Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

The U.S. leads the world in mass incarceration, with nearly two million people behind bars. But what paths are there to rehabilitation and freedom? Reset speaks with Chicago-based journalist Ben Austen about his new book “Correction: Parole, Prison and the Possibility of Change.” If you want to listen to more conversations like this, check out wbez.org/reset.

On October 7, Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,400 people and kidnapping more than 240. Reset hears how two area rabbis are confronting the attack, the war and growing antisemitism as they help congregants deal with the grief, sadness and other emotions they’re facing. For Reset’s full coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and how it’s affecting the Chicago area, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In the last month, two Chicago-area Muslim schools have received violent threats, a six-year-old Palestinian American boy was fatally stabbed and a suburban man was charged with a hate crime for threatening to shoot two Muslim men. For some Arab and Muslim Chicagoans, these news stories take them back to their lives in the days and weeks after 9/11. Reset learns more about what the community is experiencing from Chicago Sun-Times reporter Nader Issa. For Reset’s full coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and how it’s affecting the Chicago area, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Next year, for the first time, Chicago voters can elect the members of the Chicago Board of Education. We check in with WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp on one hurdle that’s standing in the way: the state legislature needs to agree on a voting map.

I don’t ONLY like to listen to one type of music,” says Resavoir frontman Will Miller. So, of course, his new work is a blend of genres. Resavoir started as a musician collective, but during the pandemic Miller embraced a more solitary style of making music. The hard work paid off, and the new album is out now. Reset talks with Will Miller, frontman of Resavoir and the man behind the project.

Chicago gets the season's first snowfall, fierce debate continues in City Council over where to house the more than 20,000 migrants, and Mayor Brandon Johnson heads to Washington D.C. with other mayors, looking for federal help. Reset goes behind those headlines and more with Paris Schutz, reporter and anchor with WTTW; Daniel Knowles, Midwest correspondent with The Economist; and Tina Sfondeles, chief political reporter of the Chicago Sun-Times.

For the second Halloween in a row, Chicago saw a mass shooting. Reset learns about the shooting that happened in North Lawndale over the weekend and what survivors need to heal from the physical and emotional trauma of gun violence. If you want to listen to more conversations exploring topics that impact Chicagoans, check out wbez.org/reset.

Disco is at the root of many of our favorite music genres today, but there’s more to its history than Saturday Night Fever, and you don’t have to look far to find it. Reset learns more about The War on Disco and the genre’s influence on popular music from Ayana Contreras, music and content director at our sister station Vocalo 91.1 FM. If you want to check out our entire catalog of interviews, go to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago Public Schools doesn’t track immigration status, but this year nearly 8,000 students are enrolled in the district as English-language learners, compared to a yearly average of around 3,000. Reset speaks with Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin to learn more about a program at Brighton Park Elementary to support the unique needs of migrant students.

Chicago is juggling multiple housing crises at once. There’s a growing number of unhoused Chicagoans; more asylum seekers are arriving in the city; and there’s a lack of affordable housing overall. Reset discusses how Chicago’s housing system has evolved over the years and explores potential solutions.