Author: WBEZ Chicago

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Curious City - Why telling “the proper stories” is vital to understanding the Piasa

Roadside attractions aren’t always the kitschy photo op we imagine them to be. Some have a complicated history that you can’t see from the side of the road. Last episode, we took a road trip to Southern Illinois to look into a metal, firebreathing dragon. Today, we’re looking at a different landmark in nearby Alton: the Piasa. Unlike the Kaskaskia dragon, the Piasa has a centuries-old history that starts with the Indigenous people of what is now the Mississippi River. The Piasa — as most people know it — is a mythical creature painted on the bluffs of the Mississippi. The image depicts a winged figure with antlers, fangs and talons. It’s a recreation of the original image which was destroyed in the 1850s because of quarrying on the bluffs. Through the centuries, different stories have been told about the meaning and origins behind this creature, including one that is popular but fabricated. Dr. Mark Wagner, director of the Center for Archaeological Investigations at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, talks about the layered history of the mural. Logan Pappenfort, director of tribal relations for the Illinois State Museum, talks about why it’s important to uplift true cultural artifacts and says the real history behind them isn’t hard to uncover if you know where to look.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - America’s First Environmental Justice Officer Reflects On Biden Administration, And What’s Next

The Biden-Harris Administration is credited with some of the most sweeping climate legislation in history, but environmental justice was also at the forefront. The administration set a goal of investing 40% of all benefits from sustainability and green energy in communities overburdened with pollution. Reset checks in with the outgoing White House Chief Environmental Justice Officer Jalonne White-Newsome for her reflections on her tenure, successes, what didn’t work, and what’s ahead. We also hear from Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - How Iconic Femmes Inspired ‘Knockout,’ A Dance Duet At Steppenwolf

For Erin Kilmurray and Kara Brody, “Knockout” began as a passion project before the pandemic in 2020. Through their combined experiences growing up with pop culture icons like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charlie’s Angels, they found themselves intrigued and inspired by the femme fatale archetype. Through exploring their own lives and friendship, they created the hourlong dance performance “Knockout.” Intimacy, aggression, tension, desire, and softness all come together to tell a story that though is not linear in nature, and expresses womanhood in an original way. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - What Police Settlement Cases Are Costing Chicago Taxpayers

Chicago City Council gears up to vote on more than $39 million in settlements for police misconduct cases. Reset was joined by Director of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic Sheila Bedi and WBEZ criminal justice editor Patrick Smith to look at how much progress has been made on mandatory reforms in CPD – and how much money a lack of progress is costing taxpayers. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Why Are Some Health Insurers Denying Treatment After It’s Working?

Some insurers are denying mental health treatment when they deem the patient has started to improve. A ProPublica investigation shows that the level of improvement is hard to measure, and the guidelines insurers are using to make these decisions do not always match mental health providers’ standards of care. Reset gets the story from ProPublica reporter Duaa Eldeib. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Illinois Passes Bill To Remove Guns From Alleged Abusers

Karina’s Bill was passed by the Illinois General Assembly last Tuesday, closing a loophole that allowed those accused of domestic violence to keep their guns. The measure is named in honor of Karina Gonzalez, a woman from Little Village who – along with her daughter, 15 – was fatally shot by her husband in July 2023. To learn more about what the legislation changes in Illinois, Reset sits down with two advocates who work closely with survivors of domestic violence: Stephanie Love-Pattersono, CEO of The National Network to End Domestic Violence; and Maralea Negron, director of policy, advocacy and research at The Network. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Tasty Ways To Sip Through ‘Dry January’ And Beyond

With the U.S. Surgeon General calling for warning labels on alcohol, there’s plenty of reasons to consider scaling back. And the good news? There are a lot of tasty things to drink instead. Reset gets a roundup of some great non-alcoholic drinks to sip all year long from Pat Corcoran, co-founder of Years, a craft non-alcoholic beer company and Carrie May, a nurse practitioner and founder of the sober community Chicago AF. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.