Author: WBEZ Chicago

Earlier this year, the city’s Board of Education unanimously voted to remove school resource officers, or SROs, from school buildings. Since then, Chicago Public Schools has come up with a new school safety plan without police officers, that instead explores alternatives that focus on mediation over punishment. Reset checks with Chalkbeat reporter Reema Amin to learn more about this new safety plan. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

There are nearly 9,000 migrant children attending CPS schools. This influx of students is shining a light on CPS’ lack of resources, particularly for Spanish-speaking children. Reset sits down with Chalkbeat reporter Reema Amina and Block Club Chicago reporter Mina Bloom about their latest work investigating how CPS is falling short in meeting the needs of all their students. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

When school lets out for the summer break, many students can lose access to consistent meals. But now, kids experiencing food insecurity will be eligible for a seasonal grocery benefit. Reset digs into why the Summer EBT program is a big deal — and what other resources families can use this summer. We talk with Man-Yee Lee, director of communications for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and Carmen Moorer, youth services manager for the Chicago Heights Public Library. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

It’s not just the city of Chicago that’s losing population, it’s also neighboring suburbs in Cook County, according to new Census data. Meanwhile, some suburbs farther out from Chicago are gaining big time. Reset learns more about this trend, who is going where, and some of the factors at play. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Within the packed agenda before it, Chicago City Council is set to introduce ordinances that call upon Mayor Brandon Johnson to fire CTA President Dorval Carter, amidst calls for “new leadership” in the transit agency. Reset hears a preview of this week’s Chicago City Council meeting from WBEZ city government and politics reporters Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

What does a bird think when it sees billions of cicadas flying around? Lunchtime. More than just a nuisance, periodical cicadas are an important player in the forest ecosystem. A 2023 study published in the journal Science, found that 80 species of birds started eating cicadas instead of caterpillars during the Brood X emergence, which had an effect on trees where the caterpillars live. Reset learns how the current eruption of cicadas affects the forest ecosystem, and the ripple effects we could be seeing for years to come. We talk to ecologist Zoe Getman-Pickering and Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago tears down a lot of buildings — the city issued nearly a thousand demolition permits in 2023 alone. But it’s not always clear why or what exactly is being torn down in the city. One Chicago photographer has made it his mission to document these doomed buildings before they get razed. Reset sits down with Soren Spicknall to talk about his photo series “Leave the Seat Empty.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Here in Chicago and Illinois, we have a rich history of LGBTQ+ activism. Now, we can visit a traveling exhibit about the last 50 years of fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. The exhibit, called “Queer Justice,” is being featured at Chicago’s Center on Halsted. Reset checks in with Camilla Taylor, the deputy legal director for litigation at Lambda Legal, a national legal organization that focuses on LGBTQ+ rights and for those living with HIV. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the country is on the rise in state legislatures, schools, and at some private companies. While DEI is intended to correct inequities within an organization, opponents of DEI programs argue it instead promotes division. Reset sits down with Alida Miranda-Wolff, Chicago DEI expert and author of The First-Time Manager: DEI to hear how to foster a safe, inclusive and productive workplace. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.