In the Loop

A proposal in Chicago’s City Council would end lower minimum wage for tipped workers like waitstaff and bartenders. But the proposal faces opposition from the hospitality industry. We turn to Ald. Jessie Fuentes of the 26th Ward, one of the council members behind the proposal, for more.

We check in with Maureen Ryan, author of the new book Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood, about what led to the current double strike in Hollywood and what needs to change to get the industry back on track.

At this time, Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability does not have “sufficient evidence” to recommend disciplinary actions be taken against officers. Reset discusses the ongoing investigation with Andrea Kersten, chief administrator, COPA

Voguing is a dance style created by Black and Latino queer communities that went mainstream in the ‘90s, when big acts like Madonna started incorporating the style into their work. WBEZ podcast host Erin Allen reached out to Reset because she was struggling to find a place in Chicago that taught the dance style. For our “Lost & Found” series, Reset got in touch with TEXTUREDance in Buena Park to learn about voguing’s roots and a few moves to boot.

A team of WBEZ reporters spent a day embedded on the West Side where migrants are in a holding pattern, staying in the 12th District police station, a tent city or a nearby shelter. The result is a look into a slice of the migrant experience, and the network of Chicagoans who have stepped up to help them.

Reset talks to WBEZ reporters Kristen Schorsch, Mariah Woelfel, and Claudia Morell. We also check in with Erika Villegas, a volunteer helping migrants at the 8th District police station, and Sonia Lopez, employee of New Life Centers.

Artificial intelligence can do a lot, but can it write a poem as lovely as a tree? The explosion of AI technology has placed a vulnerability on the creative world. Writers of novels, poetry, and scripts all face the possibility of being replaced by software coded to mimic their own human experiences (see: the current Hollywood crisis and strikes). But many artists have remained confident in the idea that a computer simply can’t beat the creativity and emotion of the human soul.

But that’s not for lack of trying. Writer Robbie Q. Telfer investigates this through his latest book of poetry “lonely line breaks: ChatRQT.”

Reset sits down with the poet about the book and his experiences with AI.

It’s been a couple weeks since the SCOTUS decision, so how will the country’s selective schools continue to promote diversity? Reset discusses what’s next with Oiyan Poon, associate professor affiliate of higher education leadership at Colorado State University and Anthony Chen, associate professor of sociology at Northwestern University.

The civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH has welcomed a new leader after its longtime president and founder, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, formally announced his exit Sunday.

To learn more about Jackson’s legacy and the future of the organization, Reset sits down with Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, U.S. Senator from Illinois (1993-99), and Delmarie Cobb, political strategist who worked for Rev. Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1988.