Author: WBEZ Chicago

The Illinois EATS initiative allowed food pantries to buy fresh produce directly from farmers, and get reimbursed with federal dollars, and 85 counties in Illinois participated in this program. But pantries are no longer getting reimbursed, which leaves farmers who were planning on this revenue stream in the lurch. Reset checks in with local farmer of Eden Place Farm Michael Howard who had participated in this program. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

As President Trump continues purging the federal workforce, Reset talks to a Northwestern professor who, up until two weeks ago, served as chief economist for the embattled U.S. Agency for International Development. Reset speaks to Dean Karlan, Northwestern University professor of economics and finance; former USAID chief economist to learn more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Since the Clean Water Act, biodiversity in the Chicago River has increased, and there are now over 60 species of fish, including mimic shiner and brook silverside. Those species are spawning, and their offspring are also doing well, says Austin Happel, research biologist at the Shedd Aquarium, who focuses on urban freshwater systems. Reset learns more from Karen Weigert, Reset sustainability contributor, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Northwestern and other schools received a letter from the Department of Education that said the universities were being investigated over claims of alleged antisemitism on campus. The warning letter comes on the heels of the detention of Columbia University student and protest organizer Mahmoud Khalil, who faces deportation without a specific charge. Reset turns to WBEZ higher education reporter Lisa Kurian Philip and the ACLU’s Ed Yohnka to look at First Amendment concerns and why Northwestern is under the microscope. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

It’s been five years since cities around the country like Chicago shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, millions of people have been affected. Whether it’s coming down with the virus, losing a loved one during the pandemic or living with the consequences of infection, also known as long COVID. To find out more about what we do and do not know about the chronic condition, we turned to Dr. Jerry Krishnan, a professor of medicine and public health at the University of Illinois Chicago, and Amy Pope, and long COVID patient and patient researcher. We also checked in with Mike Bielaczyc, a licensed clinical social worker and long-hauler support group leader at Northwestern University, and Chimére L. Sweeney, a long COVID patient consultant. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

May 7 is the deadline to acquire a Real ID before the new federal guidelines are enforced. DMVs all across the country are seeing unprecedented demand. Illinoisans are experiencing long lines and even longer wait times. Last year, the “Get Real, Illinois” campaign launched to encourage residents to “get real” well in advance of the deadline. However, only around 30% of Illinois residents have Real IDs. Despite the looming cutoff, state officials are reminding Illinoisans not to panic. Reset learns more about the Real ID mandate from Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Illinois saw a drop in drug overdose deaths in 2023, according to newly released data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. And in Cook County, that trend seems to have held in 2024 as well, according to preliminary data from the county coroner’s office. Reset talks with Fanya Burford-Berry, a community worker at West Side Heroin Opioid Task Force, where they provide outreach to hear what’s led to this decrease and what’s needed to bring the numbers down even further and WBEZ reporter and anchor Araceli Gomez-Aldana. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Russia and China are no fans of his. Egypt wouldn’t even let him in the country. As the executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth spent 30 years investigating and standing up to the world’s most ruthless oppressors. During that time, he exposed war crimes, confronted authoritarian regimes and, on more than one occasion, found himself in the crosshairs. Reset checks in with Roth about his new book Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, and how he found shame to be a useful tool in holding governments accountable. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.