Stories by Daniel Hautzinger

Sunny and Cassie work to identify a skeleton discovered off the side of an isolated British roadway, slowly narrowing down a time window for who the victim might be. 

As Alison Wilson continues to learn more about the fictions of her deceased husband, she loses track of what and who to believe. What was Alec's life actually like, how can she ever maintain faith in him – and how much should she tell her sons? 

A Ghanian immigrant family's bright future is complicated by a mysterious illness, and Lucille tries to help an old hoarder with an impressive past clean up her life. Meanwhile, Violet runs for town council and Fred fails to be supportive. 

When a woman shows up at Alison Wilson's door claiming to be the wife of Alison's husband after his death, Alison begins to investigate the life of the man with whom she spent twenty years of her life. Turns out he didn't just write fictions as a novelist and spy; he lived them. 

Two new nuns, one experienced and one freshly commissioned, arrive at Nonnatus House. New equipment triggers a delusional episode in Sister Monica Joan, Valerie deals with a crisis with legal complications, and a mother carries twins.

In 1963, some 225,000 students, or 47%, were absent from Chicago Public Schools in a boycott protesting segregation, the culmination of several years of protests against the school board's failure to address the needs of black students – including one in which a young Bernie Sanders was arrested.

Phyllida Lloyd's production of Julius Caesar, which you can watch through Great Performances, takes place in a women's prison, with women playing all the roles. We discussed the production, the effectiveness of the setting, and the gender casting with a Shakespeare scholar. 

This year's finalists for the James Beard Awards, often called the Oscars of Food, have been announced. As usual, Chicago has its fair share of nominees: fourteen, in eight distinct categories, plus two more for cookbooks. Find the list, plus reviews, interviews, and recipes from the finalists here.

Even prominent female groundbreakers are rarely recognized – there are approximately 40 figurative statues of men in Chicago but only two of women – so what about equally important pioneers who have been forgotten, from activists to literary figures to businesswomen?

Stephanie Hart, a semifinalist for the national James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, conjures up childhood memories with her luscious cakes at Brown Sugar Bakery – and she's trying to use her success as a prominent African American bakery to revitalize neighborhoods.

In honor of Sesame Street's 50th anniversary, the United States Postal Service is issuing sixteen stamps with some of the most beloved characters from the show, including Big Bird, Julia, Bert and Ernie, Abby Cadabby, and more!

As Chicago prepares to elect its first female African American mayor, take a look back at Jane Byrne, the first woman to break the mayoral glass ceiling, standing up to the powerful Democratic machine in the process and winning in Chicago's biggest political upset.

Season three of Victoria is over, but there's still a lot more history to explore. Learn about some of the people, events and medical trends of the day, from Emily Palmerston to the Great Exhibition to cruel pseudosciences. 

With the opening of the Great Exhibition approaching, Albert is working himself to death to insure its success. Palmerston once again makes an unpopular decision, Feo miscalculates in her schemes, and Sophie has an enormous decision to make. 

March is Women's History Month, so we’re spotlighting some incredible women, ranging from the everyday to the famous, the unfairly unknown to the household name, the fictional to the real, in documentaries and series.