Stories by Daniel Hautzinger

Freedom of speech is a fraught topic these days. Explore six infamous cases of censorship in the United States, from landmark court decisions on obscenity to the advent of parental advisory stickers to two examples of controversy from this year.

Although it's now a cherished holiday tradition, The Nutcracker didn't arrive in Chicago until almost 50 years after its premiere. Numerous favorite productions have visited or made their home in the city, all with their own staunch partisans.

Astronaut Scott Kelly spent 340 days in space while his twin brother Mark stayed on Earth. Scientists are comparing the brothers to understand the effects of space on the human body. What have they learned? How do humans fare after a year in space?

The Joffrey Ballet's new Nutcracker is set at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. How was the Joffrey's creative team inspired by the epochal World's Fair, and what aspects of the real-life Fair made it into their new production?

A cricket match between the British and Greeks, despite Louisa's insistence that it's a show of comity between the cultures, becomes a competition between Spyros and Hugh. Donald tries to attract Margo by being exotic, while Larry tries to dump Vasilia.

The 370th Infantry Regiment is one of only a handful of African American regiments that served in World War I and the only one commanded solely by black officers. Having fought for their country abroad, they returned home to fight for their rights.

In his work at the TODAY show, Mike Leonard says that "not one place I went to or person I met was what I thought it would be. So at a time when so many generalizations are being made about groups of people, it’s important to hear stories of people who aren’t being heard from.”

Articulate with Jim Cotter is a new arts and culture show airing on WTTW Prime that spotlights everything from a maker of extravagant hats to a 92-year-old pianist who studied with Rachmaninoff. Explore some digital highlights from the show. 

50 years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson created a federally funded public broadcasting system to "enrich man's spirit." PBS has produced a wide range of programs since then. Learn a little bit about the history of some of your favorites.

An apocalyptic storm puts everyone in an ominous mood and traps all the Durrells inside, including Larry, who's at home suffering from the mumps. Things get worse when Aunt Hermione arrives with a psychic friend who offers to hold a seance.

From a Swedish immigrant who planted the majority of trees in Chicago after the Fire to two separate brewers, a lucky friend to a developer who rebuilt his home three times, the people who gave their names to Chicago streets have some fascinating stories.

Helen Macdonald turned to hawking for solace when her father died, chronicling her grief in the award-winning book H is for Hawk. Now she's training her first goshawk since then on Nature. She spoke to us about the meanings give to animals and more.

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were brilliant students from affluent, respected families who had everything going for them – so much so that they felt they had to prove their superiority by murdering a fourteen-year-old boy in the "crime of the century."

Despite difficulties involving its creation and lukewarm reviews at its premiere, The Nutcracker has become perhaps the most popular ballet in North America. Its path to success on this continent runs through Disney, San Francisco, and CBS.

Louisa is having a mid-life crisis. She's feeling old, now that Larry has moved out and taken up with a beautiful young woman and Sven supposedly has a youthful girlfriend. Gerry has been assigned a stodgy new tutor, and Leslie has taken up photography.