Chicago

Last year, Congress tried to make getting care for vets easier by giving them the option of going outside of VA facilities. Seems pretty simple, but making that rule work hasn't been all that easy.

President Obama has said he'll work to improve race relations between police and communitie, but in his hometown, many see a leader unable to sustain the progress predicted during his 2008 campaign.

The nation's aging pipes and water mains are springing expensive leaks, wasting more than 2 trillion gallons of drinking water nationally and 22 billion gallons in the Chicago area alone.