Stories by Linda Qiu

When it comes to treating our sewage, Chicago has a history of thinking big from reversing the flow of the Chicago River to the creation of Deep Tunnel. Jay Shefsky visited the Thornton Quarry and went to the bottom of Deep Tunnel to see where the water will flow into the new reservoir later this year. We revisit that story.    

Painter Archibald Motley created a revealing body of work that captured Chicago people and nightlife during the Jazz Age. We revisit our story about the Motley exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center.

The Little Rock Nine changed history when they integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. in 1957. They join us to discuss their activism and their thoughts on the current state of race relations in America.

Just back from Nepal yesterday, we speak with a local doctor who was in Nepal providing knee and hip replacements. We get the latest from her on the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

As awareness increases about the risk of traumatic brain injury while playing contact sports and the possible long-term health impacts, we talk to Dorothy Kozlowski, a professor of biological sciences at DePaul University whose research focuses on understanding and treating the injured brain.

“Unachievable.” That's what fiscal watchdog group The Civic Federation calls Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed 2016 fiscal budget in a new report released today. And the report comes a day after Rauner gave an unprecedented speech to the Chicago City Council, saying city officials shouldn't expect a bail out from the state. Tonight we talk with a panel of experts about what this means for the city and the state.

Scientist Neil Shubin is back to tell us why the U.S. Military is so interested in the bombardier beetle, why taking a hands-on approach is a better way to learn science, and why astronomers may want to avoid using the microwave when heating their lunch.

One in five parkway trees in Chicago is threatened by the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. So what can people do to stop the shrinking of the region's tree canopy? The Morton Arboretum's CEO, Gerry Donnelly, joins us to talk about reversing tree loss.

The World Health Organization warns that the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or "superbugs" means that we could be on the brink of a "post-antibiotic era" in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill. They say the situation is "so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine." We talk with two experts about the scale of the threat and what we can all do to try and contain it.

WTTW's new web series, Foodphiles, looks at Chicago area restaurants and the diverse characters who keep them cooking.

CIMMfest, the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival, has quickly evolved into a spring destination. We'll speak with the new program director, who came from the Sundance Festival.