Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the best ways to get involved with local government. “News Night” — Mouse Arts & Letters Club At the beginning of 2026, WTTW News investigative reporter Blair Paddock and journalist Morley Musick opened Mouse Arts & Letters Club, a social club for writers, poets, creatives and more in Bridgeport. It aims to be a “friendly space that defies national borders, political reaction and cultural philistinism while allowing you to enjoy and partake in the best cultural programs and projects.” The idea for the space began with “News Night,” a series where “journalists will each explain a story they’ve worked on recently, followed by audience questions, comments and concerns.” This installment, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, features ProPublica’s Jennifer Smith Richards, Chalkbeat’s Reema Amin and WIRED’s Ali Winston. It’s free and open to the public, and you can find more info here. WTTW On Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m., join WTTW and award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick at Malcolm X College Auditorium for a preview and discussion of her new film “Crime and Punishment in America.” The four-part, eight-hour docuseries, executive produced by Ken Burns and Sam Pollard, and narrated by Keith David, will premiere over four consecutive nights on all WTTW platforms beginning Monday, Nov. 16. Novick’s credits with her colleague Ken Burns include “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” “Hemingway,” “The Vietnam War,” “Baseball,” “Jazz,” “Frank Lloyd Wright,” “The War” and “Prohibition.” Immediately following the screening, Brandis Friedman, chief correspondent and anchor for “Chicago Tonight,” will moderate a conversation with Novick and other special guests. For more info and RSVP, click here.
