Author: WBEZ Chicago

Happy Boxing Day! All during this holiday week, enjoy some of our favorite Reset conversations of 2024 – like our conversation with Grammy winner Laufey. A jazz icon to some, a breakout pop star to others, the Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey has skyrocketed into popularity. Her debut album dropped in 2020, and just three years later she won a Grammy for her 2023 album “Bewitched.” Reset revisits our conversation with the 25-year-old for more on stardom and how her lyrics resonate with fans of all ages. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the original interview here: Laufey performs 'Bored' for Bewitched: The Goddess Tour Chicago (April 30, 2024) For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

As thousands of Starbucks and Amazon workers go on strike, Reset gets a snapshot of union organizing in Chicago and beyond from Bob Bruno, director of the labor education program at the School for Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago has 77 community areas, but residents know there are many more neighborhoods in the city. A UChicago survey asked Chicagoans to detail where they think their neighborhood boundaries should be, and the result is an eye-opening, crowd-sourced map of the city. Reset checks in with the urbanist behind the Chicago Neighborhood Survey, professor Emily Talen, and takes calls from listeners. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

At a meeting Friday night, the Chicago Board of Education voted to oust Pedro Martinez after months of tension between the mayor and the CEO. Reset gets the details from Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The prosecution rested its case in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. That case includes a sweeping 117-page indictment, detailing multiple alleged schemes by Madigan. Now, the defense gets its turn. Reset gets a roundup of highlights from the historic trial so far and what to watch out for next from Jon Seidel, Chicago Sun-Times federal courts reporter. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Illinois colleges and universities are more expensive than the national average. A new bill could dramatically change how higher education is funded. Reset gets the details from WBEZ higher education reporter Lisa Kurian Philip. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Whether you’re a fan of big blockbusters like “Dune: Part Two” or “Wicked” or someone more interested in arthouse hits, there were a lot of movies to choose from in 2024. Reset talks with a panel about what made their best-of lists. Michael Phillips is the film critic at the Chicago Tribune. Ahmed Ali Akbar is a Chicago Tribune food writer and co-host of “Dune: Prophecy The Official Podcast.” Colton Campbell is a manager at the Music Box Theatre. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago’s City Council finally passed the 2025 budget. Meanwhile, the Chicago School Board called a special meeting Friday night to discuss the possible firing of schools CEO Pedro Martinez. Reset breaks down those stories and much more with Chalkbeat Chicago bureau chief Becky Vevea, Better Government Association president David Greising and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitch Armentrout. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

We’ve talked about the Wrigley Building in What’s That Building before, as part of a summer 2023 series on icons of Chicago architecture. Now Dennis Rodkin is back to tell us about an icon of Christmas created in that iconic building.