Author: WBEZ Chicago

A Joliet police sergeant was placed on leave and stripped of police duties Monday after blowing the whistle on the death of a man held in police custody. CBS Chicago’s Dave Savini joins Reset with details of his ongoing investigation of the alleged cover-up in the death of Eric Lurry

The federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, was created to help small businesses stay afloat during the covid-19 crisis. WBEZ reporter Dan Mihalopoulos looked into where those funds went in Illinois, and found out many beneficiaries weren’t exactly the mom-and-pop operations te money was supposed to support.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot spars with President Donald Trump over the city’s response to recent gun violence. Advocates criticize CPD’s plan to arrest teens on “drug corners” ahead of the holiday weekend. Plus, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx plans to drop charges against those arrested in recent protests.   Reset breaks down the biggest stories of the week in our weekly news roundup.

Pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics Dr. Shelly Varizi-Flais discusses the AAP’s recommendation that children return to school in the fall. And Chris Jones ponders the future of Broadway, the theater scene, and the culture engine that drives the economy of America’s biggest cities.

Chicago’s biggest public high school, Lane Tech, is setting the wheels in motion to change the school’s “Indians” mascot, after a push from alumni that called it “wrong and racist.” Reset hears from an alum — who once played the mascot role at Lane Tech — on why he thinks it’s time for a change. We also take a look at why other potentially offensive mascots in Illinois sports haven’t gone anywhere, and what it would take.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike has shaped and led Illinois’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk with Dr. Ezike about how far the state has come, and how far we have to go in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

The state is moving into Phase 4 of the coronavirus reopening, city deals with increasing violence, and President Trump says Chicago is like “living in hell”. We’ve got all the week’s big stories for you as A.D. Quig of Crain’s and David Greising of the Better Government Association join Justin Kaufmann for the Friday News Roundup

Progressive activists and politicians in Chicago believe that now is the time to reform Chicago schools, the police department, and more. But the protests and the shifts in attitudes in the wake of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police have yielded few tangible results. Ald. Rosanna Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd) discusses her frustration with the mayor, CPS, the police, and more.