Mini traffic circles at the intersections of residential streets might annoy drivers because they force cars to slow down. But their safety features outweigh the inconvenience.
With a shortage of more than 150,000 homes in Chicago, the city is seeking new solutions to provide quick and affordable homes to residents. Modular homes and accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are seen as the most effective solution to this crisis, providing Chicagoans with cheaper access to housing. Reset learns more about the fight to legalize the construction of new ADUs and the overall fight for affordable housing in Chicago, with Bob Palmer, policy director at Housing Action Illinois; Alex Nitkin, government finance and accountability reporter at Illinois Answers Project; and Tim Swanson, founder of Inherent L3C.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
State Farm will raise home insurance premiums for new and current Illinois customers starting mid-July, saying it’s getting too expensive. In 2024, the company said it paid out more in claims than it collected in premiums. Illinois residents will see an average increase of 27%. Reset hears how this could affect residents, with Nedra Sims-Fears, executive director of the Greater Chatham Initiative, and Kaila Lariviere, manager of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
After the devastating heat wave that hit Chicago in 1995, the city has introduced numerous different plans and programs to fight the heat. But is it enough? Is Chicago fully prepared to prevent another tragedy?
Reset finds out with Kaila Lariviere, manager of Emergency Management Services for the city of Chicago; Sheetal Rao, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago; and Daniel Horton, assistant professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Heat is the most hazardous weather event in the world. The UN estimates that mortality for people over 65 years old increased by 85% between 2017 and 2021. As climate change brings more extreme temperatures, we examine the short- and long-term effects of heat exposure. Plus, what we need to do to address health inequities and disparities to prevent a repeat of the 1995 heat wave that killed 739 Chicagoans. Reset learns more from Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility and Dr. Kiran Joshi, Chief Operating Officer for Cook County Department of Public Health.
Former alderman Ed Burke was released from prison and former alderwoman Carrie Austin has been ruled too sick to stand trial. Meanwhile, current alderman Walter Burnett announced he’s stepping down, city lawyers have approved more police misconduct settlements and Mayor Johnson had some harsh words for the Trump administration. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with WTTW Chicago politics reporter Heather Cherone, Block Club Chicago reporter Madison Savedra and WBEZ data projects editor Alden Loury.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
As we mark 30 years since Chicago’s deadly 1995 heat wave, we look at the way social isolation contributed to the death of hundreds of residents and what’s being done today to prevent that from happening again. Reset speaks with Carol J. Sharp, president and CEO of The Night Ministry; Jahmal Cole, CEO and founder of My Block My Hood, My City; and Margaret Laraviere, deputy commissioner of senior services for the Department of Family and Support Services.
Chicagoan Lou Della Evans Reid co-founded the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in the 1950s and led its 200-person gospel choir. She was a pioneer in the modern gospel music scene, putting Chicago on the map as a hub of the genre. She died at 94. Reset hears her life story from Bob Marovich, gospel music historian, author, radio host and founder of Journal of Gospel Music.
Thirty years ago, a deadly heat wave hit the Chicago area, overwhelming city agencies, the power grid, and ultimately contributing to the deaths of 739 people. What did that week look like to the residents, the first responders, and the journalists who reported on it?
Reset revisits the summer of 1995 with Chicago Fire Department Deputy Commissioner Brandon Keller, WBEZ listener Stephanie Behne and Maudlyne Ihejirika, Field Foundation Director of Journalism and Storytelling.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Today marks the anniversary of the ratification of the 14th Amendment, which established citizenship for freed slaves and women. The anniversary comes at a time when birthright citizenship is under threat by the Trump administration. Reset digs into what a weakened 14th Amendment could mean for Americans with Evan Bernick, associate professor of law at Northern Illinois University, and David Stovall, professor of Black Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
