Mavis Staples

I'm an avid bicycle commuter and every year I plan to keep riding through the winter...but I never do. Meet some people who pull it off.

Chicago high school students learn finance from one of the state's top teachers.

We visit the Sagawau Environmental Learning Center in Lemont to learn the "art" of cross country skiing.

Sagawau Nordic is open for skiing daily, when snow conditions permit, 9:00 a.m. or until 4:00 p.m., from late December until early March. For more information, click here.

A story of the brave souls who venture out in the dead of winter...to surf on Lake Michigan.

It takes different training to teach in low income schools than in affluent ones. That's the idea behind the Urban Teacher Education Program at the University of Chicago. We meet several young teachers.

A Chicago high school that won't take "no college" for an answer.

An Evanston couple's green dream house.

Jeannie Felknor saw no reason the parkways in her neighborhood should be so ugly. And all she heard around her were complaints about the mess. So she fixed it.  And along the way she became a neighborhood pied piper.

Many Chicago Schools no longer have recess. They have limited physical education. And the cafeteria serves mainly nachos and pizza. This Chicago charter school has changed all that -- and added yoga. More Info: 's webpage Chicago Parent Magazine article

Two artists invent a 'twitter' treasure hunt to give away their art.

The legendary drag strip in Union Grove, Wisconsin has been around since 1955.  Now, in addition to all the regular racing, they have "Real Street Drags" nights, when they try to entice illegal street racers off the streets.

Fritz Hocking is a musician and an avid cyclist. In March 2010, he was riding on the lakefront bike path when he swerved to miss some pedestrians, fell and fractured his pelvis. How safe is the lakefront path? Are changes necessary?

Chicagoan Noam Pikelny is now considered one of the best and most innovative banjo players.

Chicago-area mountain biking? We've got a local expert - Pete Strazzabosco, author of Chicago Mountain Bike Trails Guide. Pete also has a website with photos of his favorite greasy Chicago food. It's called Greasefreak.com.