Mavis Staples

Two Chicago nuns hold a weekly vigil for detained immigrants.

A Chicago woman was frustrated by the lack of social interaction across cultural and racial boundaries. She created "Across the Table" to help bridge the gap.

Wolf Lake anglers raise money to stock the lake annually with walleye. The organization responsible for the fish stocking is Perch America.

A Chicago woman photographs a series of abandoned homes, starting with the one she grew up in.

Alyssa was pretty nonchalant about traipsing around in these abandoned homes, even after it was clear that the doors were broken down and someone could have been in there. I was nervous. I've been in a fair number of sketchy places shooting stories, but I wasn't looking forward to disturbing someone squatting in an abandoned building. Nothing happened of course.

A couple of expert, high-end quilters design baby blankets that are made by Chicagoans with developmental disabilities.

Even though this story is about the "Many Hands" baby blankies that Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr designed and market, I can't pass up the opportunity to show you some examples of their other amazing quilts. There are a few below and lots more on their website, where you can also order them.

A local inventor builds a “puppet bike” so his out of work friends can make some cash.

There is no one in the Chicago area who has had more of an impact on Chicago waterways and on the sport of paddling than blacksmith, activist, businessman and naturalist Ralph Frese.

Karen Dove Cabral passed away in 2007 after 6 years of living with breast cancer. The following year, Karen’s husband and parents started the Karen Dove Cabral Foundation to assist other young mothers battling the disease.

I take a once-in-a-lifetime flight on a fully restored WWII Bomber and meet a WWII veteran who flew in one.

We go inside an operating room, where surgeon Dr. Pier Giulianotti uses robots to operate.

In 2009, the magazine Fast Company listed Dr. Pier Giulianotti #85 on the list of 100 Most Creative People in the Business.

Chicago is certainly a big sailing town. But if you have a disability, you may think that you can’t participate — except as a passenger. Several years ago, I met some people who would like to prove you wrong. They’re at the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program in Burnham Harbor.

Judd Goldman Sailing Center is located at Burnham Harbor (one block West of Planetarium), 1362 S. Lynn White Drive, in Chicago.

The tattoo on Regina's back used to be the name of her abusive boyfriend. Now it is roses and tinkerbell.

We go behind the scenes of the popular NPR show, Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!

Dave Beckham thought that cafes had a much too liberal bent. So he created one in Crown Pointe, Indiana where he and fellow conservatives could feel at home. It's called the Conservative Cafe. They offer four signature blends: -Liberal Blend: a Columbian decaf with no substance -Moderate Blend: Guatemalan coffee -Conservative Blend: Kenyan, more robust -Radical Right: Strong Sumatran for a powerful jolt of caffinated whupass.