Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday announced plans to improve Chicago's lakefront and add recreational amenities at select parks across the city. 

Criminal backgrounds, homelessness and lack of education and opportunity are all factors in preventing black youth between the ages of 16 and 24 from finding employment, according to a report released by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute.

In 1958 a Navy sailor from Chicago was briefly onshore in Cuba while the revolution was underway. The sailor, named George Klauba, became first a tattoo artist and then a painter. For years now, he has focused his artistic energy on remembering a moment in history and putting his dreamlike impressions on canvas.

You may know her as the official gadget guru for America's Test Kitchen here on PBS. Lisa McManus is also the executive tasting and testing editor at Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines. She joins us to discuss "Cook It in Cast Iron: Kitchen-Tested Recipes for the One Pan That Does It All."

The famous painting had been on loan to Florence's Palazzo Strozzi since September. In November, the painting moved briefly to the Vatican for a visit with Pope Francis, who had declared it to be one of his favorites. 

Our puzzle pro Sandy Weisz returns with a new video puzzle and photo puzzles. Submit your answer by 10 a.m. Monday, March 28 for a chance to win our puzzle prize package!

Jeremy Geltzer's new book "Dirty Words and Filthy Pictures" explores the film industry's relationship with the First Amendment and how the definition of obscenity has changed over the years.

In 1949, a Chicago Tribune reader asked editor and publisher Colonel Robert McCormick a question: If you had only three full days in Chicago, what are the things you would see and do without fail? The Tribune’s Rita Fitzpatrick responded with a brimming list, which made us wonder: If the reader returned to Chicago today, what could she revisit?

Several athletes are voicing their support of Adam LaRoche’s abrupt decision to retire this week after White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams reportedly told LaRoche to limit his son’s time in the clubhouse.

This month marks the 85th anniversary of a Chicago socialite's death in the very house that now serves as the International Museum of Surgical Science. In honor of the event, the museum opens its "Haunted House" exhibit.

From performances to seasonal treats to a spirited class in Wicker Park, your springtime agenda is in full bloom this weekend.

One of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century comes to Chicago: ancient soldiers from an army of Chinese terra-cotta warriors.

The curtain is going up on one of the most highly anticipated new theater complexes in the Chicago area, and it’s ready to put on a show. And the show begins outside the building. 

The long voyage of many migratory birds sometimes ends in Chicago. What one photographer is doing to raise awareness of window kill and light disorientation.

We take a peek inside the mind – and bedroom – of Vincent Van Gogh in the latest exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago. 

The New York-based architects were in town last week to talk about their design style and projects. Inevitably, their plans for the Obama library came up.