Author: WBEZ Chicago

Until about 100 years ago, death was revered as a natural and sacred part of life. The rise of the funeral industry at the turn of the century, coupled with modern society’s longevity obsession, made death foreign and scary. Death doula and former hospice nurse Suzanne O’Brien has been at the bedside of thousands of dying patients across the world. She’s on a mission to remind us that death is not a medical experience, rather a human one. And in her new book, “The Good Death,” O’Brien says as long as we continue to fear death, we’ll miss out on its profound teachings. Reset checks in with the author to learn more about how to prepare for life’s most difficult transition. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Some college students are saying their summer and post-graduation plans are in jeopardy, as research grants, PhD projects, jobs and internships are being canceled or rescinded in the wake of anti-DEI policies and pulled funding from Washington. Additionally, groups like the PhD Project – which helps students from underrepresented groups to secure graduate degrees in business – have become a target in the Trump Administration’s attack on DEI in higher education. To learn more, Reset hears from Alfonzo Alexander, CEO of the PhD Project, as well as Juan Simon Angel and Britney Smart, two Chicago university students. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Tariffs on foreign goods threaten increased costs for U.S consumers. Grocery prices are on the rise, and fears of a recession loom. It’s a lot to digest, and a lot of money potentially flying out of your wallet. So what actions can we take to make sure our personal finances are in order to weather economic uncertainty? Reset gets tips and answers to your finance questions from Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar, and author of the book How to Retire. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times lost 20% of its workforce, as public media faces funding threats from Washington. So what’s ahead for one of the largest non-profit media companies in the country? Reset sits down with Melissa Bell, CEO of Chicago Public Media, to learn how this will affect what readers and listeners can expect from CPM’s newsrooms. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Throughout Women’s History Month, Reset has been taking deep dives into the lives of unsung remarkable Chicago women. In this week’s segment, we look at Fanny Barrier Williams, a lesser-known contemporary of Ida B. Wells who played a role in Black women’s clubs. To learn her story, Reset sat down with Jennifer Brier, a local historian and history professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset checks in with a panel of Chicagoans — whose jobs were considered essential during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 – for their reflections on the fifth anniversary of the lockdown. They also discuss how that “essential” label has transferred to today. The panel included Sharif Nassr, founder and CEO of the children’s nursery Caterpillar Care Chicago; Hannah Chavez, who was employed as a Whole Foods grocery store worker in 2020; and Elise Foster, president of Branch 11 of the National Association of Letter Carriers union. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago Board of Education postpones vote on controversial loan to pay pension debt. Trump signs executive order closing Department of Education as Illinois comes under federal scrutiny for accommodating trans students. Reset goes behind those headlines and more with Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin, NBC-5 Chicago reporter Christian Farr and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitchell Armentrout on the Weekly News Recap. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar in Logan Square opened in February 2020. One month later, Illinois went into lockdown mode. We spoke with the co-owners – Chase Bracamontes and Aaron Kabot – about how they responded to the moment, what they learned, and what has ultimately made the restaurant successful. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Despite its name, Asian Pop-Up Cinema is going from pop-up film events throughout the year to one big annual film festival in the spring. This year marks its 10-year anniversary. It will run this year from Thursday, March 20, to Sunday, April 13, featuring a whopping 50 films, as well as Q&A sessions with actors, directors and producers. Reset gets a behind-the-scenes look at the festival this year with its founder and executive director Sophia Wong Boccio. We also talk to John Hsu, director of “Dead Talents Society.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.