A local doctor weighs in on the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes. Read the interview.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle may soon have the authority to release nonviolent offenders from the chronically crowded Cook County Jail, after the County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the resolution giving her said authority. Brandis Friedman has the latest.

We are joined by author Peter W. Singer to talk cybersecurity, his new book and what you need to know to protect yourself online. Read an excerpt.

To mark the 157th anniversary of Chicago's first science museum, we take a look at some surprising specimens - including a Chicago rattlesnake.

Billionaire Beanie Babies creator Ty Warner evades prison over his conviction of hiding money overseas. Paris Schutz explains why.

Chicago Board of Education’s Inspector General Jim Sullivan joins us to talk about his latest watchdog report detailing the waste, fraud and corruption he uncovered this year in the Chicago Public Schools. Read the full report.

We talk with Grammy-Award winner Che “Rhymefest” Smith about his new talk show on WVON-AM that focuses on politics and social issues in Chicago. Read an interview and view a slideshow.

Scientists at west suburban Fermilab have installed the final piece on a massive particle detector called NOvA that may answer some very big questions. We go deep underground to uncover how the contraption might do that. Read an article.
 

We take a tour of the MINOS underground facility and watch the installation of the last NOvA Far Detector module. Read a behind-the-scenes blog and view a slideshow.

We take a look at fun, funky and completely unexpected words with Jason Riggle, a University of Chicago linguist who cast his vote on a wide spectrum of words that range from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Did you ever wonder how prize racehorses get from Chicago or Kentucky to, say, Dubai? We revisit a story where Jay Shefsky takes us to O'Hare Airport to meet a man who makes his living flying around the world with racehorses. Read an article.

Carol Marin takes a look at the state of the race for Illinois governor with Dave McKinney, Springfield Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times, Amanda Vinicky, Illinois Public Radio and WUIS Statehouse Bureau Chief, and Mark Anderson, NBC-5 Chicago's Ward Room political blogger.

Gov. Pat Quinn asks for emergency action to protect Illinois residents from petcoke. Elizabeth Brackett reports.

School districts across the country are reporting a shortage of special education teachers. We take a look at Chicago Public Schools' shortage and find out how districts and universities are working to fill the void. Read an article and watch a web extra video.