Author: WBEZ Chicago

This February marks the 46th recognized Black History Month, but the history behind this commemorative month begins further back in time right here in the Windy City. Reset checks in with an urban historian for the story.

Restaurant work and rest don’t often mix, but after a brush with death, one local chef is giving herself and her staff a chance to take a deep breath and relax. Reset checks in with her about this and other shifts she’s making as well as with a reporter who writes about the food and beverage industry. GUEST: Bo Fowler, chef and owner of Owen and Engine and Bixi Josh Noel, Chicago Tribune reporter

Reset talks to WTTW co-anchor Brandis Friedman and Chicago Tribune City Hall reporter John Byrne for the big headlines of the last few days in the Weekly News Recap.

The year 2022 is being labeled as the “Year of Healing” for Chicago, which will focus on restorative racial transformation around the city. Reset checks in with Candace Moore, the city’s first chief equity officer, to understand what she has in plan for this year.

What role does money play in child development? New research suggests it could affect brain activity. Reset digs into the study and discusses the implications for policies and programs in the U.S. with one of the co-authors of the report and a local researcher.

Omicron may have reached its peak, but protests over vaccine and mask mandates seem to be on the rise. Suburbs from north suburban Highland Park to Naperville are grappling with protests over COVID policies at restaurants and museums, and west suburban St. Charles has closed its public library indefinitely for in-person services after receiving threats over its mask mandate. Reset checks in with a local elected official and a business owner from Highland Park on navigating the protests.

It’s been 49 years since Roe v. Wade established the Constitutional right to a safe and legal abortion. But now, due to restrictive state laws, women are traveling across state lines to abortion-friendly havens like Illinois to get the procedure. Reset talks to a bioethicist and the head of a downstate abortion clinic about the future of reproductive rights in the U.S. and the politics around Roe.

Chicago passes the Omicron peak as Lori Lightfoot returns to CIty Hall after testing positive for COVID, and the gubernatorial race heats up with an injection of big bucks to J.B. Pritzker’s campaign war chest. Reset checks in with local journalists about those stories and other big news of the week.

Reset interviews WBEZ’s CEO, Matt Moog, about the company’s acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times.