With a fast-approaching debt payment due to the International Monetary Fund and no deal in sight, the world waits to see whether cash-strapped Greece will remain a part of the Euro currency. And here at home, massive pension debts and political battles are complicating budget deals for the state of Illinois and city of Chicago. We talk with two economists about both local and global economic issues.

Neighbors in an area of North Lawndale called the "Lawndale Triangle" feel cut off. They have no park or green space, and very few places where they can come together as a community. Now, neighborhood leaders and a local nonprofit have joined together to create a community park and garden on a lot that's sat empty for years.

Inspired by Fortune Magazine's 1955 publication of The Fabulous Future in America in 1980, this new collection of essays opens a dialogue about what the U.S. and the world could be like in 2040. Will we live happier, longer lives? Where is higher education headed? How will journalism transform? We talk with the editors of the new book.

James McNeil Whistler and Theodore Roussel had linked artistic visions. Their decade of professional collaboration gets a fresh perspective in this look at the creative output of the American mentor and his European student.

Jerry Roper, the former president and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce has died. He passed Sunday night at the age of 74, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Illinois State Board of Education has identified $450 million to fund CPS' pension contribution. Meanwhile, budget talks continue as Illinois faces a potential shutdown. Amanda Vinicky joins us tonight from Springfield while Paris Schutz has reaction from local lawmakers.

Former Chicago Public Schools chiefs Paul Vallas and Terry Mazany will talk with us as part of a series of discussions we are having with education experts and elected officials on the colossal challenges facing Chicago Public Schools and what it means for students and parents.

With the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage, the last 14 states now must recognize and grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Each year, Chicago-based Working Bikes collects thousands of used bikes and sends them to partner organizations in Africa and Latin America. There, bike mechanics are trained, bikes are refurbished and local residents get critical personal transportation. Jay Shefsky visited Working Bikes and helped pack a shipping container.

The unseasonably wet start to the summer has done little to dampen growth in the WTTW garden. The Organic Gardener Jeanne Nolan is back with an update from our vegetable patch and some answers to viewer questions.

Disgraced former Illinois congressman Mel Reynolds is in trouble with the law once again. In an indictment released today, Reynolds is charged with failing to file tax returns between 2009-2012. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that states cannot ban same sex-marriage. In a landmark 5-4 ruling, Anthony Justice Kennedy wrote, “no union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family.”

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss this week’s top headlines.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the Stanley Cup celebration, and the importance of spreading hockey to the South Side. Also, they debate further why contract talks broke down between the Chicago Teachers Union and the Board of Education.