Author: WBEZ Chicago

Donald Trump is now the president-elect after winning several key battleground states, including Wisconsin, the state that pushed him over 270 electoral votes. Plus, Cook County has a new State’s Attorney, Chicago has its first elected school board officials and more. Reset discusses the results with Democratic political strategist Delmarie Cobb; Northwestern University political science professor Jaime Dominguez; former Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady; WBEZ city government and politics reporter Tessa Weinberg; WBEZ criminal justice reporter Chip Mitchell; Illinois State Board of Elections public information officer Matt Dietrich and Palatine Township Republican chairman Aaron Del Mar. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Voices of Hope Community Chorus features more than 60 men and women affected by breast cancer, many of whom are breast cancer survivors. The local chorus puts on fall and spring concerts in Glenview and Oak Park. For their 2024 fall concerts, they will be performing the music of great American icons like Bob Dylan, Carole King, Smokey Robinson and more. Reset sits down with Kevin Kelly, artistic director of Voices of Hope Community Chorus and choir member June Anthony to learn more.

As a divided country braces for election results, we examine how our online actions can have real world consequences with Jill Hopke, associate professor of journalism at DePaul University’s College of Communication and George Scully, assistant clinical professor of business law and business ethics at the University of Illinois Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Under Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed budget, the Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform would see a 45% cut and vacant positions continuing to go unfilled. Plus, a new Chicago Sun-Times investigation details how CPD’s remaining staff struggle to fill the gaps. Reset gets the details from Sun-Times assistant criminal justice editor Tom Schuba. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In Lebanon, a fifth of the population has been displaced in the process of seeking shelter from Israeli airstrikes. The death toll is nearly 3,000 with more than 13,000 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health. Meanwhile more than 60 have died from Hezbollah rocket fire in Israel, according to Israeli officials. Reset checks in with Chicago emergency physician Dr. Thaer Ahmad. He recently returned from a medical mission to southern Lebanon. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

As president, Republican Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord and attempted to slash funding for the Environmental Protection Agency. As vice president, Democrat Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation that advances climate action. Reset takes a look at how each might deal with environmental issues and how those decisions could affect Chicagoans with Reset sustainability contributor Karen Weigert. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Hamartia comes from Greek tragedy and refers to a hero or heroine’s fatal flaw. For Meredith Johnston, it’s self-hatred. This is the focus of her new album Hamartia. Reset sits down with the singer to talk about the inspiration behind the project and getting a taste of Warm Human’s range from electronic to indie to pop. GUEST: Meredith Johnston, singer and songwriter, Warm Human

How does one say goodbye to what feels like the utterly perfect television series? Season 3 of HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere,” which just kicked off on Oct. 27, will be the Peabody award-winning comedy-drama’s last hoorah. The show takes viewers to Manhattan, Kansas, where finding your people is possible. Reset sits down with members of the cast and crew Bridget Everett, Jeff Hiller, Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen to discuss the show’s Midwestern roots, queer communities and navigating adult friendships. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

To find one of the most unusual miniature golf courses in the Chicago area, you arrive at a funeral home in Palatine and then go a little more than six feet under, to the basement. At Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home on Northwest Highway, the main floor is for funerals and downstairs is where the family’s homemade mini golf course called Ahlgrim Acres has been for 60 years. Reset went on a field trip with our architecture sleuth and Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Dennis Rodkin to check it out.