The Pension Conference Committee says they will not reach Gov. Pat Quinn's July 9 deadline to come up with reform. Paris Schutz has the latest. Learn more about the 10 members and see how they each voted on recent pension bills.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has released an initial budget for the next fiscal year, and in it she estimates a $152 estimated deficit. We talk with President Preckwinkle about what to expect with Cook County’s fiscal health. Read her preliminary budget.

Judge Ruben Castillo has been appointed the new Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Carol Marin goes one-on-one with the first Hispanic Chief Judge to hold this position. Read an interview with outgoing Chief Judge James Holderman.

The Chicago Park District is halfway toward rebuilding north Grant Park, to be known as "Maggie Daley Park." Watch a time-lapse video, read an article and view a slideshow.

Eve Ensler’s memoir, In the Body of the World, is a gritty glimpse of her recent struggles – from uterine cancer to working with rape survivors in the Congo. We revisit a conversation we had with Ensler back in May. Read an excerpt from her book.

The famous Lascaux Caves of southern France -- or at least a life-sized replica of them --are now in Chicago. We revisit a preview of the exhibit at the Field Museum. Watch web extra videos and view a slideshow.

Unrest is sparking fears of a second revolution in Egypt. Thousands have taken to the streets pushing for the ouster of Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, who has been in office for a year. But a defiant President Morsi is rejecting the opposition’s call for an early special election. We have the latest on the turmoil in Egypt that has killed at least 16 people and injured more than 600 over the past few days.

Gov. Pat Quinn makes big changes to the concealed carry bill. Read more about the changes.

Her most famous work may be the novel The Color Purple, but Alice Walker says she is a poet at heart. Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for The Color Purple in 1983, the first African-American woman to do so. Now the poet-turned-novelist has two new books, of poetry and prose. She joins us. Read an article.

We revisit an exhibit that takes a revealing look at animals from the inside -- out. Ash-har Quraishi takes us behind the scenes at the Museum of Science and Industry. Read an article and view a slideshow.

Chicago Sun-Times Theater Critic Hedy Weiss reviews three highly anticipated shows in Chicago. Learn more about the shows and watch a web extra review.

Democratic candidate for governor Bill Daley reports raising $800,000 in just over two weeks. Paris Schutz has the latest on where the race stands.

Rep. Tammy Duckworth joins us to talk about her exchange with an IRS contractor last week, today’s jump in student loan rates and what to expect when Congress returns from the holiday break. Watch a video.