2011. In honor of Women’s History Month, Reset checks in with Johnson’s daughter, and current executive director of the People for Community Recovery, to hear more about her legacy and the wor...

In the latest round of economic sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil. The move comes as the country is already seeing record-high gas prices. GUEST: Ryan Kellogg, professor and deputy dean for academic studies at the UChicago Harris School of Public Policy, Molly Hart, AAA spokesperson

It has taken more than 100 years and 200 tries for congress to pass a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime. But, on Monday, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed the Senate unanimously. We heard from Reverend Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s cousin, and Alvin Tillery, an associate professor at Northwestern University, about why this bill took a century to pass and what it means for ra...

From Issa Rae to Jonelle Monae and from Stacey Abrams to Kamala Harris, there is no shortage of the amazing Black women who shape, inspire and change us. In honor of them, Chicago artist Harold Green III aims to honor and celebrate trailblazing Black women through art and poetry in his upcoming book Black Roses. Guest: Harold Green III, author

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan faces federal racketeering charges. Plus, Illinois and Chicago lift their mask and vaccine mandates as the state’s public health director announces she’s stepping down. Reset goes behind the headlines on the Weekly News Recap. GUEST: Rachel Hinton, Better Government Association reporter, Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune state government reporter

Reset talks to the retired DEA special agents who took down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in the early 1990s. Javier Peña and Steve Murphy served as consultants on the first two seasons of the Netflix series Narcos, which follows Ecobar’s rise to power as head of the Medellin Cartel. They’re scheduled to speak Friday at City Winery. GUEST: Javier Peña, retired special DEA agent, Steve Murphy,...

In his first State of the Union address Tuesday, President Joe Biden addressed the Ukraine crisis and tackled a wide range of issues affecting Americans, including inflation and childcare. Reset checks in with a Democratic speechwriter for the biggest takeaways and possible missed opportunities. GUEST: Jason DeSanto, senior lecturer in the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law; Democratic...

All throughout the pandemic, we’ve heard countless facts and figures about the toll COVID-19 has taken on our world. But what often gets lost in the data are the people we’ve lost and the loved ones who are left grieving. Reset hears from two women who lost their husbands to the virus, and what they want people to understand about their grief. Guest: Dr. Sandra McGowan, physician at McGowan Family...

Ukrainian-Americans in Chicago speak out as Russian troops continue to attack their home country. Reset hears from two Ukrainian-Americans in Chicago. Guest: Dan (Ihor) Diaczun, president of the UCCA - IL, Maria Bandrwisky, grad student in Chicago

Chicagoans are reacting to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and prepare for the lifting of mask and vaccine mandates. Guests: Kimberley Egonmwan, commentator for WVON and attorney Paris Schutz, reporter and anchor, WTTW-TV

Illinois plans to lift mask and vaccine card requirements by Feb. 28, and Chicago and Cook County will follow suit. Reset discusses how restaurant owners and workers feel about the change. GUEST: Sam Toia, President & CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association. Robert Gomez, owner of Beat Kitchen and Subterranean

President Biden says Russia has officially begun its invasion of Ukraine. Reset checks in with Congressman Mike Quigley about what the escalating conflict means for Ukrainians and the NATO alliance, and how new sanctions against Russia might be felt in Chicago. GUEST: Rep. Mike Quigley, IL D-Chicago

WTTW’s FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION docuseries puts a human face on the impact racial divisions have on individuals across the city through 15 personal stories. Reset speaks with the executive producer and director of the docuseries to learn more. GUEST: Dan Protess, Executive Producer, Teresa White, José Rico, Executive Director, Nan Parson of Action Ridge

A special immersive concert at the Symphony Center this weekend will pay tribute to important moments and figures in Black history. Saturday’s Freedom, Justice and Hope performance will feature award-winning jazz musician Wynton Marsalis with the Jazz at Lincoln Center and Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson as a special guest. Reset learns more about the event and how the arts have s...

Illinois’ gubernatorial race heats up and a member of the Daley dynasty is convicted of tax fraud. Reset goes behind the headlines on the Weekly News Recap.

For some, the news that Illinois will be lifting mask and vaccine card mandates by the end of the month is a relief — a sign that the worst part of the omicron surge is behind us. But for immunocompromised people, that’s not the case. Reset talks to infectious disease specialist Dr. Emily Landon and Atlantic staff writer Ed Yong, who wrote about this issue in the magazine. Plus, we hear from immun...

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is celebrating 100 years of helping Chicagoans understand what’s happening in the world and Chicago’s place in it. Reset gets the latest on the Ukrainian crisis and discusses whether diplomacy is still an option to avoid war. GUEST: Ivo Daalder, President, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

The steel mill owner Cleveland-Cliffs has agreed to pay $3 million to settle lawsuits by government and non-profit organizations. The company is accused of violating the Clean Water Act more than 100 times, including a cyanide and ammonia spill in August 2019 that killed thousands of fish and closed Lake Michigan beaches. Reset checks in with one of the environmental groups behind the lawsuit for...

A group of youth organizers in Chicago is calling on state lawmakers to pass legislation that would restore voting rights to people in Illinois prisons. Reset checks in with the nonprofit Chicago Votes for more on SB 828 and what residents can do to get involved. GUESTS: Frederique Desrosier, policy associate at Chicago Votes Katrina Pfidd, communications and digital strategy manager at Chicago Vo...

Sasha Ann Simons, Block Club Chicago reporter Kelly Bauer, and NBC 5 Chicago reporter Christian Farr go behind the week’s headlines in WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap. Guests: Christian Farr, NBC-5 Chicago reporter Kelly Bauer, breaking news editor Block Club Chicago

Declining birth rates and the outmigration of Black families away from Chicago are leading to a decline in the number of school-age children across the city, according to a study by a local education advocacy group. This trend can be found in cities across the country and has real implications for the revenue CPS receives as well as the quality of resources available to students. Reset checks in w...

A viral tweet from journalist Vikkie Walker sparked a nationwide conversation about pay transparency after she posted her salary so anyone applying to her old job would know how to negotiate pay. So, why are we so secretive about salaries? And what’s at stake when we keep that information to ourselves? Guests: Victoria Walker, journalist Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at employment consu...

A downstate judge has overruled Illinois’ mask mandate in schools. Reset hears from parents on both sides of the masking divide and gets an update from a Springfield reporter about how the Governor plans to appeal.

Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger was one of just 10 House GOP members who voted to impeach President Trump after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. And he’s one of just two Republicans on the House Committee investigating that attack. What’s his political future?

Reset gets you up to speed with all of it during our Weekly News Recap with WBEZ’s Dave McKinney and Alex Nitkin from The Daily Line.