Author: WBEZ Chicago

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Curious City - Car towed? Listen to this on your way down to Chicago’s Central Auto Pound

If you’ve had your car towed in Chicago, there’s a decent chance you had to journey down to Lower Lower Wacker Drive — likely not in the best of moods — to open your wallet and recollect your vehicle. “It's supposed to be a happy process,” said Michael Lacoco, the deputy commissioner of the city’s bureau of traffic services. In our last episode, we answered some of your many questions about Lower Wacker Drive, a.k.a. Chicago’s basement. Today, we try to demystify a notorious Chicago landmark within: the Central Auto Pound. Lacoco is a 33-year veteran of this department, the perfect person to help us on this journey. He explains why you shouldn’t try to steal your own car from the lot, why that white inventory number they draw on your window is so hard to wash off, and what you can do if you think you were wrongfully towed.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - What’s At Stake For Chicagoland In Public Transit Debate

Illinois lawmakers have until the end of the month to hammer out a budget deal. Public transit agencies in the Chicago area say they’re facing a $770 million shortfall. Reset discusses what’s at stake for transit riders with Audrey Wennink of the Metropolitan Planning Council and Justin Marlowe of UChicago’s Harris School of For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - How Can CPS Solve Growing Absenteeism Among High Schoolers?

Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism is a bigger problem for CPS high school students, but the district and schools are working to address the issue. Reset explores what’s driving this trend and what’s being done to solve the problem with WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - The Story Of Birthright Citizenship In The United States

SCOTUS is set to rule on birthright citizenship after Trump’s executive order on January 20. How has the right evolved in the United States? Reset dives into the history of birthright citizenship and its resonances today with associate professor of history at Occidental College Jane Hong. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - What’s That Building: Libby McNeill & Libby Plant

The Libby McNeill & Libby plant in Blue Island, Illinois, once a bustling hub for canning local produce, has sat mostly vacant since it closed in 1968. After years of neglect under a nonprofit’s ownership, the city recently took control of the 515,000-square-foot site. Now surrounded by dumped debris and in need of major repairs, the building poses serious redevelopment challenges. Still, city officials and preservationists remain cautiously optimistic about its future potential. Reset spoke with Dennis Rodkin of Crain’s Chicago Business to explore the building’s past, present, and what could come next. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - How Could Birthright Citizenship Case Affect Illinoisans?

President Trump signed an executive order barring birthright citizenship for children whose parents lack legal status in the U.S. and for some visa holders. Three judges have filed national injunctions to block this order, and the Supreme Court is deliberating the case. If the court sides with the Trump administration, automatic citizenship could be denied to kids in 28 states. Reset learns what’s at stake for Illinoisans from UIC law professor Steve Schwinn, Dulce Ortiz of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Mano a Mano Family Resource Center and Ana Gil Garcia the Illinois Venezuelan Alliance. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - JB And Rahm May Run For President In 2028

As JB Pritzker goes back and forth on a third gubernatorial term and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel makes his own media rounds, speculation intensifies about whether the two Illinois politicians have plans to run for president. Reset gets the latest from WBEZ state politics reporter Dave McKinney. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap, May 16, 2025

Nearly a dozen South Side elementary students sickened after ingesting marijuana edibles. Mayor Johnson reaches the midpoint of his term. Congressional competitions heat up in the race to replace retiring Sen. Durbin and Rep. Schakowsky. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap with a panel of journalists. This week we have Block Club Chicago reporter Mack Liederman, WBEZ senior editor of government, politics and safety Angela Rzas O’Toole, and government finance and accountability reporter with the Illinois Answers Project at the Better Government Association Alex Nitkin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.