Author: WBEZ Chicago

When entering the voter booth, you may be more prepared to mark your choice for president. But the longest part of your ballot has to do with officials who are more likely to have a direct impact on your life: judges. They’re the ones presiding over your case whether you’re disputing a speeding ticket, getting a divorce, fighting for child custody, or suing for damages in a car accident. And a majority of those judges are elected. But who are these candidates asking for your vote, and what do you need to know about them? We dig into the main candidates to know and where to find out more with Alejandra Cancino, senior reporter at Injustice Watch and Sonni Williams, president Illinois State Bar Association. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Before you even get to the “President of the U.S.” part of your voter ballot, there may be an “advisory referendum” you’ll be asked to weigh in on. Then at some point, you’ll have the option to weigh in on pages and pages of judges. Then there’s that office of the county circuit clerk – but what does that person even do? And what even is the Water Reclamation District, and why are you being asked about it? Reset demystifies your Election Day ballot with Tony Arnold, WBEZ government and politics editor, and WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

From questions about how and where to vote to what to expect as the votes are counted, we turn to the experts. Reset checks in with election officials Matt Dietrich, public information officer Illinois State Board of Elections and Max Bever, Director of Public Information at the Chicago Board of Elections. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Nearly a century after the team played its first game, the Harlem Globetrotters continue to occupy a unique and entertaining niche in basketball and American sports writ large. A lot of what we see today is the realization of the vision of one man: Abe Saperstein. But his influence went far beyond the basketball court. Reset learns more about one of the more creative minds and interesting personalities to shape American sports in the 20th century with Mark Jacob, author of the book “Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up The World Of Sports.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Jury selection in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan continues this week. Madigan was long known as the “velvet hammer” for his subtle but powerful grip on state politics. He was the longest-serving speaker in American history, a position he held for 36 years under seven Illinois governors. In March 2022, he was indicted on 22 counts of racketeering and bribery charges for “allegedly using his official position to corruptly solicit and receive personal financial rewards for himself and his associates,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Reset discusses with Chicago Sun-Times federal courts reporter Jon Seidel what you need to know to follow WBEZ and Sun-Times reporting on the trial as it unfolds. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

It’s Filipino American History Month, so we’re learning about how kamayan, the communal style of eating with hands, preserves Filipino culture. Plus, we discuss places in Chicago to sit down to a table covered in banana leaves and delicious Filipino dishes like lechon, longganisa and fish. Reset checks in with local restaurateurs Christine Ledesma, owner and co-founder of Kubo Chicago and Billy Dec, the CEO and founder of Sunda New Asian. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Siblings Olivia Hardy and Will Gao didn’t always know making music together was in the cards. “I feel like the process was pretty organic,” Hardy said. “There was never like a, ‘Today marks the beginning of everything.’” But even so, music has always been a big part of their lives. Gao recalls there always being music playing in their childhood whether it was on the CD player or the radio. The two have gone on to form the band Wasia Project. They’ve released a handful of singles and EPs and toured with the likes of Grammy-award winning jazz singer Laufey and artist Tom Odell. The duo dropped their latest EP ‘Isotope’ in August featuring tracks like ‘Is This What Love Is?’ and ‘Somebody Come Through.’ Hardy and Gao stopped by WBEZ’s studios ahead of their sold-out Chicago show at Lincoln Hall for an interview with Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson replaced the entire Board of Education, the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan got underway and the Chicago Bears head to London. Reset dives into these and other top local stories with CW26 reporter and anchor Brandon Pope, WBEZ assistant managing editor Kate Grossman and Better Government Association president David Greising. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Forget the planet Krypton. Did you know Illinois is Superman’s home state? In 1972 the state legislature declared Metropolis as his home town, and the residents there have embraced the Man of Steel by painting Superman on their water tower, building a 15-foot statue of him in front of their courthouse and even dedicating a museum to him. Reset intern Jules Yaeger explores the Super Museum, a shrine to the Man of Steel himself. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago alderpeople are not up for reelection, but residents across the city are receiving mailers that either praise or criticize alders for their stance on a proposal to electrify new homes in Chicago. WTTW looked into who is sending the mailers, and why. Reset learns what’s going on with Heather Cherone,Chicago politics reporter at WTTW. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.