Zachary Nauth | WBEZ

Surfer Justin Ferranti exits Lake Michigan in Whiting, Ind. In winter, the water is more dense, mimicking some of the buoyancy that saltwater affords.

Outdoors

For winter surfers on Lake Michigan, bad weather is almost always good

“I don’t think of it as treacherous,” one surfer says of battling frigid waves, frostbite and occasional toxic spills. “I think of it as an adventure.”

By Zachary Nauth | WBEZ

Jake Lieb examines a soybean. Rainfall and temperatures — which scientists say have become more extreme — play a big role in determining yields on his family’s central Illinois farm and his family’s income.

Environment

These conservation-minded Illinois farmers are in a race against climate change to save their soil

“It’s about leaving something for tomorrow,” says Jake Lieb, 41, who is among a small but growing percentage of central Illinois farmers experimenting with soil conservation.

By Zachary Nauth | WBEZ