Author: WBEZ Chicago

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Latest Chicago Budget Proposal Drops Property Tax Hike, Relies On Skipping A $40 Million Loan Repayment

After Mayor Johnson cancelled a vote on his budget plan Friday because he did not have the votes for it to pass, he and alders worked over the weekend on an updated proposal that drops the property tax hike completely and relies on skipping a $40 million loan repayment to balance the budget. The city has until Dec. 31 to agree on a plan. Reset checks in with executive director at the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability Ralph Martire about the latest and about his ideas for structural reforms to how Chicago does budgeting. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicago Musician Hemlock On Their Latest Release ‘444’

Chicago singer-songwriter hemlock wrote a song a day for a month, then continued that process for years. Some of the best of the bunch are collected on their new album “444.” The record includes previously released songs that have been reimagined with a band of Chicago musicians. Reset learns more and listens to some great music. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: Dec. 13, 2024

City Council prepares to vote on Mayor Johnson’s revised budget proposal. President-elect Trump’s border czar warns that mass deportations could start in Chicago. The prosecution wraps up its case in the Madigan corruption trial. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with freelance journalist Leigh Giangreco, WTTW News correspondent Nick Blumberg and Chicago Sun-Times chief political reporter Tina Sfondeles. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - How To Make Showstopper Holiday Cookies

There are treats galore this time of year, but holiday cookies stand out for their ability to impress and bring people together. Reset discusses holiday cookies with Nirali Chauhan, amateur baker and contestant on “The Great American Baking Show.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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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.