Del Close was an early innovator in Chicago’s improv comedy scene. His long and storied career included many positions like house director of The Committee, acting coach for SNL, and co-founder of iO.

Reset invites Charna Halpern, his co-founder of iO, and Susan Messing, a former student and prolific improv teacher, to discuss is Del’s influence on Chicago comedy.

Hosts: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producers: Ethan Schwabe

Online disinformation about the war on Ukraine goes far beyond doctored TikTok videos. False Russian media reports continue to spread on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Reset dives into the spread of war-related disinformation and how it’s shaping the way some people around the world view the ongoing invasion.

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producers: Isabelle Earl

In the latest round of economic sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil. The move comes as the country is already seeing record-high gas prices.

Reset discusses what the new sanctions mean for gasoline prices in the Chicago area and beyond.

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producers: Stephanie Kim

Geographic explorer Tara Roberts joined divers on a search for shipwrecks that once carried enslaved Africans.

She tells Reset how the journey challenged her present assumptions about what home and belonging looks like.

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producer: Brenda Ruiz

It has taken more than 100 years and 200 tries for congress to pass a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime. But, on Monday, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed the Senate unanimously. We heard from Reverend Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s cousin, and Alvin Tillery, a associate professor at Northwestern University, about why this bill took a century to pass and what it means for racial justice activists.

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producer: Andrea Guthmann & Claire Hyman

Under Illinois law, school districts reimbursed for serving free and reduced lunches to low-income children are required to accept the lowest bid for their food contracts. But a new bill aims to give those districts more options to choose from.

Reset learns more about the Better School Lunches Act and how well the National School Lunch Program is serving students in Illinois and beyond.

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producer: Stephanie Kim

Rom-coms are still being churned out all the time. But despite more studios leaning into the genre, there is an art to a good romantic comedy — and some fans say that art is lost these days.

Reset checks in with culture critic Scott Meslow about the history and future of romantic comedies. Plus, we hear from listeners about their favorites.

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producers: Claire Hyman

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan faces federal racketeering charges. Plus, Illinois and Chicago lift their mask and vaccine mandates as the state’s public health director announces she’s stepping down.

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producers: Andrea Guthmann

For “Food Friday,” Reset talks to local pizza expert Steve Dolinsky about his first annual Pizza City Fest Chicago kicking off in July.

Hosts: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producers: Nereida Moreno

As of Monday, it’s up to Illinois businesses to make their own rules about masking. Reset checks in with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Loyola University Chicago to find out how they’re approaching this phase of the pandemic.

Host: Sasha-Ann Simons

Producers: Christian Elliott, Isabelle Earl