Author: WBEZ Chicago

Drivers are being warned to expect massive delays and traffic complications, as the Kennedy Expressway enters its final phase of a three-year construction project. Labor groups are appealing to Springfield to adopt the groups’ own vision for the future of the Regional Transportation Authority. Lawmakers are considering charging Illinois drivers “a road usage” tax. And Metra’s 14 suburban commuter rails – like the Heritage Corridor, the SouthWest Service and the Union Pacific lines – could all be in for a rebranding. Reset gets a transportation roundup from Chicago Sun-Times general assignment reporter David Struett. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Measles was considered eradicated in the U.S., but five years after the beginning of the COVID shutdown, measles cases are on the rise, with outbreaks in states like Texas and New Mexico. Illinois public health officials are bracing for a possible outbreak in the state, as more and more students get exempted from receiving a measles vaccine. Reset checks in with Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist with Duly Health and Care. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago lawyers argued in federal court that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has violated immigration law and the constitutional rights of 22 people in the Midwest since January. Lawyers allege that agents had improper warrants and that in some cases, they created an administrative warrant after an arrest. Reset talks to WBEZ immigration reporter Adriana Cardona-Maguigad about the latest, including the case of Julio Noriega, a U.S. citizen who was arrested by ICE in the Chicago suburbs. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago’s founding as a city has been historically attributed to Jean Baptise Pointe du Sable. However, he didn’t do it alone. His wife of Potawatomi descent, Kitihawa, was instrumental in the building of their thriving trading post. Reset learns more about her with SAIC professor and writer Elise Paschen. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago-style BBQ may not be as well known as other regional BBQs like those from Texas, Memphis or the Carolinas, but it’s just as unique. Reset digs into the history of Chicago-style BBQ with Gary Wiviott, pitmaster and author of “Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons” and Daniel Hammond, executive chef and owner of Smoky Soul Barbecue. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A man was shot outside O’Hare Airport and a downtown alderman called for an 8 p.m. teen curfew after a shooting outside a Streeterville theater. Meanwhile, a jury awarded a record-breaking $120 million police misconduct settlement. Reset breaks down those stories and more with Carrie Shepherd, Chicago reporter for Axios, Tina Sfondeles, Chicago Sun-Times chief political reporter and Jake Sheridan, City Hall reporter for Chicago Tribune. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

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.