We sit down with Jason Blumberg, CEO of the Energy Foundry, a venture capital fund established as part of the $3.2 billion smart grid law that aims to invest in technology companies that will transform the energy landscape. Read an interview with Samir Mayekar, Co-Founder and CEO of SiNode Systems.

We talk with Charisse Conanan Johnson of Smarteys and Martin Dasko of Studenomics to find out the financial woes that are facing today’s young people. View a graphic of data on credit card debt, student loans and unemployment for millennials in Illinois.

Howard Brown President and CEO David Ernesto Munar joins us. Read his bio.

An innovative training program in suburban Chicago helps individuals with developmental disabilities enter the workforce. We visit Aspire of Illinois to get a firsthand look at its Career Link program. Read an interview with an Aspire candidate's mother about how the program has changed her son's life.

A Lakeview restaurant has the recipe for being green. Find out how Justin Vrany’s restaurant, Sandwich Me In, produced less than eight gallons of trash during two years of being in business. Brandis Friedman has the story of this eco-friendly eatery. Read an article, check out one of Vrany's recipes, and view a slideshow.

People who have been out of work for more than six months have a harder time getting hired again. Brandis Friedman has the story of a Chicago-based nonprofit ahead of the curve in helping those workers get back to work, and the support it’s getting from the White House. Read an article.

Read an interview with Darryl Lane, Senior Talent Acquisition Lead at Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, about employment tips, and view a graph of Chicago’s unemployment rate compared with state and national levels.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the Fed may start  raising rates around six months after quantitative easing—ahead of what experts were expecting. We take a closer look at how the markets react to her comments at her first live press conference, and how her first policy meeting may affect the economy. Read an article, watch Yellen’s full press conference, and read a transcript of her remarks.

The craft brew industry in Chicago has exploded in the last few years and shows no signs of stopping. Is there a saturation point for Chicago’s market? We talk with leaders on the craft brew scene and explore the growing trend. Read an article, view a slideshow, and take a craft brew QUIZ.

From Washington to Wall Street to Main Street, the U.S. has a spending problem. The nonprofit MoneyThink is working to change that spending culture by teaching fiscal literacy to youth in urban areas. We chat with 24-year-old entrepreneur and MoneyThink co-founder Ted Gonder about the organization’s mission, his work in Chicago, and his new White House advisory council position. Watch a video.

The Lakeview neighborhood has a unique new place for people who are homeless, and suffer mental illness or disabilities, to call home. Brandis Friedman takes a look inside. Read an article and watch a web extra video.

Demand for locally produced, organic foods has never been stronger. We talk with a Chicagoan who is seen as a leader of the so-called Good Food Movement: Jim Slama, the founder and president of FamilyFarmed.org. Read an interview with The Organic Gardener founder, Jeanne Nolan, and take a QUIZ to test your knowledge on USDA organic regulations.

In one of the biggest acquisitions in American history, Comcast has agreed to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion in stock. The deal would give Comcast approximately a third of the national cable market. So what would it mean for customers when the United States' number one cable operator buys the number two company? And will both the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department approve the massive deal?

A community is divided by a plan to redevelop the site of the former Children's Memorial Hospital.  We'll hear why opponents of the proposal may no longer have a voice in the matter.  

The United Way of Metropolitan Chicago is making a $500,000 investment in the Brighton Park neighborhood. We tell you how it’s helping neighbors there.

Former Ald. Martin Oberman joins us to talk about his new position as the Metra Board chairman.