Who: Laura Kruming
Where: Rogers Park
"I'm shocked that I still enjoy driving."

Person of Interest: Laura Kruming

Interview with Artist Cal Schenkel

Bill Housewright is a teacher at Beasley Elementary School in Chicago. He's not a fan of worksheets, hand-outs and standardized tests. So he takes some unconventional approaches with his 3rd graders as he attempts to answer his own question, "Does school have to look like school?"

Person of Interest: Bill Housewright

In this first episode of the series, we look at the the wide range of volunteers and volunteer opportunities in Chicago. And we start to answer the question, what does volunteering actually mean, for the people who do it, and for those benefit.

Volunteer: Stories of Philanthropy - The Range of Volunteering

On this edition of our series on volunteerism, reporter Christoper Johnson takes us on a day trip to the Urban Art Retreat in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. It's a community center, art space, and refuge for women who've suffered abuse. Dianna Long is this volunteer-run organization's director. She guides art programs for kids in the neighborhood, programs she wishes she'd had access to during her own traumatic childhood. Long says the kids "need to know we care about them, and if they really need us, there's a place to go."

Volunteer: Stories of Philanthropy - The Urban Art Retreat

Where: Logan Square
"Relationships with certain people that were in passing became more real and more visceral."

Person of Interest: Paul Karner

“When we take on important cases, it’s the principle of the matter that matters,” says Flint Taylor of the People’s Law Office. That’s how Taylor’s organization approached helping achieve reparations for the victims of Chicago police torture. And they did it for free. In this episode of our series on volunteerism, reporter Christopher Johnson looks at pro bono legal aid in the Chicago region.

Volunteer: Stories of Philanthropy - For the Public Good

Bed bugs are hard to get rid of. And the price of extermination services can be steep, beyond the reach of some seniors and low-income families. One exterminator in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood provides free exterminations for people who can't afford the service.

Volunteer: Stories of Philanthropy - Need the Service

Stereotypes about Generation Z are just that: stereotypes. Yeah, they may always have that mobile device nearby, but they're about more than just screen time. They're out in the real world, engaging with their community and volunteering to work on projects that make a positive impact.

Volunteer: Stories of Philanthropy: Gen Z is On It!

This is a piece I did for NPR's Justice Talking, specifically for their March 2008 show, The Tension Between Security and Liberty in the War on Terror. As a former Army interrogator, I'd been wanting to do a story about the Abu Ghraib travesty for some time and I got my opportunity with this piece. While not currently a hot debate topic, I believe it remains relevant as long as the global war on terror continues.

I interviewed Terry Karney, at the time a sergeant in the California Army National Guard who served as an interrogation team leader in Iraq in 2003. Terry has since left the Army and has spoken out many times against torture.

Standing on the Line Between Interrogation and Torture

Michael Dean
Where: West Loop, CHIRP Record Fair
"I bought 80,000 tickets to a concert that never happened"

Standing on the Line Between Interrogation and Torture

Radiovespa

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