1. College Students Enroll As Boys, and Graduate as College-Bound Men

All of Urban Prep Academies’ graduating seniors have been accepted to four-year colleges during the past five years. NPR goes inside the Chicago schools.

2. Big Budget Cuts Hit High Schools, Welcoming Schools

One-third of neighborhood public high schools lost more than $1 million in funding, even though the overall budget increased. Catalyst Chicago analyzes the new CPS budget.

3. Many Theories on Why Jose Abreu’s Swing Connects So Well

The White Sox rookie has emerged as one of the top sluggers in baseball. What’s his secret? The Tribune talks to the experts.

4. Where Did They Go?

The clouds of monarch butterfiles that once swarmed Illinois are gone. They don’t have much of a home in the state anymore. Illinois Issues follows their traces.

5. The End of Chicago’s Majestic Rat-Ridden Movie Palace

In 1989, the last of downtown’s old-school movie houses faced its final showing, with the projectionist of 36 years at the helm. Boing Boing takes a look back.

6. Why Chicago’s Wealthy Are Into This Little Hedge Fund

The $17 million controlled by this 31-year-old from a rough Milwaukee neighborhood isn’t much within the business, but it comes from important backers. Crain’s profiles William Heard.

7. Chicago Group Fights Growing Street Violence with Yoga Classes

A local woman is bringing the calming practice to the streets of Englewood. People introduces the I Grow Chicago program.

8. How Cannon’s City Design Group Could Reshape Chicago

After building megaprojects abroad, a new Chicago-based office is looking for ways to adapt to a local level. Chicago speaks with the design powerhouse’s leaders.

9. Chicago’s Middle Class Vanishing

The city’s Gini index—a measure of economic inequality—is growing faster than that of the state or country. The Sun-Times charts the divide.

10. How a New Documentary Captured Roger Ebert’s Last Months

When director Steve James pitched Ebert on turning his autobiography into a film, he didn’t expect to be there for the most vulnerable moments of his life. Chicago goes behind the scenes.