Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Young Candidates Are Coming For The Incumbents

Gen Z and millennial candidates are running for public office, and they’re not afraid to take on members of their own parties who have been in power for decades. Reset talks with Chicago Tribune state government reporter Olivia Olander, NPR politics reporter Elena Moore and Illinois State Rep. Nabeela Syed. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Ocean Vuong On His New Novel ‘The Emperor of Gladness’

Ocean Vuong is perhaps best-known for his 2019 novel “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” and deeply intimate poetry collections such as “Night Sky with Exit Wounds” (2016) and “Time Is a Mother” (2022). In his new novel, the Vietnamese-American author tells the story of friendship and acting with kindness even when you’re filled with hopelessness. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - NIH Funding Freeze Halts Northwestern Cancer Research

The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, but under the Trump administration, NIH is freezing funding to several universities, including Northwestern. One of the projects being delayed is cutting-edge research on ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Reset learns more about the effect of this freeze on patients and early career scientists with Josh Leonard, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicago’s ‘Green Social Housing’ Plan

Chicago’s newly passed “green social housing” ordinance creates a city-owned, nonprofit developer that will issue loans to companies that build eco-friendly homes. Reset breaks down what’s in the plan and gets thoughts on this approach from affordable housing advocates Daniel Kay Hertz of Impact for Equity and Courtney Hanson of People for Community Recovery. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: May 9, 2025

The new Pope has Chicago roots, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s housing initiative gets City Council approval, and new candidates crowd the race to replace Sen. Durbin. Reset goes behind those headlines and much more in our Weekly News Recap. This week’s panel features CW 26 reporter Brandon Pope, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitchell Armentrout and Chicago Tribune editor Chris Jones. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - The ‘Memories And Milestones’ Of South Asians In Illinois

To mark Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Reset learns more of the past, present and future of Illinois’s South Asian community with the executive director of the South Asian American Policy & Research Institute Shobhana Johri Verma, and education consultant, South Asian American Policy & Research Institute Julie Thomas Achettu. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicagoans Sound Off On New Pontiff

Thursday, May 8, the papal conclave chose Robert Prevost to be the next head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was born and raised in the Chicago area and is the first American pontiff. Reset gets local reaction to the announcement from Bob Herguth, Chicago Sun-Times investigative reporter, Father Michael Trail, St. Thomas the Apostle parish in Hyde Park Mary FioRito, attorney, former top aide to Cardinal George, the late predecessor to Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Attacks On Head Start Put Early Childhood Education Programs At Risk

Reset talks with early childhood education advocates about Head Start’s uncertain future. The panel includes Pamela Epley, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Erikson Institute and Nadia Gronkowski, Program Manager of Advocacy & Policy at Start Early. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Curious City - Even when nothing goes wrong, moving is trash

It’s typical to see moving trucks winding through streets and alleys of Chicago on the first day of any month. The act of moving hardly sounds like a luxury, but as we heard in the last episode, it could be worse. About a century ago, Chicagoans only moved on May 1 and sometimes Oct. 1. That meant thousands of moving wagons clogging the streets, price gouging and exploitation. Today, people move any time of the year and there are more protections for tenants. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use some advice to make moving and renting in Chicago easier. Host Erin Allen talks with local U-Haul representative Constance Turner about best practices when it comes to packing up and moving in. Then, she sits down with Sam Barth, staff attorney with Law Center for Better Housing, to talk about what renters can do to protect themselves.