The first Trump-Biden debate. A fiery hearing on corruption in Springfield. Chicago’s loosening COVID-19 restrictions. Our politics team tackles those stories and more in this week’s roundtable.

Organizers in Illinois are making a major, last-minute push for census participation. What you need to know before the count wraps up.

To help navigate the options, three local bar associations have screened and ranked each candidate. Here are their recommendations. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is unveiling a new plan to curb the city’s violence epidemic. But does it go far enough? 

Beverly and Morgan Park are continuing a seven-year tradition of celebrating local artists, but this year they’re doing things a bit differently. We visit the historic area for a preview of the event.

President Donald Trump’s initial refusal to condemn a far right fascist group drew fierce blowback before he altered his message in a day-later effort to quell the firestorm. 

Interruption, disruption and insults. Tuesday’s presidential debate was arguably the most chaotic ever produced. We get reaction from the father of presidential debates, the former FCC chairman who first proposed the idea in 1955.

Two of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s closest allies say they are frustrated and disappointed that she has apparently dropped her support for long-stalled efforts to put an elected board of Chicago residents in charge of the Chicago Police Department.

Watch the Sept. 30, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Trick-or-treaters and those passing out candy should maintain 6 feet of social distance and wear face coverings. Costume masks are not a substitute for cloth masks, according to guidance released by state health officials.

Share your experiences through written stories, art, videos and more. “This is a case where if you save it, I’m happy to receive it,” said Eileen Ielmini of the University of Chicago Library’s Special Collections Research Center.

Adam Hollingsworth, the man known as the “Dreadhead Cowboy,” has not yet entered a plea on a felony animal abuse charge, but the condition of the horse he rode for more than 7 miles during rush hour is reportedly improving.

An increase in the number of vote-by-mail applications ahead of the November election goes beyond Chicago: 2 million Illinois residents have applied to vote by mail — nearly a quarter of all registered voters in the state, officials said.

After more than a year of circling each other, Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden met on the debate stage Tuesday night in Ohio. 

It’s Fat Bear Week. No, we’re not mocking Matt Nagy’s squad, we’re talking about the annual competition to crown the beefiest brown bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. Here’s how to get in on the action.