Author: WBEZ Chicago

The U.S. Forest Service recently fired over 3,000 employees across the country. Twelve come from Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, a preserved grassland in Will County, Illinois. Reset sits down with Abbey Hays, Siobhan Solkowski-Peacy and Erick “Iggy” Ignaczak, three terminated employees to unpack how they’re feeling, how Midewin’s programs have to adapt and how this is harming conservation efforts in Illinois. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

When eligible people turn 65, they can sign up for Medicare. One thing to consider is drug coverage, or Part D. Reset learns more about Medicare drug coverage and answers listener questions with Illinois Senior Health Insurance Program director Sandy Leith. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Many Venezuelans in Chicago will have their work permits and protection from deportation revoked as early as April. WBEZ checked in with local TPS recipients about how this uncertainty is affecting them and their community. Reset checks in with WBEZ reporters Adriana Cardona-Maguigad and Chip Mitchell. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

On Feb. 28, President Trump issued an executive order that the federal government will not fund gender affirming or “transition” surgeries. In response, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago announced it would pause these surgeries, and not schedule future ones, for patients under 19 years of age. Reset discusses the impact this is having on trans teens and their parents with WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch and a parent to a trans child, Michelle Vallet. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

During her 40 years at the Sun-Times, Fran Spielman has been a fixture at City Hall through seven mayoral administrations. Reset checks in with the city’s longest-tenured local politics reporter as she marks a milestone with the Sun-Times. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A small park used to be home to the first Catholic Church for African Americans west of Baltimore, served by the first openly Black priest. Reset gets the story from architecture guru Dennis Rodkin for our series What’s That Building? For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

From the creation of fabrics to the washing of synthetic fibers to the quick disposal of yet another piece of en vogue clothing, fast fashion harms the environment in multiple ways. Reset discusses local alternatives to fast fashion with Reset sustainability contributor Karen Weigert, co-director of Monarch Thrift Shop Mireya Fouché and Kate VanAsten, founder of the sustainable fashion brand Wulfka. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to borrow $830 million squeezed through the City Council Wednesday. Meanwhile, two high-profile trials are underway in Chicago and a near-miss at Midway Airport had Chicagoans questioning the safety of air travel. Reset checks in on those stories and other big local news of the week in our Weekly News Recap with WBEZ’s Patrick Smith, Tessa Weinberg and Alden Loury. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Most people celebrate paczki day on Fat Tuesday, but in keeping with Polish tradition, many bakeries in the Chicago area actually start selling paczki on the Thursday before Lent. We caught up with a bakery manager and people picking up their paczki orders to hear what makes this jelly filled donut so special. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.