In the Loop

The pandemic has undoubtedly affected all the relationships in our lives, our friendships in particular. So how can we get back on track and start making platonic connections or rebuilding friendships that fell to the wayside? Reset gets tips from Kat Vellos, connection coach; author of We Should Get Together: The Secret To Cultivating Better Friendships and Connected from Afar.

President Biden has announced up to $20,000 of student loan debt forgiveness per individual who makes less than $125,000 a year. The announcement has sparked relief and ire, with some people saying it’s too much money, and others saying it doesn’t go far enough. Reset hears reactions from Chicagoans who are having some of their debt forgiven.

Former Alderman Patrick Daley Thompson heads to prison in Wisconsin and a Chicago cop charged in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol rejects a plea deal. Reset goes behind the week’s headlines with Carrie Shepherd, lead producer, City Cast Chicago podcast, Brandon Pope, reporter/anchor at CW 26, and Patrick Smith, WBEZ criminal justice reporter.

Chef Jessica Pamonicutt champions Indigenous foods in her catering business. Though these ingredients have been hard for Native people living in urban areas to access for generations, factors including climate change and inflation are making them more inaccessible than ever. Reset sits down with Chef Jessica to discuss her inspiration, connecting with her cultural identity through food, and the importance of food sovereignty.

This week the U.S Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to address food insecurity worldwide and in the region. Reset spoke to the Ambassador about her visit and how global food security issues affect Chicago and Illinois.

The Inflation Reduction Act gives residents incentives to make their homes more energy efficient through building upgrades. Advocates say these renovations could save you money.

Reset speaks with policy experts – Ari Matusiak, CEO of Rewiring America, Jen Walling, Executive Director at Illinois Environmental Council, and Dave Kolata, Executive Director at Citizen Utility Board – to understand how these incentives will be implemented and who will have access to them.

With a statewide election just over two months away, candidates are in full-on campaign mode. Reset takes a look at campaign ads and political messaging with Connie Mixon, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University, and Delmarie Cobb, a political strategist.

Podcast nerds everywhere have thought, at one time or another, that they should make a podcast with their best friends. That’s just what former NPR host Sam Sanders, author Saeed Jones, and Broadway producer Zach Stafford are doing with Vibe Check. The weekly podcast series from Stitcher, which aims to tackle news and pop culture through a Black and queer lens, recently debuted.

WBEZ recently held an open mic in Ukrainian Village and people with ties to Ukraine shared their stories of leaving Ukraine, living with fear and anger, and figuring out ways to help out. Reset spoke to WBEZ reporter Anna Savchenko, who hosted the open mic, and participants Olha Tsvyntarna, Dania Hrynewycz, and Harrison Jozefowicz.

In the wake of the Uvalde and Highland Park mass shootings, the safety of students is front of mind for many parents. But is more police in schools the answer? And what other approaches can work?

Reset explores the role that police play in some Chicago-area schools and across the country and discusses what other models are being used to ensure students stay safe. Our guests are Micere Keels, associate professor of comparative human development at UChicago, Benjamin Feigenberg, associate professor of economics at the University of Illinois Chicago, Ling Young, youth organizer at STOP Chicago, and Anna Durr, restorative justice coordinator at STOP.