Author: WBEZ Chicago

They’ve been trash talking on the campaign trail, but finally, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance will go head-to-head on primetime TV, Tuesday at 8 p.m. Central. Will the two be “Midwest nice” or go for the political jugular? Reset checks in with political expert Tabitha Bonilla, associate professor at Northwestern University, for her take on what to look out for at the vice presidential debate. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset received an email from a listener inquiring about the 700 block of Maxwell street, wondering about the story behind the historic 19th and 20th century facades. Reset’s architecture guru Dennis Rodkins explains how in the late 1990s, the University of Illinois Chicago redeveloped the area south of Roosevelt Road, the site of the Maxwell Street Market which led to the array of historic designs we see today. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Lake Michigan’s waters are the warmest they’ve ever been in documented history, and it's not just Lake Michigan either. The five great lakes are all seeing rising temperatures and this trend is not showing signs of slowing. Reset WBEZ’s environment reporter Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco breaks down what’s behind these rising temperatures and what they mean for wildlife and Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Since 1986, Chiu Quon Bakery has been a Chicago staple for traditional Chinese baked specialties. Featured in season three of FX’s The Bear, it’s the oldest Chinese bakery in Chicago, and it has two locations in the city. The bakeries have dozens of different kinds of sweets that are made by hand daily. The specialty treats they offer are part of a dying tradition that their bakery is making sure to keep alive and offer for generations to come. Reset speaks with one of the co-owners, Joyce Chiu, to learn about the bakery’s story. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Honestly, what’s better than some fall vibes and a good book? Because ’tis the season for spooky thrillers, horror, romance and mystery! For our Question Of The Week, we asked our listeners: What are you reading right now and what’s on your fall reading list? Reset talks books and fall reads with assistant commissioner of collections Lindsay Laren and editor-in-chief of the Chicago Review of Books Michael Welch. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The Chicago Sky’s coach is fired. Hundreds more people join a lawsuit saying they were abused at juvenile detention centers across Illinois. Mayor Brandon Johnson calls for the resignation of Chicago Public Schools CEO. Reset goes behind those headlines and more with a panel of local journalists on the Weekly News Recap. This week’s panel: Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin, City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran, and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitchell Armentrout. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The WNBA broke its own records across all categories this year: ticket sales, attendance, viewership — even players’ stat lines were blowing up. And Chicago’s team did not miss out on the action, having its own moment in the spotlight before falling to injuries (and more mature teams) mid-season and failing to make the playoffs. But the Sky’s future looks bright. Reset sat down with Annie Costabile, Chicago Sky reporter for the Sun-Times, Maya Goldberg-Safir, who wrote about the Sky for South Side Weekly this season and Quita from the Quita Loves Sports channel on YouTube. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A new report by the Greater Chicago Food Depository found that 1 in 3 families in the city can’t cover the basic costs of living. This includes the cost of eating every day. This data hasn’t changed much since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic — how is that possible? And what can be done? Reset talks with Jim Conwell, VP of marketing and communications at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The Chicago River has gone through a lot to shed its cesspool past and enter into its cleaner, shinier present. But has it gone far enough to make the average Chicagoan feel comfortable to take a dip in it? Reset learns about a unique approach to monitoring the health of the area's rivers from Alaina Harkness, ED of Current and Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University’s Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and what the data can tell us about how the rivers are constantly changing. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.