Stories by Daniel Hautzinger

A frozen body without a head or hands appears in a scrapyard, its only identifying feature a bicep tattoo. Sunny and the team try to learn its identity while Cassie fights the police department to win a medical retirement, without luck.

PBS has spotlighted short-form independent films online for a decade now with the Short Film Festival. Preview the films, including several from Illinois, and find a viewing party kit and more as you settle in for some extraordinary shorts.

Chicago celebrates its World's Fairs on the city flag, and the failed bid for the 2016 Olympics is well-remembered. Why have the 1959 Pan-American Games hosted by the city been forgotten?

PBS fans love mystery, but they might not want the fates of beloved dramas to be shrouded in secrets. Discover the status of your favorite returning dramas and mysteries as well as some exciting new series. 

The Chosen Few Picnic and Festival has been bringing house music and a family reunion atmosphere to a South Side park for three decades, thanks to a set of DJs who helped popularize house music in the first place. The event, virtual this year, takes place July 3.

Meet the talented musicians performing in the pre-recorded A Capitol Fourth, which culminates with live fireworks over the U.S. Capitol on the Fourth of July. 

Robert Allerton, once called the "richest bachelor in Chicago," lived with a man 26 years younger than him for the last four decades of his life before legally adopting him. His life with John Gregg reveals a sense of the early twentieth century and complicates ideas of couplehood.

Douglas continues his search for Albie and keeps ending up in various forms of trouble. Has his odyssey changed him into a better father for his son, and someone that Connie wants to remain married to?

Connie wants a divorce from Douglas after more than twenty years, but first they will go on a three-week vacation with their teenaged son Albie. Douglas vows to show Connie he can change, in order to change her mind. What could go wrong?

Under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act, the federal government has investigated more than 150 race-related cold cases. A new podcast and multiplatform project from Frontline examines its success, and what truth and justice look like in decades-old cases. 

Alligator Records was born when a young hippie decided he had to record an unusual artist he had seen "50 times" at a Chicago club. Fifty years later, it has recorded legends, fresh upstarts, the Queen of the Blues, and more, all while retaining a family feel.

Esquire recently pointed out that, while Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and other streaming services have been making waves with documentaries over the past few years, PBS has been offering top-level documentaries for decades.

The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives contain everything from the costumes of drag queens to the papers of early gay rights activists, as well as books available for circulation. "One reason we're here is because it’s important for people to connect with people that have similar stories."

Armenians have been present in Chicago for much of its history and found success in trades such as oriental rugs. Over the generations, they have also maintained a connection to their homeland, despite distance and the trauma of the Armenian genocide.

Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon take on "the greatest of all time" in their upcoming four-part documentary, examining the three-time heavyweight champion who was also a lightning rod for controversy around activism, pacifism, religion, and race.