In the Loop

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.

In the first three months of 2022, traffic deaths in the United States hit a 20-year high, according to a report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week.

Reset talks with Ald. Matt Martin, 47th Ward and three local organizers — Courtney Cobbs, co-founder of Better Streets Chicago, David Simmons, executive director of Ride Illinois, and Jim Merrell, managing director of advocacy at Active Transportation Alliance — to discuss what road safety looks like in Chicago and what improvements can be considered.

A new report published by the Chicago Monuments Project recommends the removal of 13 monuments across Chicago, in addition to funding for new monuments to be designed and installed. Reset talks with Heather Cherone, political reporter for WTTW, and Rebecca Zorach, professor of Art and Art History at Northwestern University to discuss the report and its implications.

We hear plenty about the “red flags” you should look for in a relationship but not nearly enough about the “green flags.” Reset talks to Anita Chlipala, dating and relationship therapist, and Bela Gandhi, dating coach and founder of Smart Dating Academy, on what works in a relationship and how to spot it.

The 8-track record blends elements of rock, dance, and Latin music together to create a unique sound. It’s out now. Reset checks in with Fernando De Buen López from Así Así.

The Lesbian Bar Project listed only 21 lesbian bars in the country two years ago, and none were in Chicago. Reset looks at why there are so few queer women focused spaces in the city and how they are evolving with Renauda Riddle, owner of Nobody’s Darling, Hannah Viti, DJ at Party SloMo, and Zoe Schor, owner of Dorothy.

Hundreds of thousands of local students prepare to return to school, while politicians head to Springfield for the Illinois State Fair. Reset goes behind the week’s headlines with Heather Cherone, Chicago politics reporter for WTTW News, Ray Long, Chicago Tribune investigative reporter, and Sarah Karp, WBEZ education reporter.

In Chicago, 2,400 kids lost parents to gun violence over a five-year period, according to an analysis by the Washington Post. Reset hears from Oji Eggleston, executive director of Chicago Survivors, and John Woodrow Cox, staff reporter at the Washington Post who talked with kids and their families to explore this little-discussed facet of America’s gun violence epidemic.

Most colleges and universities have rolled back masking and testing mandates. Reset checks in with Elissa Nadworny, NPR education reporter, and Robert Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to hear what schools are doing.

After being sexually assaulted by a man who was later arrested for alleged gropings in downtown Chicago, one survivor said it was very difficult to get law enforcement to take her story seriously. Reset talks with Block Club Chicago reporter Melody Mercado and Mallory Littlejohn, legal director at the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, about what happened and what needs to change.

A national hotline is available for people looking for support or resources related to sexual assault. The number is 1-800-656-4673.