1. Can the MacArthur Foundation Find Its Mojo?
Famous for its “genius grants,” the organization going to offer $100 million to solve a social problem. And that’s just the beginning of its shakeup. Chicago profiles its president, Julia Stasch, and finds out her plans.
2. How Parents Give Their Kids Math Anxiety
Parents who are afraid of math can pass that fear on to their children, according to a study from University of Chicago researchers. New York explains.
3. Heroin Crisis Ups Demand for Treatment as Program Funding Is Cut
Chicago has the most heroin-related emergency room visits in the country, but help for heroin users is at risk to budget cuts. NPR covers the crisis.
4. Peregrines—and a Photographer—Bunk Out at Chicago Man’s Apartment
The tenant of a 28th floor condo helped some falcons get a toehold as they started a family. Audubon documents a month in the life of the birds.
5. Where Are Chicago’s Poor White Neighborhoods?
There is one tiny corner of it—but it has a lot to do with college students. WBEZ maps its presence.
6. Will Chicago’s Tiki Renaissance Last This Time?
We’ve tried it before, but maybe the drinks are better this time. The Reader revisits past enthusiasms.
7. After 50 Years, Seven Families Still Live on Chicago’s ‘Block that Works’
A shift in redlining allowed seven black families to move to a white block in Auburn-Gresham. Their descendents are still there. Mark Konkol visits for DNAInfo.
8. Soundscape of the City Is About More than Decibels
What does Chicago sound like? The Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology is trying to find out. The Tribune listens in.
9. Zoo Camp for All
The father of a child with Down syndrome finds the Brookfield Zoo to be “one of the most inclusive major cultural sites I’ve ever encountered.” David M. Perry describes why in Belt.
10. Why Are Illinois’s Honeybees Dying? It’s Complicated
In the meantime, you can help. Chicago tries to answer the question.