Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons
1,680 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 months ago - ★★★★★ - 67 ratingsWBEZ's daily talk show brings listeners the news and conversations that matter most to their day-to-day lives.
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Episodes
Chicago Needs More Third Spaces For Teens
April 17, 2023 21:30 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBA large gathering in the Loop over the weekend turned violent, leaving two teenagers shot and more than a dozen people arrested. Reset checks in with Kara Crutcher from Good Kids Mad City to hear how city officials are responding, and what solutions are on the table to prevent further violence among young people.
There’s Still A Lot We Don’t Know About Ozempic
April 17, 2023 19:42 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBSome are hailing the diabetes medication Ozempic as a miracle drug, while others claim its weight loss side effects perpetuate disordered eating. And as the drug continues to make headlines, it’s becoming harder to access for people who need it to manage their diabetes. Reset talked to Dr. Disha Narang, an endocrinologist at Northwestern Medicine, and Dr. Kim Dennis, a psychiatrist at SunCloud Health, to discuss the mental, physical and ethical implications of Ozempic.
Illinois Schools Are Getting Fake Calls About Active Shooters During SATs
April 17, 2023 11:05 - 10 minutes - 9.61 MBResponders have not identified actual threats as a result of these fake active shooter reports. But Illinois State Police say these so-called “swatting” incidents are targeting schools throughout the U.S. Reset digs into why these threats are happening and how schools are responding with Sophie Sherry, Chicago Sun-Times reporter.
Angel Bat Dawid’s Funeral for Jazz
April 15, 2023 11:15 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBThe Chicago musician Angel Bat Dawid draws parallels between Mozart and the ’60s documentary “The Cry of Jazz” in her latest album, Requiem for Jazz. Angel joins Reset to talk about the new album, her hopes for future Black musicians, and her early days learning the clarinet.
WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: April 14, 2023
April 14, 2023 21:30 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBChicago gets the DNC, staff at local universities continue to strike, and workers at the Museum of Science and Industry vote to unionize. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with Alice Yin, politics reporter for the Chicago Tribune, David Greising, president and CEO of Better Government Association, and Dave McKinney, WBEZ state politics reporter.
New Book ‘Made In Chicago’ Is By Foodies, For Foodies
April 14, 2023 21:30 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBThe city is a food writer’s delicious playground, and a new guide book aims to point you to all the best dishes created in the city. Reset learns about the origin stories that started them all with Monica Eng, author of Made in Chicago and Chicago reporter for AXIOS and David Hammond, author of Made in Chicago and Chicago food writer
The Search Is On For A New CPD Superintendent
April 14, 2023 11:05 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBChicago residents weighed in on what they want in the city’s next police chief at a town hall meeting Tuesday night. The next meeting is set for April 19 at St. Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham on the South Side. Reset hears from leaders of Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, Anthony Driver and Remel Terry, about the progress in their search.
Five Tracks You Need On Your Playlist This April
April 13, 2023 21:30 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MBVocalo’s Stephen Bekoe stops by Reset to share the top five tracks he’s spinning this month.
How To Love New Clothes And The Planet
April 13, 2023 21:30 - 31 minutes - 29 MBFast fashion stresses water supply, leaches chemicals into the environment and requires diesel and gasoline to transport the goods. Reset learns about the problem with Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility. Sasha-Ann Simons also sits down with fiber artist and teacher Kristine Brandel, and Katherine Bissell Cordova, executive director of Chicago Fair Trade, about how to reuse clothes in creative ways to keep them from h...
Future Of Mifepristone And Abortion Access In Illinois
April 13, 2023 11:05 - 30 minutes - 28 MBU.S. district court judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled a ban on the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of medical abortion pill mifepristone. Since then, the Biden administration has urged the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to keep the drug available to Americans as litigation continues. Reset breaks down what’s happening nationwide and locally with Lee Hasselbacher, director of the University of Chicago’s Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Healt...
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s Public Safety Promises And Challenges
April 12, 2023 21:30 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBReset digs into the five ways Mayor Elect Brandon Johnson plans to improve public safety in Chicago with WBEZ criminal justice reporters Chip Mitchell and Patrick Smith.
How The Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Planned For Illinois Would Work
April 12, 2023 21:30 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBThanks to its unique geology, companies are eyeing Illinois to be the terminus of carbon dioxide pipelines that send liquid CO2 long distances to be stored deep underground so the gas does not need to be released into the atmosphere. Reset talks to Chicago Tribune reporter Nara Schoenberg about how the technology works and what people from downstate Illinois have to say about the greenhouse gas being stored in Illinois sandstone.
You Don’t Have To Be Rich To Collect Art
April 12, 2023 11:05 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBDo you have to be wealthy and knowledgeable about everything there is to know about art to be a collector? Not according to Chicago artist Patric McCoy. In our Chicago Innovator series, we get to know the people shaking up the city. In this installment, Reset talked to McCoy about his journey to embracing the term “art collector,” and about his new exhibit, which chronicles Black gay culture in the 80s.
How Do You Support Your Fave Artists When Streaming Doesn’t?
April 11, 2023 21:30 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBIndependent artists have it harder than ever and big streaming platforms pay less than a penny per listen. So how can you give back to the person behind that song you have on repeat? Reset learns more about finding new artists and supporting them outside of the streaming platforms. We spoke to Sen Morimoto, musician and co-owner of Sooper Records, Shane Bradley, AKA DJ Moonlanding, Marketing Director at Audiotree Music, and Stephen Bekoe, a host at our sister station Vocalo.
Why Does It Take Four Years For a Murder Case To Go To Trial?
April 11, 2023 21:30 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBAn investigation from the Chicago Tribune shows how a cascade of failures within the Cook County criminal justice system leads most murder cases to take four years to go to trial, with some lasting up to or more than a decade. Reset talks with journalists Megan Crepau and Joe Mahr, who reported “Stalled Justice,” and with Shapearl Wells, a Chicago woman who’s still seeking justice in her son’s death.
How A Little ‘Cultural Competency’ Could Improve Your Next Doctor’s Visit
April 11, 2023 11:05 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBThere are a lot of long-standing disparities in healthcare, from unequal allocation of resources to a lack of diverse representation of providers. Reset spoke to Neelam Dhadankar, a healthcare policy analyst at Access Living, and Myles Brady Davis, the communications director at Equality Illinois, about how mandated cultural competency courses for medical professionals could solve some of these inequities.
Here’s Why Public Universities Are Striking In Illinois
April 10, 2023 21:00 - 17 minutes - 8.04 MBPublic university professors across Illinois are fed up, with faculty from Chicago State University and Eastern Illinois University already on strike, and staff at Governor’s State University set to strike on Tuesday. Reset learns more about what’s driving faculty at public universities in Illinois and across the country to hit the picket line. Reset checks in with WBEZ higher education reporter Lisa Philip and Valerie Goss, CSU faculty union president.
For Your Health, Go Hug Your Dog
April 10, 2023 21:00 - 15 minutes - 7.27 MBBecause science says so! In honor of National Hug Your Dog Day, Reset sits down with Mark Lukas, a volunteer at PAWS, and his own pup, to find out more about the bond between dog and man.
A Conversation With Chicago’s New City Council Members
April 10, 2023 11:05 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBChicago’s new City Council will be more progressive, more diverse and younger than it’s been in years past when new members are sworn in May 15. Reset sits down with 11th Ward Ald. Nicole Lee and 46th Ward Ald. Angela Clay to discuss the importance of representation at City Hall, their top priorities when they take office and their plans for working with mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.
Chicago Innovators: Black-Owned Beauty And Hair Care Brands In The City
April 08, 2023 11:05 - 17 minutes - 16 MBReset talks to Simone and Jory Luster of Luster Products, one of the biggest Black-owned hair care manufacturers in the world. We also talk to Leslie Roberson, CEO and founder of the Black Beauty Collective, a new black-owned beauty supplier in Hyde Park.
WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: April 7, 2023
April 07, 2023 21:30 - 45 minutes - 20.8 MBChicago gets a new mayor. The trial of ComEd lobbyists continues. Two firefighters die in the line of duty within two days. Protesters postpone the opening of an Englewood grocery store. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Kesling, Block Club Chicago investigative editor and reporter Mick Dumke and WBEZ data projects editor Alden Loury.
What's That Building? Lutheran And McCormick Schools Of Theology
April 07, 2023 21:30 - 11 minutes - 11 MBThe Lutheran School of Theology has been a modernist mainstay in Hyde Park since 1967. Now the school along with its neighbor, McCormick Theological Seminary, has been purchased by the University of Chicago. Reset talks to architecture sleuth Dennis Rodkin to learn about the history of the buildings and how they’ll be incorporated into the UChicago campus.
A New Book Weaves The Narratives Of Two Chicago Bosses
April 07, 2023 11:05 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBDavid Barksdale and Mayor Richard J. Daley are names you might not put together. But scholar Lance Williams does just that in his new book, King David and Boss Daley: The Black Disciples, Mayor Daley and Chicago on the Edge. Williams argues that amid urban renewal in the city two men ruled their respective Black and Irish neighborhoods with an iron fist. Reset talks to Lance Williams to learn the story.
Meet Chicago’s own ‘Estate Sale Goddess’
April 06, 2023 21:30 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBWhen the owners of a local vintage and antique store opened shop in 2009, they weren’t expecting people to also come to them with questions about estate liquidation. That’s when their store morphed into the Estate Sale Goddess. Reset chats with Lynn and Ty McDaniel to learn more about what it takes to run their business and what people need to know about navigating estate sales.
Chicago Has A Residential Fire Problem
April 06, 2023 21:30 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBTwo Chicago firefighters died in the line of duty this week battling housefires. Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt called the back-to-back losses “unprecedented.” The tragedy has some Chicagoans wondering how the city could prevent residential fires before they happen. Reset talked to David Greising from the Better Government Associations about solutions to this overlooked public safety issue.
Roy Wood Jr. On ‘The Daily Show’ And White House Correspondents Dinner
April 06, 2023 11:05 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBAfter seven years as a correspondent for The Daily Show, Roy Wood Jr. will now get behind the desk as a guest host this week. Wood will also be venturing into new territory as the emcee of the White House Correspondents Dinner at the end of April. Reset speaks with the entertainer about these two big gigs, and how fatherhood has changed his outlook on his life career.
Brandon Johnson Is The New Mayor Of Chicago
April 05, 2023 21:30 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBThe results are in and Chicago voters have chosen Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson as the next mayor of the city. Reset dives into the results with a panel of experts including Jaime Dominguez, professor Northwestern University; Connie Mixon, professor of political science and director of the urban studies program at Elmhurst University; and political strategist Delmarie Cobb.
Brandon Johnson Reflects On His Victory And What Lies Ahead As Chicago’s New Mayor
April 05, 2023 21:30 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBReset speaks to mayor elect Brandon Johnson about his victory and his initial plans as the new mayor of Chicago.
University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute Starts A New Chapter
April 05, 2023 11:05 - 15 minutes - 14 MBThe University of Chicago founded the Oriental Institute in 1919 to be on the cutting edge of research into ancient West Asia and North Africa. More than 100 years later, the institution was in need of an update. Reset learns all about the changes with Marc Maillot, associate director and chief curator at newly-rebranded Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum at the University of Chicago.
The Untold Story Of The Week After MLK’s Death
April 04, 2023 21:30 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBToday marks 55 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., who was killed during Holy Week (the time between Palm Sunday and Easter). Reset talks to Vann Newkirk, host of The Atlantic’s new podcast “Holy Week,” which explores the week following King’s assassination, and how it set the stage for today’s fight over voting rights, redlining and critical race theory.
Abortion Access Is On The Ballot In Wisconsin
April 04, 2023 21:30 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBHow did one state Supreme Court race become possibly the most consequential election of 2023? Reset learns what the state race could mean for abortion access in Wisconsin, and how this will impact services provided in Illinois. Reset checks in with Molly Beck from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Brigid Leahy, vice president of public policy for Planned Parenthood Illinois Action.
How The Lenard Clark Case Changed Chicago Forever
April 04, 2023 11:05 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBIn 1997, thirteen-year-old Lenard Clark was brutally beaten by three white teenagers in Bridgeport for being Black in a white neighborhood. A new podcast by Yohance Lacour, who covered the incident and its aftermath as a young journalist, revisits the story decades later in “You Didn’t See Nothin.” Reset spoke with Lacour to learn more about the new series.
What Do Violence Prevention Workers Want To See From Chicago’s Next Mayor?
April 03, 2023 21:30 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBAfter a spike of shootings in 2016, Chicago stepped up its violence prevention efforts. Reset sat down with some of the leaders of this endeavor to learn what’s changed in the eight years since the movement began. We talked to Dominique McCord from Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, Teny Gross from the Institute for Nonviolence, Chris Patterson from Illinois’ Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, and Kanoya Ali from Chicago CRED.
New Docuseries Immortalizes Raucous Comiskey Park
April 03, 2023 20:40 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBA new three-part documentary tells the story of the last season the White Sox played at the original Comiskey Park before it was demolished in the early ’90s. Reset learned a piece of Chicago baseball history from Matt Flesch, the producer and director of the docuseries “Last Comiskey.”
Could Better PR Build Trust Between Chicagoans And CPD?
April 03, 2023 11:05 - 10 minutes - 9.61 MBDo you know what a police officer does on a day-to-day basis? It’s not something Chicago’s Police Department grants public access to, and it’s what Chicago’s new Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability leader Anthony Driver says has led to a lack of empathy and understanding between the community and police. Reset spoke with WBEZ reporter Patrick Smith to learn more.
WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: March 31, 2023
March 31, 2023 21:30 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBSeveral recent polls show a tight race between Chicago mayoral runoff candidates Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas. City Council members are pushing to have more independence from the next mayor. Plus, the Fed’s star witness takes the stand in the ComEd bribery trial. Reset breaks down these top local stories and more in the Weekly News Recap with Kim Bellware, national and breaking news reporter for The Washington Post, John Fountain, journalism professor at Roosevelt University and Heather C...
Michael League On His Jazz Ensemble Snarky Puppy
March 31, 2023 21:30 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBThis year the jazz fusion ensemble Snarky Puppy won their fifth Grammy. Michael League, founder and bandleader, joins Reset to chat about the band's beginnings, his label GroundUP Music and how sounds from around the world influence his work. You can catch Snarky Puppy this evening at the Riviera Theatre this evening.
MAYORAL FORUM Paul Vallas And Brandon Johnson Debate One Last Time Before April 4 Runoff
March 31, 2023 18:07 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBOn March 30, Reset’s Sasha-Ann Simons sat down with mayoral hopefuls Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson for their last forum before the April 4 runoff.
Ed Yong Takes Us To A New Dimension
March 31, 2023 11:05 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBIn his latest book, An Immense World, science writer Ed Yong takes a break from his tireless pandemic reporting for The Atlantic to invite readers inside the wondrous and innumerable different ways animals perceive the world around them — from bees and songbirds to scallops and crocodiles. Reset talked to the award-winning writer to learn more about the book and some of his favorite quirky wildlife.
Sneezens Greetings! Climate Change Hates You.
March 30, 2023 21:30 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBSpring this year in Chicago means flowers blooming, pollen galore and (because of that pollen) what’s shaping up to be one of the worst allergy seasons in recent history. Reset spoke to allergist Dr. Baiju Malde from Northwestern about how to muscle through an epic sneezing season. We also learned how climate change plays a hand.
Proposed Bill Would Allow Patients To Sue Pregnancy Crisis Centers
March 30, 2023 21:30 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBThere are nearly 100 crisis pregnancy centers in Illinois, but many of them do not provide abortion care, medication or contraceptives. A proposed bill would allow people to sue the centers for deception, misrepresentation of facts and interfering access to abortions. Reset discussed the proposed legislation with WBEZ reporter Mawa Iqbal and Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund.
A Plea For No More ‘Us Vs. Them’ In Chicago
March 30, 2023 11:05 - 15 minutes - 12.2 MBThe Chicago Sun-Times editorial board says that “us vs. them” thinking in economic development needs to become a thing of the past and that lifting up neglected neighborhoods in the city can benefit Chicago as a whole. Reset talks with editorial board member and architecture critic Lee Bey.
What A Deadly Fire In Mexico Tells Us About Migrants In Chicago
March 29, 2023 21:30 - 17 minutes - 16 MBAfter at least 38 migrants died in a fire in an immigration detention facility near the U.S.-Mexico border, Reset shares the latest on migrants and asylum seekers making their way to the U.S. with Gladis Molina Alt, executive director of Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and Nicole Hallett, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School.
What Happens Next To TikTok?
March 29, 2023 21:30 - 13 minutes - 6.23 MBMembers of Congress questioned TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about the safety and security of the app and expressed their concern that China would access information about Americans through the app. Reset digs into the latest on the hearings and the fate of the video-sharing app with Washington Post tech writer Shira Ovide.
Chicago Innovator: Building Community With ‘Queers On The Rocks’
March 29, 2023 11:05 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBThe Chicago-based group Queers on the Rocks is building a community of LGBTQ climbers and promoting representation of queer athletes. Reset talked to group organizers Danya Rosen and Daniel Bedoya.
How Do You Lead A School Through A Mass Shooting?
March 28, 2023 21:30 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBThe Covenant School in Nashville is the latest school to be targeted by a mass shooter. What do schools in Illinois do to prepare for a school shooting? And what runs through the minds of educators when they hear about Sandy Hook, Uvalde and now Nashville? Reset spoke to two local education advocates for their perspective: Katherine Buitron-Vera, former school safety consultant and volunteer with March Fourth, and Nate Pietrini, executive director at High Jump and former principal at Hawthorn...
Highland Park Survivor Speaks Out After Nashville School Shooting
March 28, 2023 21:30 - 20 minutes - 18.3 MBYesterday a 28-year-old shooter killed three 9-year-old children and three staff members — all in their 60s — at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. In a twist of fate, Ashbey Beasley, a survivor of the Highland Park shooting, was in the area during the attack. Reset checks in with Beasley about Monday’s tragic events and her push for gun reform in Washington.
How Mayoral Candidates Johnson And Vallas Grew Up
March 28, 2023 11:05 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBhat were the mayoral hopefuls like as kids? Teens? Young adults? Brandon Johnson is the son of a pastor and one of 10 kids in a family who lived in Elgin. Paul Vallas, the second of four kids, started life in Roseland and as a teen moved to suburban Alsip. Reset heard from WBEZ reporters Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg to learn more about the candidates’ backstories.
Masks Off: Chicago Hospital Group Among First To Drop Mandate
March 27, 2023 21:30 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBAll Advocate Health Care locations in the Chicago area are dropping mask requirements and easing visitor limits starting Monday. The policy changes at the health care system will affect patients and care teams at locations in Chicago, the suburbs and Northwest Indiana. Reset hears the details of Advocate’s plans from Chicago Sun-Times reporter David Struett and checked in with University of Chicago infectious disease specialist Dr. Emily Landon.
The Director Of Chicago Shakespeare Theater Takes A Bow
March 27, 2023 21:30 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBBarbara Gaines has directed more than 60 productions since founding the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 1986. We talked to the artistic director ahead of her final production of "The Comedy of Errors," which runs through April 23.