Stories by Alexandra Silets

Are some of the plants in your garden already dying? Or are the top-heavy plants face down in the mud? The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Eliza Fournier joins us. Read her summer gardening tips.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in a 5-4 ruling. The 1996 law blocked federal recognition of same-sex marriages. In a separate case, the court ruled that it could not take up a challenge to Proposition 8, the California law banning gay marriage. Read the full opinions.

The Supreme Court punts a case on affirmative action in college admissions back down to the lower court. Read the decision.

Markets react negatively to Chairman Ben Bernanke’s remarks that the Federal Reserve may taper bond buying in the next year. We take a closer look at the fluctuation in the stock and bond markets, the state of the economic stimulus and recovery, as well as Bernanke’s future.

The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction found billions of dollars wasted from corruption and mismanagement during the war. We talk with him about what went wrong and right with the government's $60 billion effort. Read Stuart Bowen Jr.'s full report.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis says Chicago has to break its addiction to tax-breaks and find ways to generate revenue for our schools. She joins us to talk about the fate of teachers and students under the new-look CPS. Read Lewis's full statement in response to CPS' proposed five-year action plan and read 11 Things About Lewis you may not have known.