Stories by Sean Keenehan

Encased in glass and measuring approximately 155,000 square feet, Northwestern's new Ryan Center for the Musical Arts has set sail along the Evanston lakefront.

From Fergie to Ozzy, Chicago-native Tim "Grape" Mattefs has traveled the world as a touring live concert technician. But the lifelong Chicago Cubs fan has never experienced a live performance at Wrigley Field, until now. In the midst of a massive world tour with Australian rock and roll giants AC/DC, Mattefs will take the field of the "friendly confines" on Tuesday for a sold-out rock show of the ages.

The Chicago Bears kick off the 2015 NFL season at noon this Sunday against division rivals the Green Bay Packers. After a dismal 5-11 outing in 2014, new head coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace were brought in to pick up the pieces and the Bears will take the field with a lot to prove.

The Chicago Police Department, with assistance from the Cook County Sheriff's Office, has released a composite sketch of the dismembered child found in the Garfield Park lagoon last weekend, and authorities are asking residents for assistance in identifying the remains.

The Northwest Chicago Film Society kicks off its fall season of 35-millimeter film screenings on Wednesday at the auditorium at Northeastern Illinois University in the North Park neighborhood.

It was a rude awakening Monday morning for the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cubs, as both teams announced today that they will be heading into September with some key players sidelined.

After a nearly 20 year-run in a century-old converted frame house located near the North Branch of the Chicago River, The Hideout is looking down river to the centralized, bustling South Branch, where it has opened a new pop-up spot for 10 weeks along the Riverwalk. 

The National Labor Relations Board has overturned its historic March 2014 decision to treat Northwestern University scholarship football student-athletes as employees, and ruled on Monday that the players will not be allowed to form a union.

Next month, Chicago will host the 11th annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference. The gathering is expected to attract some 700 government, industry, and environmental activists. Among the topics on the agenda: Toxic algae blooms, an issue that could impact drinking water and the multimillion dollar economies dependent on the Great Lakes. Christy McDonald of our sister station, Detroit Public TV, reports.