Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons

Since the start of the pandemic, people have opened more than 70 million new credit card accounts. In addition to the quantity of cards, interest rates have also been rising, reaching 22.2% in May. Reset talks to Michelle Singletary, personal finance columnist with the Washington post, to learn what this means for the average consumer and best practices for navigating and paying credit card debt.

Gov. JB Pritzker approved a commission to explore whether or not Illinois needs a new flag. The current one — which has been the same for about a century — has a lot going on. An American eagle clutching a stars-and-stripes-decorated shield while taking a bite out of a red banner in the foreground. There’s a yellow sun over blue water in the background, and a gray rock bearing the years 1818 and 1868. But what would an updated flag look like now? What should it look like? We turn to a longtime flag maker for his take. Reset talks to Carl “Gus” Porter III, owner of WGN Flag Company for insight on what makes a flag iconic.

Over 47,000 Illinoisians lost Medicaid coverage at the start of August and hundreds of thousands more could lose coverage before the redetermination process is complete. Reset discusses how to get reinstated and what residents need to do to prove coverage eligibility with Samantha Olds Frey, CEO of Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans.

Trauma can be passed down from generation to generation. It can impact families and whole communities and our relationships with both. But how do you identify it and – more importantly – break the cycle and take the first step towards healing? Reset sits down with Dr. Niranjan Karnik from the University of Illinois Chicago, Amanda Seanior with RUSH’s Division of Community Behavioral Health, and Vee L. Harrison, with the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force and author of Hood Healing.

Illinois drivers’ car insurance rates are going up – and women, renters, and drivers with any credit score below an “excellent” rating may be among the folks getting hit the hardest. Reset digs into what’s going on and what drivers can do about it with Chicago Sun-Times consumer investigations reporter Stephanie Zimmermann.

Cooking after a long day at work can feel like a chore even if it saves you a buck. Today, Reset talks with a few folks about how to put the fun back in cooking and cook like a pro even if you’re a kitchen novice. Our guests are Lisa Counts, executive chef at The Chopping Block and Jordan Wimby, a food preservationist and cultural historian.

Kindergarten classes in 2027-2028 will have a focus on “play based learning.” Reset discusses the impact with an early childhood education expert Katherine Zinsser, psychologist and UIC associate professor.

Life can get a little sour between work and politics and our personal lives, but never fear! National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day is here! Reset checks in with bakers Joana Fischer, owner of Twisted Cookie and Michelle Manske, kitchen manager at Defloured bakery, to hear about their favorite chocolate chip cookies.

More lawsuits filed against Northwestern University in sports hazing scandal. Meanwhile, 40 teens are arrested in South Loop after a disorderly Sunday night. Plus, businesses brace for hundreds of thousands of Lollapalooza fans. Reset goes behind the headlines with.Rummana Hussain, editorial board member and columnist at Chicago Sun-Times, Carrie Shepherd, Chicago reporter for Axios and Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ investigative reporter on government and politics.

Chicago is one of 18 communities across the country to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s project to train citizen scientists to measure and map the hottest parts of cities, known as urban heat islands. Reset learns how this data will help the city of Chicago reduce the health impacts of extreme heat with Kyra Woods, project manager for the Office of Climate and Environmental Equity, Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility and Dulce Garduño, volunteer with Heat Watch program.

Mies Van Der Rohe is practically a household name for some Chicagoans due to his many buildings around the city. Today in another installment of our Chicago Icons series, Reset gets to go inside one of his modern marvels on the lakefront.

Large crowds, summer heat and parking: what could be worse? Reset discusses how to navigate those issues and get the most with WBEZ Lollapalooza veterans Dave Miska, Studio Operations Manager, WBEZ, Mary Dixon, Morning Edition Anchor, WBEZ, and Stephen Bekoe, Vocalo morning host and producer to learn how to make the best out of the weekend.

Do you have the gift of gab? Well, whether you love small talk or you don’t, we could all benefit from learning how to have better and more engaging conversations. Reset has a conversation about having conversations and how to navigate tough discussions with Paula Marantz Cohen, author of Talking Cure: An Essay on the Civilizing Power of Conversation; dean of the Pennoni Honors College and professor of English at Drexel University, Stephanie Boron, assistant clinical professor at Northwestern University and Danielle Portis, licensed clinical professional counselor at Rose Gold Crowns

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is supporting an additional levy on sales of homes over $1 million to fund services for unhoused people. Meanwhile, Chicago’s interim police superintendent is in hot water, the city budget process is about to kick into gear and street vendors are calling on Mayor Johnson for help. Reset discusses those stories with WBEZ reporters Tessa Weinberg, Mariah Woelfel and Esther Yoon-Ji Kang.

SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America are on strike simultaneously for the first time in 63 years. Reset learns about the demands of writers and actors and explores how this national strike is impacting our local scene with Eric Chaudron, executive director of SAG-AFTRA Chicago, Ilyssa Fradin, SAG-AFTRA member and National Board Representative for the Chicago Local, Martín Zimmerman, WGA West Captain and playwright and actor J. Nicole Brooks.

We’re riding another wave of COVID-19 as we enter August. Cases and hospitalizations are on the rise, according to the CDC. Reset gets the latest on what we need to know moving forward with Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist with Duly Health and Care.

From sipping wine while shopping to more self-checkout, the customer experience at grocery stores has been changing in recent years. Reset learns about those changes with Steve Caine, expert in Bain & Company’s Retail and Customer Strategy and Marketing practices.

The U.S. population of adults over 65 is rapidly growing. So how do we meet the challenge of caring for an aging population? Reset learns about creating a long-term care plan and finding resources for caregivers.

Ethan Schwabe, Reset’s engineer and occasional music correspondent, shares interviews with attendees and artists at Chicago’s iconic Pitchfork Music Festival.

Northwestern University faces a new lawsuit from a former female volleyball player amidst its hazing scandal. Meanwhile, another Chicago Park District lifeguard is fired after allegations of misconduct surfaced two years ago. Plus, City Council alders complain of criminal activity outside neighborhood migrant shelters. Reset breaks down these stories and much more with Angela Rozas O'Toole, WBEZ senior editor for politics and government, John Chase, deputy metro editor at the Chicago Tribune, and Christian Farr, NBC-5 Chicago reporter.