Author: WBEZ Chicago

This weekend, Chicagoans can catch a celebration of the WGN icon and red-haired jester Bozo the Clown. The event will be hosted by Chicago native and Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and will feature actor David Arquette as Bozo himself. Ahead of the weekend celebration, Reset opens the phones to hear listeners share their Bozo Circus memories that run the gamut. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Former president Donald Trump makes a stop in Chicago, questions around the Chicago Board of Education, the city’s Greyhound station to stay and Open House Chicago. Reset dives into these stories and more with Block Club Chicago reporter Melody Mercado, WTTW news correspondent Nick Blumberg and WBEZ data projects editor Alden Loury. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Open House Chicago is back! The architecture festival will run from Oct. 19 to 20. You’ll be able to see more than 170 buildings for free. And this year, 25 new sites have been added to that list. Reset gets the latest from the Chicago Architecture Center’s Adam Rubin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Scientists found the comet back in 2023. You can see it now for the next few days. It’s thought that the last time this comet was seen from Earth was 80,000 years ago. Reset checks in with Adler Planetarium astronomer Michael Zevin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Half a century ago a dozen Chicago women working in a male-dominated profession launched, “Chicago Women in Architecture.” Among the issues the group discussed in those early years were lack of recognition for their part in what are often team projects, the challenge of working in a demanding profession while raising children and inequitable pay. The Chicago Architecture Center currently has an exhibit called “Disrupters,” that tells the story of women in architecture. Reset goes on a field trip with architecture guru and resident real estate journalist for Crain's Chicago Dennis Rodkins to explore the buildings downtown that were designed by women. Beginning at this exhibit they find along the way legendary Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney, an original member of Chicago Women in Architecture to discuss her experience and why women have a prominent place in architecture. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

When entering the voter booth, you may be more prepared to mark your choice for president. But the longest part of your ballot has to do with officials who are more likely to have a direct impact on your life: judges. They’re the ones presiding over your case whether you’re disputing a speeding ticket, getting a divorce, fighting for child custody, or suing for damages in a car accident. And a majority of those judges are elected. But who are these candidates asking for your vote, and what do you need to know about them? We dig into the main candidates to know and where to find out more with Alejandra Cancino, senior reporter at Injustice Watch and Sonni Williams, president Illinois State Bar Association. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Before you even get to the “President of the U.S.” part of your voter ballot, there may be an “advisory referendum” you’ll be asked to weigh in on. Then at some point, you’ll have the option to weigh in on pages and pages of judges. Then there’s that office of the county circuit clerk – but what does that person even do? And what even is the Water Reclamation District, and why are you being asked about it? Reset demystifies your Election Day ballot with Tony Arnold, WBEZ government and politics editor, and WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

From questions about how and where to vote to what to expect as the votes are counted, we turn to the experts. Reset checks in with election officials Matt Dietrich, public information officer Illinois State Board of Elections and Max Bever, Director of Public Information at the Chicago Board of Elections. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Nearly a century after the team played its first game, the Harlem Globetrotters continue to occupy a unique and entertaining niche in basketball and American sports writ large. A lot of what we see today is the realization of the vision of one man: Abe Saperstein. But his influence went far beyond the basketball court. Reset learns more about one of the more creative minds and interesting personalities to shape American sports in the 20th century with Mark Jacob, author of the book “Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up The World Of Sports.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.