Carl Akeley has been called the "father of modern taxidermy." He's the man behind some of the Field Museum's most famous exhibits.
Playlist Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Barefoot Runner
Owen McCall says runners would be injured less if only they would leave their shoes at home -- even in the winter.
Aim High
Everybody seems to agree that youth - especially "at-risk" youth - need mentors. But the problem with many mentoring programs is that the mentors don't stick around long enough. So Marci Koblenz created Aim High to fix that.
Israel Vargas
Israel Vargas got involved with a gang at a young age and spent 12 years in prison for accessory to murder. He now runs a nonprofit agency, San Jose Obrero Mission, that helps homeless people in his community get back on their feet.
Green Synagogue
For Rabbi Brant Rosen and congregants at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, being green is natural part of their religious values. So when they needed a larger building for their growing congregation, they built what they believe to be the most environmentally friendly synagogue in the world.
Building a Better Ash Tree
The Emerald Ash Borer is destroying trees in our area and across the Midwest. Researchers at the Morton Arboretum are trying to understand the habits of the bug, so that they might find – or create – and ash tree that the tiny green beetle won't find so tasty.
Great Blue Herons
Great Blue Herons nest in tall trees, and in big groups. One such group is just over the state line in Indiana. Because these herons live in a more urban area, some local conservationists say the nesting area is at risk.
Puppet Opera
Opera in Focus in Rolling Meadows is one of the most technically sophisticated puppet shows in the country. When two brothers answered a want ad a few years ago, they had no idea they would one day be asked to carry on the legacy of the legendary Chicago institution.
Robert’s Fish
Arturo Venegas was an immigrant teen when he started working in a Kosher fish market. Now he owns it, thanks to his old boss Robert Schuffler.
Afghan Virtuoso
DePaul student Habib Wardak combines his expertise on an ancient Afghan instrument with modern technology to make ambitious music. He hopes to be able to use his talents to contribute to his home country of Afghanistan.
In the following video, listen to Wardak play the Rubab at age 8 with the Irfan Music College Orchestra. It was recorded in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1998.
Megitza
Maggie Babiarz came to Chicago alone at age 16 from a small village in the Polish highlands. Today, she leads an energetic band called the Megitza Quartet.
Blackstone Bikes
Blackstone Bicycle Works is unlike any bike shop you've seen. For one thing, most of the bikes they sell are refurbished used bikes - saved from landfills 
and condo basements. But the real difference is that the shop welcomes neighborhood kids to come in and learn bike mechanics. They start small, fixing flats and adjusting seats.
Power House High
The Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center is a $40 million adaptive reuse and restoration of the original Power House of the Sears, Roebuck and Co. world headquarters. It is part of the award-winning Homan Square community center campus. It is home to a charter public high school serving the families of North Lawndale and surrounding neighborhoods.
Chicago Mambo Legends
Saladeen Alamin and Gloria Farr have been heating up Chicago's mambo scene since the 1950s... Saladeen can now be found spreading his love of the mambo in his classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music and both Saladeen and Gloria were recently seen at the 2011 Chicago International Salsa Congress.
