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Chicago Tribune journalists file discrimination suit against paper
Seven Chicago Tribune journalists filed a class action Thursday against the newspaper and its owner, alleging violations of equal pay based on sexual and racial discrimination. The lawsuit claims systematic pay disparities between female and male employees, as well as between Black and white employees, under its current ownership of...
Kim Foxx wouldn’t prosecute gun cases tied to some minor traffic stops under new plan
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is floating a new policy that would direct prosecutors in her office to reject drug and gun charges that stem solely from some routine traffic stops. In an interview, Foxx said the draft policy aims to undercut a dramatic rise in stops that...
Five books you should read this summer — plus a few for extra credit
So many phenomenal books have already come out this year. Some of the standouts include Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!, Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland, and Percival Everett’s James, a phenomenal retelling of Huck Finn that redefines classic American literature as we know it. This is also one of those magical...
Bears stadium debate should shift south to Michael Reese site, Civic Federation president says
With the Bears’ hurry-up offense stalling in Springfield, Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson called Thursday for the political equivalent of a halftime adjustment. He wants to switch from building a domed stadium on lakefront parkland to using the stadium project to jump-start development of a new Chicago neighborhood on the old Michael Reese Hospital site.
The folk-punk outfit AJJ are playing in Chicago
With 20 years of performing and eight studio albums, it’s safe to say AJJ has left their mark on the world of punk music. Fans know the band for their humorous takes on bleak themes. The two founding members of AJJ discuss songwriting, balancing the life of an artist, and their latest work.
How the Oscar Mayer weiner got its start in Chicago
Hot dogs are a beloved Chicago food. And no hot dog brand has a jingle quite so catchy as Oscar Mayer. Reset learns about Oscar Mayer’s Chicago ties. GUESTS: Paul Durica, director of exhibitions at Chicago History Museum. Bruce Kraig, author Hot Dog: A Global History and Man Bites...
Millennium Park is 20 years old this summer — but the idea of it is much older
It’s hard to remember Chicago without Millennium Park – from the pavilion to “the Bean.” This summer marks 20 years of the popular attraction and green space, and Reset sat down with an expert who wrote the book on Millennium Park about how it first came to be.
The EPA says 'conditions are ripe' for an active wildfire season -- and smoky air
Smoky air blowing in from Canadian wildfires plagued Chicago last summer. By year’s end, the city had experienced some of the worst air quality in the nation. A report from the Swiss company IQAir found Chicago was the second-most polluted major city in the U.S. in 2023 — only Columbus, Ohio, was higher.
Chicago police clear pro-Palestinian encampment on DePaul campus
Chicago police cleared out a pro-Palestinian encampment at DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus Thursday morning after school officials said they had reached an impasse with the protesters. The encampment has been in place since April 30 and had been the last remaining in the Chicago area and the longest-standing...
Chicago sees a spike in Black teens out of school and out of work, study shows
Chicago’s youth unemployment rate is higher than the rest of Illinois and the nation at large, according to a new study, demonstrating a sign of the uneven recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the U.S. unemployment rate has largely recovered since the pandemic, many teens and young adults —...
Chicago theater you won’t want to miss in May
WBEZ’s May selections of productions demonstrates a beguiling mix of works at storefront and big-name theaters.The mix of local and national talent on stage is a testament to Chicago’s place in the theater ecosystem. Reset gets the scoop from WBEZ’s theater reporter. GUEST: Mike Davis, WBEZ theater...
With more cyclists on the road, what is Chicago doing to keep them safe?
More and more Chicagoans are opting for bikes to get around the city. According to a new analysis, the number of cyclists have doubled in the last five years in Chicago. But with more folks biking, what needs to be done to keep them safe?. Reset checks in with biking...
Watchdog group warns of ‘fast-approaching’ crisis for CTA, PACE, Metra
The watchdog group The Civic Federation’s latest report digs into Governor JB Pritzker’s budget proposal – including $800 million in tax changes that could help close the state’s budget deficit. The group also warns of a financial crisis coming for the CTA, Metra and Pace. Reset learns more about the impact this could have on residents, and Chicago-area transit.
Meet the voice behind your CTA stop
We can’t let National Transportation Week pass without revisiting our conversation with Lee Crooks. He’s basically a local celebrity, with a highly-recognizable voice. He’s been announcing stops on the CTA for 25 years. “It does become something of a legacy,” Crooks said. In this episode, he...
Why has Mayor Brandon Johnson resisted demands to fire CTA President Dorval Carter Jr.?
On May 5, 2015, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel used the CTA’s 74th Street garage as the backdrop to announce a change in CTA leadership. Dorval Carter Jr., a 16-year veteran of the CTA-turned-federal bureaucrat, was coming home to lead Chicago’s mass transit agency. “I now have an ally who...
Planned Parenthood offers abortion pills via app to expand access in Illinois
Looking to expand access to medication abortion even further in Illinois, Planned Parenthood is allowing people to request access to the drugs without seeing a doctor. Patients who are up to 10 weeks pregnant can fill out screening questions on the Planned Parenthood Direct app any time of the day and provide an Illinois address where their medication abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol would be mailed if they qualify. That could be a house, or a hotel. Some Planned Parenthood affiliates already mail pills to patients, but require at least a virtual visit with a medical provider first.
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