Author: WBEZ Chicago

Chicago is a sanctuary city in a sanctuary state – which means local law enforcement is prevented from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as it seeks to deport undocumented immigrants. But the Justice Department pledged to investigate and prosecute local law enforcement and government officials who impede the Trump administration's plans on deportations. Reset explores the legality of the unprecedented step and what it could mean for Chicago with former federal prosecutor Ronald S. Safer. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago and Cook County received more than $670 million in federal relief funding earlier this month for flooding caused by record storms in 2023 and 2024. The flooding caused damage in tens of thousands of homes in Cook County as homeowners filed for flood assistance. But few neighborhoods got hit as hard as Chicago’s Chatham on the South Side. Now, UChicago fourth-year Ph.D. student Kelly Wagman is leading a project and app design to help Chatham homeowners dealing with flooding in their neighborhoods. Reset spoke with Wagman as well as Nedra Sims-Fears, the executive director of Greater Chatham Initiative, to learn more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago braces for an immigration crackdown from President Trump. Attorneys present closing arguments in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. Reset dives into these and other top local stories in the Weekly News Recap with executive producer of City Cast Chicago Simone Alicea, Chicago Tribune chief political reporter Rick Pearson and WBEZ investigative reporter on government and politics Dan Mihalopoulos. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In earlier days, the Chicago and Evanston Line (C&E Line), a freight line better known as the Milwaukee Road, ran through Lincoln Park and Lakeview going north. Now it’s being removed. The tracks tell the story of industry dating back to the 1800s as well as the history of Chicago’s ‘L’ lines. Reset talks to transit historian Graham Garfield and Tom Burke, author of “The Milwaukee Road In Chicago.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The old Scott Foresman headquarters on Lake Avenue in Glenview opened in 1966 and has been vacant since 2020. It isn’t just an architectural standout but also an important cultural landmark. Reset’s “What’s That Building?” contributor Dennis Rodkin tells the story. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

On his first day in office, President Trump took the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord. He also declared a “national energy emergency” to bring down gasoline prices and called for expanded oil drilling and a reversal of environmental protections. Reset gets a breakdown of Trump’s environmental moves and what they could mean for our area with Reset sustainability contributor Karen Weigert. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Actor and singer Ben Barnes is out with his debut album “Where The Light Gets In.” Reset checks in with Barnes ahead of his Chicago show at the House of Blues. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

On his first day of his second term, President Trump signed 10 executive orders in an attempt to crack down on immigration. Reset sits down with executive director of the National Immigrant Justice Center Mary Meg McCarthy and executive director of Refugee One Melineh Kano to hear how these orders could affect immigrants and refugees in the Chicago area. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

On President Donald Trump’s first day back in office, he granted clemency to all rioters, violent and non-violent, involved with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Reset discusses who was pardoned, what’s next and what this action means for the future of political violence and civil society in the U.S. with Robert Pape, director of The Chicago Project on Security & Threats at the University of Chicago and Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ investigative reporter on government and politics. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.