Author: WBEZ Chicago

Around this time of the year, people are starting to work toward their New Year's resolutions. For many, their goals are to lose weight, work out more or eat healthier. But how can we embrace a more positive and less anxious relationship with our bodies, food and movement? Reset discusses with a panel of health and nutrition experts: Bethany Doerfler, a research specialist and clinical dietitian for Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Center; Dana Buccheri, the owner and trainer of StrongWithDana; and Àngel Casas, a non-diet personal trainer.

With frigid temperatures, Chicago officials postponed kicking newly-arrived migrants out of city shelters. But the new deadline is still looming. Reset spoke with a panel of people who are connecting migrants with resources: Veronica Saldaña, a volunteer lead for the police station response team, Annie Gomberg, another lead volunteer, and Andre Gordillo, director of New Vecinos – or “New Neighbors” in English – at New Life Centers, a nonprofit that is partnering with the state to provide services.

Chicago Restaurant Week can be a fun opportunity to eat new dishes and set menus at a more affordable price — and this year 414 restaurants are participating. Reset hears from local foodies Monica Eng and Louisa Chu, co-hosts of the Chewing Podcast, on their picks and suggestions to make the most of the event.

Amtrak is getting $93 million in federal funds to renovate Union Station, which will include upgrades to the ventilation systems, expansion of platforms and changes to make the facility comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Amtrak is currently seeking public comment on proposed improvements to the station that the company says serves more than three million passengers annually. Reset finds out more about the renovation goals and how the public can weigh in with Mark Magliari, spokesperson for Amtrak Government Affairs; Sarah Freishtat, transportation reporter for the Chicago Tribune; and Mark Walbrun, a retired industry expert.

During his life and since his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. was and has been the face of the Civil Rights movement, but how much do you know about the man behind the myth? King: A Life taps new material, including an unpublished memoir by King’s father and FBI surveillance tapes, to give a full, unflinching portrait of King. On MLK Day, Reset revisits a conversation with the Chicago-based author of the biography, Jonathan Eig.

Snowy owls are a rare and coveted sight for bird watchers in the Midwest, but if you know what to look for you might have a better chance at spotting them. Reset learns more about snowy owl irruptions — the term for the mysterious and unpredictable migration cycle for the arctic bird — from Stephanie Beilke, senior manager in conservation science at Audubon Society Great Lakes and Edward Warden, president of the Chicago Ornithological Society.

A winter storm hammers Chicago, migrants housed on CTA buses, and, as the weather worsens, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson delays a 60-day limit on how long migrants can stay in city shelters. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap with panelists Carrie Shepherd, reporter for Axios; Dave McKinney, WBEZ state politics reporter; and A.D. Quig, Cook County and Chicago government reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Weather disasters are wreaking havoc across the country this week as Chicago prepares for a winter storm expected to hit today. Reset talks with atmospheric scientist Scott Collis with Argonne National Laboratory to learn more.

Ask any Midwestern surfer and they’ll tell you: the worse the weather, the better the waves. But beware of wading in those waters unless you know what you’re doing. As surfers navigate both environmental hazards and extreme weather, the difficulty and shared risk has built a tight-knit community on the Third Coast. Reset speaks with local surfers Mo McFadden and Rex Flodstrom and WBEZ freelance reporter Zachary Nauth to learn more about winter surfing on the Great Lakes.

Josh Long, Chicago Public Schools’ new chief of the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services, was the principal of Southside Occupational Academy High School for 14 years. Reset learns more about how the department's new leader plans to support special education students throughout the district.