Author: WBEZ Chicago

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - HBO’s ‘Somebody Somewhere’ Will Sing Its Last Song In Season 3

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.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - What’s That Building? Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home and Ahlgrim Acres

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.
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Curious City - “Spooky and salacious:” Do we need to rethink prison tourism?

It’s spooky season, a time when we often visit haunted houses and think about the paranormal. And if you live in the Chicago area, you’ve probably seen billboards and ads for the Old Joliet Haunted Prison. But at one point, it was an actual prison. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, questions about the paranormal can serve as an entry into the historical context of a place. Last episode, we visited the Old Joliet Prison to look into a lister’s question about whether it’s haunted. And that got us thinking about the ethics of “prison tourism.” Is it OK to take a place where people suffered and died and turn it into a site of entertainment? Today, we get into this question and more with Hope Corrigan, who reported on it for The Marshall Project.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Ghost Stories And Chicago History

Reset gears up for Halloween with a deep dive into Chicago history through the lens of the supernatural. Haunted, mysterious Chicago tales live in every corner of the city, and ghost stories can also be history lessons, a unique way to explore and learn. Reset checks in with Adam Selzer, Chicago historian, tour guide and author of Mysterious Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Mayor Johnson Pitches A $300 Million Property Tax Hike

n his annual budget address delivered Tuesday, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was left with no choice but to propose a $300 million property tax increase to help close a $982 million budget gap. Reset discusses those and other proposals from the mayor with WBEZ city government and politics reporter Mariah Woelfel. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Meet Chicago Singer-Songwriter Delaney Bailey

Delaney Bailey started writing music her freshman year of college at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Her first released single “Loving & Losing” garnered over 163,000 streams on Spotify and her following quickly grew to over 30,000 listeners on the music platform. Now, the singer has released EPs like “This Is About You” and “(i would have followed you).” Her newest project “Chiaroscuro” is her first EP written and produced with other artists like Carrie K, Matt Martin, Gabe Simon and Hazey Eyes. Reset sits down with the Indiana-born, Chicago-based singer and songwriter ahead of the release. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - What A Trump Or Harris Presidency Could Mean For Housing In Illinois And Chicago

Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have different ideas when it comes to both growing housing stock and making it more affordable – a major concern for voters this election. Reset checks in with Erika Poethig, a leader with the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and board member for the Illinois Housing Development Authority, to help compare the two candidates’ policies and how it would impact people here in Chicago and Illinois. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - How A Harris Or Trump Presidency Could Affect Immigrants In The Chicago Area

Immigrant advocacy groups in Chicago are preparing for mass deportations under a potential Trump presidency and a tighter border regardless of who wins. From know-your-rights training, reengaging rapid response teams and preparing legal clinics, advocates say they’re leaning into lessons learned during the first Trump presidency. Reset speaks with Erendira Rendon, vice president of immigrant justice, The Resurrection Project; Lawrence Benito, executive director, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; and Antonio Gutierrez, strategic coordinator with Organized Communities Against Deportations to hear more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicago Landlords Are Using A Software That May Be Illegally Setting Rents

RealPage, a company owned by a Chicago-based private equity group, is facing DOJ and class-action lawsuits alleging that their software for landlords violates antitrust laws. The software, which generates recommended rent prices, is used to price over 70,000 apartments in Chicago alone, according to RealPage’s own data. Reset sits down with WBEZ data reporter Amy Qin to learn how Chicago renters could be affected. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.