A teaching method that started in Italy, and isn’t often seen in low-income communities, is helping pint-sized students in the Back of the Yards neighborhood learn from their environment—despite their environment’s penchant for violence. Read an article and watch a web extra video.

New York Times best-selling author, Simon Winchester, talks about his new book: The Men Who United the States: America’s Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible. Read an excerpt.

Professor George Crabtree of Argonne National Laboratory discusses the quest to build a better battery and America’s energy future.

Fifty years ago today, 200,000 Chicagoans boycotted segregationist policies by Chicago Public Schools. Watch a video clip from a new documentary that chronicles the protest and read an article.

Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley joins us to talk about the Affordable Care Act, government shutdown fallout, a federal spending deal, and the future of bipartisan cooperation in the House of Representatives.

Now that the government shutdown is over, the Republican party needs to look towards the 2014 elections. Who are the shining stars? And just how can the GOP fix their perceived messaging problem? We take a look at what's ahead for the Republican party.

While the federal Health Care Exchange website may be plagued with problems, it hasn’t stopped so-called “navigators” from helping thousands of people enroll for health insurance in Illinois. We pay a visit to a navigator at work. Read an article.

Finances, relationships, employment or the lack thereof, can all bring stress to your life. But what is stress really doing to your body? Dr. Charles Hebert of Rush Medical Center, and Joanna Hakimi, a therapist with Symmetry Counseling, discuss the effects stress has on your body, and ways to manage your stress. Read about signs and symptoms of stress, along with prevention techniques.

James “Big Cat” Williams joins Ann Kreiter to break down the Bears' third loss in four games, and gives us his take on what fans can realistically expect from backup quarterback Josh McCown. Watch a web extra video.

The steel mills may be gone, but the south side is again under threat from a growing source of air and water pollution. It's referred to a "petcoke," and is a byproduct of refining heavy tar sands oil. We share what you had to say about it in tonight’s viewer feedback.

Now that the government has reopened and a debt default has been averted, we get reaction from Sen. Dick Durbin and other Illinois lawmakers about what happens next.

President Obama signed an 11th-hour deal averting a devastating debt default. But it’s a short-term deal that may result in another funding battle on January 15 and debt limit deadline February 7. What is the real economic impact of the shutdown? And what effects will it have on markets? We have analysis.

What are the odds that pension reform, same-sex marriage, and gambling will be passed in the coming months? WUIS Statehouse Bureau Chief Amanda Vinicky looks ahead to the Springfield veto session.