Some advocates and law enforcement officials say heroin use is rising in Illinois and that Chicago has one of the largest open drug markets in the country.

More than 100 guns were stolen from a Norfolk Southern freight train that was parked in a rail yard on the South Side. On Monday, we discuss growing concerns surrounding the security of trains carrying dangerous freight through Chicago.

We discuss the CPS budget and other challenges facing the nation's third-largest school district with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s new leadership team: CPS CEO Forrest Claypool and chief education officer Janice Jackson. 

President Obama's Clean Power Plan aims to reduce carbon emissions 32 percent by 2030. It's the administration's "biggest, most important step" in combating climate change. We take a closer look at the new policy, the legalities and how it will impact the state and consumers.

There's been a roar of outrage over a Minnesota dentist's killing of a lion named Cecil. Joining us to discuss the big-game tourism trade and changing attitudes about it, is Terri Colby, who was with the Chicago Tribune from 1995-2009, including time as an editor for the Tribune's Travel section.

We share what you had to say about the Better Government Association's report on police-involved shootings in Chicago, the rising price of rent across the city, whether or not the proposed tax on sugary beverages is a bitter pill, and Geoffrey Baer's conversation with Newton Minow.

During a recent walk around Lincoln Square and North Park, we spotted loads of colorful flowers decorating front stoops, gardens, walkways, windows, and along the street. We'll keep snapping photos of colorful Chicago, and we invite you to join us. What's blooming in your neighborhood?

From Chicago's top spot in fatal police-involved shootings to a successful road trip for the White Sox, Joel Weisman and his panel have your week in review.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists debate the merits of Lollapalooza, and the impact of the Blackhawks' new training facility coming to the West Side. 

The parade for new city taxes continued Thursday as a group of aldermen made their case to Mayor Emanuel that powerful corporations and the wealthy should shoulder the burden of tax hikes to help plug a massive budget hole. The aldermen are also targeting the private law businesses of powerful political figures like Ald. Ed Burke (14th Ward) and House Speaker Michael Madigan. 

Complaints about jet noise at O’Hare International Airport topped more than 400,000 in May. On Thursday, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation that will increase the number of runways allowed at O’Hare in an effort to mitigate jet noise affecting some Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs.