Author: WBEZ Chicago

Benny is a loner whose identity revolves around his wife and children. Gil is a free spirit who longs to fulfill his potential. When the two strangers meet, they form an instant, deep bond. But slowly cracks start to form and their fresh bromance begins to crumble. A new Chicago Shakespeare Theater play called “Hymn” is an entertaining journey with some good old school music and elements of Black male friendship woven throughout the narrative. Reset sits down with the play’s director Ron OJ Parson to learn more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A recent survey asked 3,000 Americans what they think the coolest job is in each state. Pennsylvania’s coolest job was chocolate scientist at Hershey, while California’s was animator at Pixar. And Illinois? The survey found that respondents thought the coolest work you can do in Illinois is be a paleontologist for the Field Museum. But what does a day in the life of a paleontologist look like? And how do they really feel about the Jurassic Park movies? Reset talks with Field Museum paleontologists to find out more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, singer and songwriter Yukimi gifts the world with new music that makes listeners experience heartache, love and power all at once, packaged in her first solo album titled “For You.” Reset sat down with the singer during her stop in Chicago for her North American “For You” Tour to talk about motherhood, the joys and pains of being alive and connecting to one another. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Mayor Johnson visits Springfield, neighbors protest a proposed luxury hotel near the Obama Center, Sen. Duckworth backs Lt. Gov. Stratton for Senate seat. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap. This week's panel features Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd, Chicago Tribune criminal justice reporter Sam Charles and WBEZ statehouse reporter Alex Degman. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sat down with Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons for a wide-ranging conversation that included live questions from listeners. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Tomorrow is May 1st but to workers and community organizers around the world it is better known as May Day, or International Workers' Day. May Day began in Chicago as a labor movement that succeeded in instituting the eight-hour workday. It later became a global symbol of workers' rights and ongoing activism. The movement for workers’ rights today is inspired in spirit and action by this Chicago history, led by immigrants of that era. Chicago is still a city of immigrants, and as the Trump administration continues to target immigrants, Reset discusses the history of May Day and learns what the labor movement today is doing in the current effort to protect workers, families, and communities with guests Miles Kampf-Lassin, senior editor at In These Times Magazine and Jorge Mújica, strategic campaigns organizer, ARISE Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

We mark 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term. From sweeping immigration crackdowns, to steep tariff hikes and major federal funding cuts, how is Chicago and Illinois weathering the storm? Reset finds out how our area has been impacted by the Trump administration with Chicago Sun-Times chief political reporter Tina Sfondeles and Chicago Sun-Times reporter covering government and politics Mitchell Armentrout. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

As a part of the Harris Policy Innovation Challenge, UChicago graduate students were tasked with answering the question, “What can Chicago do over the next three years to create a thriving downtown for the next 20 years?” The winning team came up with a proposal to revitalize a stretch of Michigan Avenue – from the Chicago River to Roosevelt Road – into a pedestrian-focused cultural corridor. In other words: get rid of cars. Reset learns more about the potential benefits of a car-free zone with Samantha Anderson, UChicago student and member of Harris Policy Innovation Challenge’s winning team, and Daniel Knowles, Midwest correspondent for The Economist and author of Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse And What To Do About It. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The Chicago Mayor’s office held its first meeting on “teen trends” — large gatherings of teenagers — alongside the city’s police, fire, and health departments, council members, and violence-prevention community organizations. Some want tighter curfews for teens, and to give more power to police to crack down on teen gatherings. But others say that sends the wrong message to teens – that they’re not welcome downtown. Some law experts say there are ideas on the table that could infringe on constitutional rights. Reset breaks down the city’s concerns and the disparate proposals floated with WBEZ city government and politics reporter Mariah Woelfel. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.