Author: WBEZ Chicago

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - City Budget Woes Could End Guaranteed Income In Chicago

Earlier this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the city would be putting over $30 million towards the Chicago Empowerment Fund, a planned guaranteed income program. But Mayor Johnson’s budget proposal does not include funding for the program. It was cut in order to help close the city’s $1 billion budget gap. As city lawmakers prepare to vote on the mayor’s budget proposal, Reset learns more about guaranteed income from Misuzu Schexnider of the Inclusive Economy Lab at UChicago’s Harris School Public Policy and Sarah Saheb of the Economic Security Project in Illinois. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Trump’s New Border Czar Wants To Start Deportations In Chicago

Tom Homan, president-elect Trump’s pick to lead border security, said this week that he wants to start the Trump administration’s planned deportations here in Chicago. Speaking at a holiday party in Portage Park, he said he would prosecute Mayor Brandon Johnson if he does not cooperate. Reset discusses how Homan’s plans could affect undocumented immigrants and the greater Chicago community with Mark Fleming of the National Immigrant Justice Center, Xanat Sobrevilla from Organized Communities Against Deportations and Beatriz Ponce De León, Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Curious City - In Chicago, forget the cocktail; a beer and a shot will do

Chicago is a city of pubs and taverns with a robust drinking culture. During the holiday season, that might mean sipping on some warm Swedish glögg, or, as we heard in our last episode, grabbing a Tom and Jerry at Miller’s Pub. But what about a Chicago-specific cocktail? “People really want us to have a cocktail,” said Liz Garibay, executive director of the Beer Culture Center. “It's like, you go to New Orleans and there's a Sazerac. You go to New York, there's Manhattan.” So is there a quintessential Chicago cocktail? Curious City host Erin Allen talks to Garibay as well as Greg Shutters, owner of Cohassett Punch Liqueur to see what they think. Garibay says either way, the city’s drinking culture is shaped by its immigrant and working class roots. We talk with Garibay and Shutters about Chicago’s drinking scene, past and present.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Why Healthcare In The U.S. Is So Complex, Costly And Confounding

The killing of a healthcare executive in New York has brought Americans’ dissatisfaction with the U.S. healthcare system to the fore. Many have taken to social media to vent their frustration and to share stories of exorbitant bills and denials of coverage. Reset talks with healthcare journalist Dan Weissmann, host and executive producer of “An Arm and A Leg” podcast and Reset listener Jackie Covarrubias. Her family has had challenges getting medications and treatments covered by insurance.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Saving A Life Can Come Down To Paperwork And Vehicles

Thirty percent of severely injured patients in Illinois aren’t transferred to a high-level trauma center within two hours of being taken to a hospital, which increases mortality. That’s according to a new study from Northwestern that examines the reasons this is occurring and what can be done to improve coordination and communication between hospitals. Reset sits down with the study’s lead author Dr. Anne Stey of Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine to learn more about the problem and potential solutions. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - ‘Reset’ Goes To… Joffrey Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’

‘Tis the season for The Nutcracker! For three weeks, and in true holiday fashion, the Joffrey Ballet is lighting up the Lyric Opera House with its local twist on a classic tale. The show is set on Christmas Eve, months before the opening of Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair. It features dazzling cultural performances, a visit from the mysterious Great Impresario and the magical adventures of the Nutcracker Prince and Marie, the young girl protagonist. The Reset team watched the show on opening night and sat down with the head of the ballet company Greg Cameron to learn more about the production. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Doulas Are Now On Staff For Pregnant Patients In Cook County

Doulas support, educate and advocate for their pregnant patients. A new program at Stroger Hospital makes 10 doulas available to patients for free. Reset learns more with WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch, Cook County commissioner Donna Miller and doula Vivian Moreno. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Illinois Is Losing Newspapers, Journalists And The Truth

More than two newspapers shut their doors every week in the U.S., according to a new study from Medill. Closer to home, Illinois ranks No. 6 in the country for the most number of newspaper closures in one year. At least five counties in the state are considered “news deserts” and 40 Illinois counties only have one local news source. Reset learns more about what the current state of journalism means for Illinois residents from the director of the Medill Local News Initiative, Tim Franklin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.