Stories by Jay Shefsky

Jay Shefsky takes a road trip to see 15,000 Sandhill Cranes in Indiana. Jay and his Field Museum guide, Josh Engel, get a surprise along the way.

The Art Institute’s current show is a kind of nightmare before Christmas.

A scientific study calls into question the safety benefits of red light cameras which is the reason City Hall installed them. We'll talk about the study and the politics of Chicago's red light cameras.

Former Bear James "Big Cat" Williams breaks down the Bears' fourth straight loss, this one coming at home to playoff-bound Detroit.

We revisit a conversation with a cardiologist who believes a vegan diet is good for your heart.

The Metropolitan Club and Breakthrough Urban Ministries team up to prep middle school kids on how to cook a holiday meal for their families.

We revisit a conversation with Marius Stan, an Argonne scientist, who came to have a recurring part in the hit TV series Breaking Bad.

We revisit Chicago Tonight’s story about Chicago Public School students participation in an award-winning program at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.

Gov. Pat Quinn ended a week of speculation today with the appointment of his budget chief, Jerry Stermer, to replace Judy Baar Topinka as state comptroller.

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

In this special Year In Review edition of The Week In Review, Joel Weisman's guests talk about the most interesting stories they covered in 2014.

Burning Bluebeard, The Fireball Santa Crawl, and Cirque Dreams Holidaze; Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on this weekend.

The great playwright came unprepared for two things: rewrites and the city itself. “I can’t find the tranquility in Chicago to write.”

Cook County Commissioner Jesús “Chuy” García is trying to gain traction in the race to unseat Rahm Emanuel for mayor of Chicago. Today, García unveiled a list of initiatives he believes will reduce the city's violence. But does his plan add up? 

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama announced a stunning policy shift on Cuba. We discuss the policy changes and local reaction to the news. 

The Army Corps of Engineers moves ahead on its plan to control Asian carp and other invasive species.

Chicago Tribune's award-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin stops by to discuss Maggie Daley Park and future plans for the city.

Clowns relate the true story of Chicago's 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire in a stunning and funny revival of a show called Burning Bluebeard at Theater Wit.

Photographer and long-time neon sign enthusiast Nick Freeman joins us to talk about his new book, Good Old Neon: Signs You're In Chicago. Freeman has documented hundreds of neon signs around Chicagoland, some of which no longer exist.

We share what you had to say about Laurie Zoloth's call to cancel the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting, high-rise fire safety ordinances in Chicago, what caused the financial problems of state municipalities considering bankruptcy, and Congressmen Aaron Schock and Mike Quigley’s comments on the 2015 federal spending bill.

Lawmakers, dignitaries and everyday citizens came together to pay tribute to Judy Baar Topinka today. But is there any resolution to who her successor will be?

Congressman Mike Quigley stops by to talk congressional priorities and the tone that was set by the spending bill passed over the weekend.

President of the American Academy of Religion Laurie Zoloth proposes her colleagues take a sabbatical from their annual conference every six years.

A recent exhibit at the Chicago History Museum explains how the Mile became known for being Magnificent.

Vape? Bae? Lumbersexual? What do you think the Word of the Year for 2014 should be? University of Chicago linguist Jason Riggle tells us what words were on everybody's lips this year and why.

Why did beautiful bronze reliefs at a Hyde Park church create an artistic controversy? Geoffrey Baer answers this question and more in this week’s edition of Ask Geoffrey.