Claim OwnershipReset with Sasha-Ann Simons
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WBEZ's Reset brings context to the latest Chicago-area news with experts, journalists and newsmakers.
Want to be a connected Chicagoan in the know? Subscribe to this podcast!
You can email the team behind Reset at reset@wbez.org. Or leave us a voicemail at 888-915-9945.
Want to be a connected Chicagoan in the know? Subscribe to this podcast!
You can email the team behind Reset at reset@wbez.org. Or leave us a voicemail at 888-915-9945.
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As the summer winds down, we wanted to share some highlights of conversations we’ve had on Reset over the last few months. From our immigration series to conversations with music legends to sitting down with Sasha's mom, we’re looking back on an eventful season.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
In 1991, a high-profile and controversial Supreme Court confirmation hearing led Carol Moseley Braun to run for the U.S. Senate. “The good people of Illinois saw fit to elect me,” Moseley Braun says. That’s when she became the first Black woman to serve in the upper chamber. At the same time, Braun was the first woman senator to represent the state of Illinois in Congress. Braun details her childhood, that journey to Congress and the international success that would follow in a new memoir, “Trailblazer: Perseverance in Life and Politics.” Reset sits down with Carol Moseley Braun to learn more about her Chicago upbringing and storied career.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
In the early hours of April 16, 1983, 23-year-old Karen Schepers of Elgin went missing after a night out with co-workers. And over four decades later, the Elgin Police Department’s Cold Case Unit takes this missing persons case on again.
The detectives behind the case document their investigation in the first season of the “Somebody Knows Something” podcast.
Reset sits down with Elgin Police Department Chief Ana Lalley, detectives Christopher Hall and Andrew Houghton, and Sergeant Matt Vartanian to learn more about their work and the pod.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
The National Guard was deployed to Washington, D.C. earlier this month as a part of President Donald Trump’s effort to mitigate crime in the capital. And Chicago could be next.
City and state leaders, such as Gov. JB Pritzker, have made their message clear. “Do not come to Chicago.”
Since then, the White House has issued a press release of its own. A bullet-pointed list of crime statistics and headlines.
Reset will go behind those headlines and fact-check the White House’s claims that Chicago residents want the National Guard in the city with WBEZ criminal justice reporter Chip Mitchell and Northwestern professor Andrew Papachristos.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
As students return to campuses across the nation, a new documentary explores the legacy and new challenges faced by historically black colleges and universities. Reset learns more from Brandis Friedman, WTTW anchor and co-producer of the documentary “Opportunity, Access & Uplift: The Evolving Legacy of HBCUs.” We also hear from Felecia Commodore, associate professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Illinois has been a leader in the data center boom, with more than 220 across the state. However, those centers use up tons of water, often from the same sources that local communities rely on for drinking water. Advocates that work to protect the Great Lakes (and local drinking water) are raising the alarm on the burden this could put on Illinois municipalities in the short and long term. Reset gets the details from Jen Walling, executive director, Illinois Environmental Council; and Joel Brammeier, president, Alliance for the Great Lakes.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
The historic Charnley-Persky House in the Gold Coast is a rare two-fer co-designed by a pair of architecture giants: Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan. The building at 1365 N. Astor St., which is often called the first modernist house in the world, was designed in 1891 when Sullivan was 35 years old and his employee Wright was 24. In this episode of What’s That Building?, Sasha Ann Simpons and Dennis Rodkin tour the Charnley-Persky House for a closer look at this unique property.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Chicago-based emergency room physician Dr. Thaer Ahmad is one of the dozens of health care workers from the area who have traveled to Gaza to provide humanitarian aid since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Ahmad and his colleagues are sharing their experiences with Illinois lawmakers in an effort to highlight the starvation in Gaza and to stop weapon transfers to Israel. Reset hears from Dr. Ahmad, WBEZ city politics Mariah Woelfel and Ertharin Cousin, former executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme.
Chicago’s Inspector General urges City Council to police bad behavior. Democratic legislators return to Texas for a redistricting vote. Former Northwestern football coach reaches settlement with the university. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul files more lawsuits against the Trump administration and politicians push for Southwest side communities to be declared disaster areas after flooding.
Reset dives into these and other top local stories with City Cast Chicago executive producer Simone Alicea, FOX 32 political correspondent Paris Schutz and WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
The first wind phone was created in Japan by Itaru Sasaki after losing his cousin to cancer in 2010. He installed a disconnected rotary phone in his garden as a way to connect with his cousin after their death.
In 2011, after a tsunami hit the coast of Japan, destroying cities and leaving hundreds of people missing, Sasaki then relocated the phone booth on a hill overlooking the ocean to give others a way to connect with their lost loved ones.
And now in 2025, one mother in Geneva, Ill., wants to bring a wind phone to the far western suburb.
Reset learns more about this effort and navigating grief. We’ll hear from Elaine Haughan, who lost her son James in 2021; Liam Jackowiec, best friend of James Haughan; and Neal Parker, with the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, which invites visitors to use the wind phone they have available by its butterfly garden.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
The Trump administration is considering reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. This change could have major implications for cannabis businesses in Chicago.
Reset sits down with Cannabis Business Association of Illinois’ executive director Tiffany Ingram, nuEra’s Jonah Rapino and Umi Dispensary’s Akele Parnell to understand how this reclassification could impact the local industry and what it could mean for consumers.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Famous for its grandeur and colossal size, the Uptown Theatre celebrates its 100-year anniversary. Over the last century, the Uptown has seen its highs and lows, but after being shuttered in 1981, the “palace” now needs a $190-million revamp.
Robert Loerzel’s new book, The Uptown: Chicago’s Endangered Movie Palace, relives the glory days of the theatre through photos and archives. Many, like Loerzel, hope the Uptown Theatre will be restored to its former purpose and splendor through the help of donor and state funding.
Reset hears more about the Uptown Theatre’s history and future from Loerzel, Preservation Chicago executive director Ward Miller, and David Syfczak, caretaker for the Uptown Theatre for the last 30 years.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Since HIV and AIDS were first declared an epidemic in the 1980s, numerous non-profit, private, and federal organizations have been created to combat the disease.
But many Black-LED HIV and AIDS organizations struggle to cover operating costs as they work on prevention, education, and case management.
As the Trump Administration makes drastic cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention funding, organizations that serve the communities on the frontlines of this crisis face an uncertain future.
On today’s Reset, we hear about the current state of the HIV-AIDS fight in Chicago, and why we see a funding gap between Black-led and other organizations.
Today’s panel: Timothy Jackson, director of policy and advocacy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago; and Hannah Peewee, associate director of communications for Taskforce Prevention and Community Services.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Ordering wine and learning how to pair it with meals and summer produce can be intimidating – but it doesn’t have to be! We talked to a chef, master sommelier and a food writer to learn how to pair what wine with what food, and how to do it in the least pretentious way possible.
Today’s panel: Maggie Hennessy, WBEZ contributor and food writer; Paul Virant, owner Gaijin, Vistro Prime and Petite Vie; Martin Beally, master sommelier, director of wine, beverage and ops integration at Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurants.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
AI therapy? Not if you’re in Illinois. The state has banned the use of artificial intelligence for mental health therapy. It is just the third state to put restrictions on the use of AI in the field, joining Nevada and Utah. While some therapists support the ban, others are opposed, arguing that AI allows them to be more present in their client meetings. Others also vouch for AI therapy as a cheaper mental health care option for those who cannot afford professional care.
Reset hears more about what the ban could mean for mental health care patients and providers in Illinois. Today’s panel: Aaron Weiner, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and addiction specialist; Blase Ur, assistant professor of computer science, University of Chicago; Joel Rubin, executive director, National Association of Social Workers, Illinois chapter; Mario Treto Jr., Secretary of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Lots of news this week! President Trump threatens to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. Texas House Democrats announce plans to leave Illinois and return home. And the Cook County State’s Attorney decides not to file charges against officers who killed motorist Dexter Reed.
Reset breaks down these stories and much more with WBEZ statehouse reporter Alex Degman, WTTW News correspondent Nick Blumberg and Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson answers listeners’ questions about ICE, the National Guard, affordable housing in Chicago, and more.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
A new program is helping Illinoisans of African descent reconnect and reclaim ancestral ties lost due to the transatlantic slave trade.
In a period spanning over 400 years, more than 13 million men, women, and children were forcibly transported across the Atlantic Ocean to work in the Americas, devastating familial bonds.
Now, the Illinois Family Roots Pilot program is offering free DNA testing so people can trace their roots into the past and connect with living relatives.
Reset learns more about the state program and hears from two Chicago-area residents who connected after DNA testing showed they were related.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
A Chicago taskforce is exploring what reparations could mean for the city’s Black residents, and it’s taking an open-minded approach, considering more than just money.
Meanwhile, Evanston continues to disburse funds to Black residents and descendents affected by the city’s history of discriminatory housing practices, such as redlining.
So, what’s happened with reparations so far, and what comes next for Evanston, Chicago and other local communities?
Resets gets the latest on the push for reparations in the Chicago area.
Today’s panel: Tonia Hill, multimedia producer, The TRiiBE; Pilar Audain, associate director, Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Greater Chicago; and Vanessa Johnson-McCoy, operations and community engagement manager, Reparations Stakeholders Authority of Evanston.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Rosa’s Blues Lounge has launched an independent record label to highlight the work of unrecorded artists. Plus, the label aims to ensure artists retain rights to their intellectual property. Chicago blues artist, Billy Branch, was the first performer on Rosa's stage — now 41 years later, he and his band were the first to sign with Rosa’s Record Label which launched Aug. 1. Reset speaks with Billy Branch and co-founders of the label, Tony Mangiullo and Marni Willenson about the story of the venue, the creation of the label and how this could contribute to Chicago’s blues scene.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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