Author: WBEZ Chicago

Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws, a coalition for reproductive justice and LGBTQ+ liberation, filed a federal lawsuit against the city last Thursday. That suit alleges the city violated their first and fourteenth amendment rights by denying their request to protest by the Water Tower on Michigan Ave, where many Democratic National Convention delegates will be staying. Plus, Mayor Johnson scraps his plan to relocate a downtown migrant shelter to the 11th ward. Reset hears the latest in city politics from WBEZ’s Tessa Weinberg and Mariah Woelfel. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A new report finds Illinois residents could see a rate increase in their gas bills of 50% over the next 10 years. That report, from the Building Decarbonization Coalition and Groundworks Data, shows the state’s continued investment in natural gas infrastructure. Reset talks through meaningful intervention options with WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Nine out of ten people in the U.S. own a smartphone, according to the Pew Research Center. As our society becomes built around this technology, some people are nostalgic for a different time – when cell phones didn’t dominate and distract us. Reset discusses the topic with CPS principal Seth Lavin, who got rid of his smartphone, and TJ Driver, co-founder of Brick, a device that disables apps on your smartphone temporarily. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Student organizers from Northwestern, University of Chicago, DePaul and the School of the Art Institute have all set up pro-Palestinan encampments in recent weeks. Reset gets the latest on the protests from WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip, The Depaulia’s Lilly Keller and The Daily Northwestern’s Jacob Wendler. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Quinn Chapel is an icon in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood that the community is in the process of restoring. The building sits on the corner of 24th and Wabash. It has a long history of Black activism and was once a station on the Underground Railroad, helping Black people escape enslavement. Reset learns more about this building and renovation project from architecture sleuth Dennis Rodkin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

UTOPIA NOW! is the latest from the queer indie super star Rosie Tucker. The album explores the failings of the music industry, the dangers of fame, and reflections on identity. Rosie joins Reset to talk about new music and the artists that inspired their sound. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Protests continue on local university campuses. Lawmakers return to Springfield for spring session, where the Bears’ stadium plans are sidelined by the governor’s aides and other political leaders. Meanwhile, Mayor Johnson prepares to relaunch a guaranteed basic income program and the speed limit could be lowered in Chicago. Reset goes behind those headlines and more with Axios’ Monica Eng, Chicago Tribune’s Ray Long and WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

May is the time to get garden beds ready, and harden off your seedlings so you can get your veggies in the ground now for bountiful summer months. Reset gets tips for getting veggie gardens started and spring veggie recipes from cultural historian and chef Jordan Wimby and the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Chester Jankowski. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Producer: Jules Yaeger Editor: Meha AhmadIllinois’ biggest cicada season in over two centuries is beginning. Around a trillion cicadas will emerge from the ground all across the state—in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike. Reset checks in with Allen Lawrance with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Stephanie Adams with the Morton Arboretum about the impact of this insect on people and plants this summer. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset. Mixer: Brenda Ruiz

Last year, Calumet City cited a Daily Southtown reporter for seeking comment from public employees. That’s one out of at least 165 incidents that interfered with journalists seeking and conveying information to the public last year, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. But many violations of press freedom go unreported or under the radar. To mark World Press Freedom Day this week, Reset checked in with Seth Stern, director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, to learn more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.