WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

WBEZ has reported a lot about Harper High School’s struggle with neighborhood violence. This week, Harper High is celebrating some good news.

A Chicago-area school once infamous for its violent culture begins to heal itself through peaceful practices.

Recent mass shootings have changed the political conversation and as a result, many mental health advocates say the entire debate is off-base.

It's hard to track down Ameena Matthews. She's constantly on call, always ready to keep conflicts in the city's most dangerous neighborhoods from escalating to homicide. But she wasn't always the one breaking up the fights and trying to keep the peace — Matthews will tell you herself, she didn't think she'd live to see 25, as most of her youth was wrapped up in life on the streets. 

Two gang members were charged with murder Monday in the death of a 15-year-old honor student who was shot near the Chicago home of President Barack Obama just days after she performed during his inauguration festivities in Washington, authorities said.

President Barack Obama will travel to Chicago at the end of this week to address gun violence and other issues after his State of the Union address.

It's been a bloody year in the nation's third-largest city. A spike in murders and shootings — much of it gang-related — shocked Chicagoans, spurred new crime-fighting strategies and left indelible images.