Author: WBEZ Chicago

Governor Pritzker halts construction on a migrant tent camp in Brighton Park, while criticism grows over new protocols for seating the public at City Council meetings. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with executive producer of City Cast Chicago Simone Alicea, Block Club Chicago reporter Quinn Myers and WBEZ Politics & Government editor Angela Rozas O'Toole.

Chicago Public Schools graduates take longer to complete college than students nationally, according to a study from the University of Chicago. Reset checked in with two co-authors of the study, as well as CPS’s director of College Pathways Brian Harris to hear about this issue – and discuss what efforts are needed to solve it. For more conversations like this one, check out our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.

For those who often drive past the Leaning Tower of Niles, it might have lost its novelty. But for one Chicagoan the off kilter, domed, belltower structure was a new sight thanks to detours caused by construction on the Kennedy Expressway. So why is there a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Illinois? We speak with Reset’s architecture sleuth Dennis Rodkin to find out. If you liked this conversation, you can find more interviews with Dennis Rodkin in WBEZ’s “What’s That Building?” series at wbez.org/reset.

City officials faced pushback on construction of a winterized migrant shelter in Brighton Park from the community and health advocates even before an environmental study showed unhealthy levels of mercury at the site. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker nailed the coffin shut on this project citing health concerns. Reset hears from Alderwoman Julia Ramirez, 12th Ward, on the move and on what comes next.

We go to the movies for magic. To laugh, to cry, to care… at least that’s what Nicole Kidman says in the preview that runs before films start. We chat about our favorite flicks (and those that missed the mark!) with Brandon Pope, anchor at CW-26 and host of Season 4 of WBEZ’s Making Podcast, Michi Trota, Hugo Award winning editor and culture critic, and Cody Dericks, seasonal manager at the Music Box Theater and film critic for the website Next Best Picture.

For many, a little extra cash each month could go a long way. So one local scholar and sociologist set out to understand what a no-strings-attached monthly stipend could do for Chicago residents. Reset sits down with Eve L. Ewing about her limited podcast series “Guaranteed,” which examines what $500 monthly cash payments are making possible for some residents.

Generally, seniors 65 and older – who are retired and no longer use employer-provided insurance – will need to choose between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. This can be a daunting choice, with tradeoffs to each. Reset learns about the different parts to Medicare and gets advice for thinking through the options with Mary Mitchell, columnist and director of culture and community engagement for the Chicago Sun-Times, and Tricia Neuman, executive director of KFF’s Program on Medicare Policy.

The reporters on the seven-part series from City Bureau and the Invisible Institute found that Chicago detectives repeatedly brushed off family members' concerns, mishandled evidence and recorded inaccurate data that made finding missing people harder. Reset learns more from the duo behind the investigation, Trina Reynolds-Tyler, data director at the Invisible Institute, and Sarah Conway, senior reporter at City Bureau.

It’s challenging to become a classically trained professional ballerina, and people of color say they face more significant financial and accessibility challenges than their white counterparts when breaking into the field. Reset talks with Tatiana Chen, Shania Cook, and Rozhan Shabahang about being leads in A & A Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker and what it’s like to be part of the growing diversity in ballet.