What was behind the departure of Metra's former executive, Alex Clifford? Paris Schutz has new details. Read the separation agreement and RTA's statement.

Metra CEO Alex Clifford may receive up to $700,000 for stepping down, according to reports. His resignation raises questions about how the Metra is run – and whether the agency is using public dollars responsibly.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is considered a landmark in civil rights legislation. The 5-4 ruling declared that the formula for preclearance is unconstitutional and unnecessary. Read the full opinion and reaction.

Janice Reiff has compiled essays about the city's emergence as a commerce hub in the book, Chicago Business and Industry: From Fur Trade to E-Commerce. Read an excerpt and view a slideshow.

Teenagers from the northwest side create a play about the foreclosure crisis and the various ways activists are fighting to keep people in their homes. We preview the Albany Park Theater Project’s I Will Kiss These Walls. Read an interview with a community leader who helped bring these stories to the stage and watch a web extra video.

Blues singer Bobby Bland died at age 83. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of a lifetime achievement Grammy Award, Bland had a memorable performance in WTTW studios back in 1977 on Soundstage with B.B. King. Watch the web extra video.

Gov. Pat Quinn set a July 9 deadline for a pension committee of lawmakers to come up with a compromise. We check in with two of the members to see what the likelihood of comprehensive reform is. See how House and Senate members voted on pension bills.

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

Just as Waukegan Harbor’s decades-long cleanup project comes to an end, low water levels and the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy keep the commercial harbor closed. Read an article.

Players and executives from the White Sox and Bulls are part of a new series of PSAs to promote Becoming a Man, the school-based anti-violence program. Bulls forward Jimmy Butler, White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams, and University of Chicago Crime Lab co-director Harold Pollack join us with more on their collaboration. Watch the video and read an article.

We hear what you had to say about our Neighbor Carts story in tonight's viewer feedback.

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 Blackhawks survive a wild night in Boston, emerging with a 6-5 overtime victory. What's next in this back and forth Stanley Cup Finals series? We preview Saturday's Game 5 at the United Center.