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Pollsters often ask: "If the election were held today, who would you vote for?" The fundamental problem is that the election is not being held today. But while a lot will change between now and November, strategists say campaigns use early polling to help shape a winning message.

The alderman in the 49th Ward became the first elected official in the country to hand over the purse strings to his constituents in 2009. Three years later, the "participatory budgeting" experiment is still attracting new residents to planning meetings.

After more than a decade busting corruption, Patrick Fitzgerald is stepping down. The federal prosecutor, known as "Eliot Ness with a Harvard degree," went after the Gambino crime family, al-Qaida and even the White House — not to mention two former Illinois governors who are now in jail.

Rollie Pemberton often wrote about about his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta when he was its poet laureate. But running parallel to that career was one in hip-hop. As Cadence Weapon, Pemberton remains locally minded on his third album, Hope in Dirt City.

If there's one grilling tip to remember this Memorial Day weekend, it should be this: Flame is bad. Whether you're barbecuing OR grilling, a meat-eater or a vegetarian, here's how to keep your flavor from going up in smoke.

Early polling can do much to shape political campaigns, but for voters who are just trying to follow the debate, polls and surveys can seem contradictory and confusing. Host Scott Simon talks with Michael Dimock of Pew Research Center and J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer and Company, about how to make sense of polling this election season.

An estimated 125 million people are expected to tune in to Saturday night's final contest in Eurovision 2012. This year's song contest has provoked controversy over its host country, Azerbaijan, whose president is accused of human rights abuses. Vicki Barker has the story.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent Gray was elected to office on a platform of anti-corruption. But just two years into his term, a federal investigation has left two former aides pleading guilty to misdeeds during the 2010 election. Gray has denied any wrongdoing. Host Guy Raz talks about D.C. politics with Washington Post reporter Nikita Stewart.

Tyrese Graham is a second-year science teacher at John Marshall Metropolitan High School on the West Side of Chicago. When he started teaching, Marshall was among the worst public schools in the city.

Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR sports correspondent Mike Pesca, who has an off-speed pitch on the week's sports news.