Edie Kasten

1 week ago | cbsnews.com | Marie Saavedra |Edie Kasten

Chicago's firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics help resident through some of their worst moments, and our female first responders bring a special strength to an incredibly demanding job. In an emergency, all you want to know is that someone is coming to help. Cat Renar, who spent 20 years with the Chicago Fire Department, said the women serving the city play a special role. "I love being an engineer because I love driving the engine," she said.

2 weeks ago | cbsnews.com | Irika Sargent |Edie Kasten

A dynamic mother-daughter duo works together to bring the joy of books to Chicago's South Side and beyond. "It was always my dream to open a bookstore that amplified Black stories, and that's what I was able to do," said Verlean Singletary, co-owner of Da Book Joint in the South Shore neighborhood. From fiction to history, coffee table books to kids' reads, Da Book Joint has it all. If you can't find it, Singletary and her daughter, Courtney Woods, will make sure they get it for you.

3 weeks ago | cbsnews.com | Joe Donlon |Edie Kasten

Amanda Harth, the Chicago native behind Monday Coffee Co., is a determined entrepreneur who exemplifies the South Side's "give it a try" spirit. She and her business partner Felton Kizer have now opened Monday Coffee's first café in Starling, a new neighborhood space on 16th Street where people can meet to enjoy coffee and company together. "The space is designed for anyone that wants to come in, even if you're not buying a cup of coffee. If you want to rest, read a book, it's great," she said.

1 month ago | cbsnews.com | Edie Kasten

Chicago postal workers rallied in Federal Plaza Sunday in opposition to efforts to privatize the U.S. Postal Service. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke to the crowd, saying democracy is dependent on the mail carriers' work delivering the mail. Postal workers echoed that sentiment, and explained they attended the rally for several reasons. "To save my job. To save my job, my benefits," said postal worker Edith Romero. "All of us, we work very, very hard, all types of weather.

1 month ago | cbsnews.com | Marie Saavedra |Edie Kasten

Charlene Brooks has a pretty neat day job, and then some. As a professional singer, she has done it all; from rock to country, jazz to Broadway. But that's just the beginning. Brooks also is Rabbi Charlene Brooks, but the people at Congregation Bene Shalom in Skokie, Illinois, simply call her Rabbi Char. How did she get from singer to rabbi, and why does she conduct services in sign language? It's a long story, and Rabbi Char loves a good story.