Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Thursday announced he’s resigning from office at the end of February. The 78-year-old Democrat has been a fixture and a power player in Springfield for half a century, but questions about his ties to the ComEd bribery scandal laid him low in recent years. Reset looks back on Madigan’s reign in Springfield and gets reaction from state lawmakers. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast and please leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, go to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker delivered his State of the State address Wednesday on his plans for next year’s Illinois state budget. Reset digs into the main takeaways with WBEZ’s Tony Arnold and checks in with a lawmaker for her reaction. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast and please leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, go to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker delivered his annual State of the State address today. We've got expert analysis from WBEZ reporter Tony Arnold in our companion podcast. This is the governor's complete address

Monday night’s snowstorm created hazardous road conditions for commuters throughout the Chicago region. Reset brings on a local meteorologist, a traffic reporter and hears from for the latest on the storm and its impact on the region. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast and please leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, go to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset.

The latest COVID-19 stimulus bill earmarked $15 billion for arts funding, including relief for concert venues and theaters. Reset checks in with the head of Chicago’s Congo Square Theatre to discuss how artists are getting through the pandemic and what to expect from their 2021 production schedule.

Chicago’s deep freeze is expected to stick around for a while and could be the longest cold snap in February in 60 years. The leaves many homeless Chicagoans vulnerable to the bitter cold amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Reset checks in with local organizations working toward long-term solutions to homelessness in the city and around Illinois

American carmaker General Motors on Thursday announced an ambitious plan to only sell zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Reset finds out if the news is as game-changing as it sounds. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast and please leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, go to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset

Leisure and hospitality businesses are suffering due to COVID-19, but many in the industry are fighting — and getting creative — to survive. Reset hears from a hotel union that’s working to help its Chicago-based workers survive job losses and a local chef who is helping provide mutual aid for others in her industry as COVID-19 continues to force restaurants and other food businesses to close. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast and please leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, go to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset

The U.S. is currently grappling with how the country approaches issues of race. One seemingly counterintuitive question: Is recognizing a Black History Month a good thing? Meaning, does it still help with the struggle for racial equity? Some critics say the month marginalizes the Black experience, while many others continue to see it as a crucial time to recognize Black history. Reset brings on the current head of the Smithsonian — the first Black historian to ever hold the position — and two Black writers who have depicted the Black American experience to weigh in on those questions. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast and please leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, go to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset

Reset brings on an infectious disease expert for our weekly check-in to provide clarity and answers to your questions, comments and concerns about COVID-19.