Author: WBEZ Chicago

What happened this week? Well, Kamala Harris tapped a Midwesterner to join the top of the Democratic ticket – and it wasn’t JB Pritzker. After breaking a long losing streak, the Chicago White Sox also lost manager Pedro Grifol. And on its 20th anniversary, we remember the Dave Matthews Band and “poopgate.” Reset digs into those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap. Our panel this week: Mitchell Armentrout, Chicago Sun-Times government and politics reporter, Kim Bellware, Washington Post national and breaking news reporter, and Michael Puente, WBEZ reporter and Sunday anchor. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago is at the center of industrial music – and a museum in the Bridgeport neighborhood tells that history. Outside, the brick building is nondescript. But inside, posters, T-shirts and cassette tapes overlap on the walls and cascade down to the floor. Today, Reset heads to the Museum of Post-Punk & Industrial Music as part of our series featuring museums off the beaten path. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Just in time for the Democratic National Convention, theatergoers can catch overtly political musicals, like 44, a tale about Obama told from Joe Biden’s perspective, a revival of Hair, and much more in Chicago’s theaters this August. Reset gets recommendations for shows to catch around town from WBEZ theater reporter, Mike Davis. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Sonya Massey was shot in her own home by former sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson after calling for help from a potential prowler. Now, Massey’s family is demanding a police reform bill that would prevent officers like Grayson, who bounced between six police departments in four years, from holding a badge and a gun. But some state senators, including Doris Turner, want to turn to existing legislation before exploring new ideas. Reset breaks this down with Mawa Iqbal, WBEZ statehouse reporter and Sharon Fairley, criminal justice reform expert to find out what Massey’s family is calling for, why some policymakers are pushing back, and what change is needed to ensure police officers are held accountable for misconduct. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Tree health in Illinois is on the decline. One major issue contributing to this is the widespread use of weedkillers on commercial farms, lawns and turf. Herbicide drift, or the movement of toxic chemicals found in common weedkillers to non-targeted plants and trees, is damaging leaves, branches and even fruit. Not only do these chemicals affect plant growth, it’s still unclear whether it has an impact on human health too. Reset learns how herbicide drift is hurting the long term health of natural biodiversity. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The mayor is racing to prepare the city to host the DNC. Plus, the convention is working with tourist arm Choose Chicago to promote diverse neighborhoods among convention attendees, but it’s unclear how effectively this will spread the benefits of the convention across the city. Reset learns the latest on the DNC. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Sorry, Josh Shapiro and JB Pritzker: Kamala Harris has tapped Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. The pair will kick off their campaign together touring battleground states – starting Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Plus: Harris gains support from Illinois Republican politicians. Reset gets the latest on Harris’ efforts to court the Midwest vote. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The rich stone edifice of Thalia Hall is a lot to take in. Now a concert venue, this Pilsen building has a history as a gathering place for ethnic communities, and theater for movies and Shakespeare plays. Reset’s Sasha-Ann Simons and architecture expert Dennis Rodkin head to the beloved music venue for the latest in our series “What’s That Building.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

This year, breaking – aka breakdancing – is joining the Olympics. The dance sport joins a score of other recent additions, like surfing, skateboarding, and sports climbing. Reset spoke with a couple of local superfans of these sports for more on what they’re excited to see at the Olympics, and finds out more about what the local surfing and skateboarding scenes look like in Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.