Stories by Kristen Thometz

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, who died at the age of 70, is remembered for her personality, beliefs, and sense of style. 

The Chicago Bears have had 17 head coaches since the team’s inception as the Decatur Staleys. Marc Trestman is the Bears’ current head coach. Learn more about the coaches and their records with the team.

Rabiah Mayas of the Museum of Science and Industry talks about the future of commercial space travel and identifying food poisoning via Twitter on Chicago Tonight.

The Illinois Network of Charter Schools says the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity’s report on Chicago charter schools is inaccurate. 

James Foley always wanted to be where the stories were and where the people were. Chicago Tonight talks with those who knew him during his time at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

After an eight-year legal battle, the City of Chicago has finally released data on which police officers have amassed the most complaints. We talk to the journalist whose lawsuit finally forced disclosure and the President of the Fraternal Order of Police.

The City Council’s Finance Committee held a meeting to discuss a proposed ordinance to require self-service gas stations to provide E15 gasoline. While the move is being touted as a way to save consumers cash, an analyst at The Heartland Institute says E15 gasoline won’t save motorists money at the pump.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she will not run for Mayor of Chicago in 2015. 

Six years ago, Katya Mazon, 18, realized the isolation and emotional pain she experienced was bullying. Read about her story.

Will an amendment asking voters to choose whether they'd like an independent process to redraw legislative maps actually make it to the November ballot? A lot depends on what elections officials decide today. Paris Schutz has more.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn released his 2013 tax return. Read an article.

America’s Test Kitchen’s Jack Bishop stops by with a new book, The How Can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook. We discuss the some of the book’s recipes and food trends for spring. Check out recipes. 

We take a closer look at whether Deerfield-based Walgreens will move to Switzerland due to pressure from a block of investors. And could Cosi, the struggling restaurant chain also based in Deerfield, be moving out of state? Brigid Sweeney from Crain’s Chicago Business gives us the details. View a timeline of Walgreens' history.

Matt Taibbi is arguably one of the most influential journalists of his age. He's perhaps best known for his work covering the financial crisis as a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine. Taibbi has a new book out called The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap. He joins us. Read an article and a book excerpt. 

Last week, state lawmakers passed Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to cut retirement benefits for some city workers. Even though the bill left out a controversial property tax hike provision, Gov. Pat Quinn has yet to sign the legislation. We discuss the effect Chicago’s reform could have statewide, and other topics, with our panel of Illinois lawmakers. Read an article.

George Lucas’s Star Wars museum could land in Chicago. Married to Chicago investment executive Mellody Hobson, Lucas has called Chicago his “second home” and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is rolling out the red carpet in a bid to capture the new museum. We discuss Chicago’s chances. Read an interview with Don Welsh, Choose Chicago CEO and President.

Susan Herman, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, joins us to discuss her book, Taking Liberties: The War on Terror and the Erosion of American Democracy. Read a book excerpt and view a timeline of laws designed to prevent future terrorist attacks.

The state’s capital was filled today with advocates rallying against charter school bills under consideration. President of Chicago International Charter Schools David Chizewer and Legislation Coordinator for the Chicago Teachers Union Stacy Davis Gates join us with details. Read an article.

Cook County Health & Hospitals System interim CEO Dr. John Jay Shannon stops by to discuss his new role, transforming the health and hospital system, and the redevelopment of Stroger Hospital Campus. Read his bio, read an article, and view a map of Cook County Health & Hospitals System locations.

Last year, Cook County Health & Hospitals System began enrolling people in CountyCare, a Medicaid program for uninsured adults in Cook County. CCHHS has been enrolling individuals at 138 locations, including the Cook County Jail. Read an article.

The Chicago Teachers Union blasts district plans, but Chicago Public Schools says it has turned around other schools under the nonprofit management firm Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL).

More than 7 million Americans signed up for the Affordable Care Act. But who exactly signed up for ObamaCare? How many are paying into the health insurance system? And what happens to the people who missed Monday’s sign-up deadline? We go in-depth with Forbes health care and policy reporter, and author, Bruce Japsen. Read an article and a book excerpt.

For the last 50 years, Star Trek has captivated audiences as the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explored the galaxy using technological advances – warp drive, wormholes, beaming technology, holodecks – in order to do so. Dirk K. Morr, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins us to discuss the scientific ideas behind Star Trek technologies. View a graphic and read an interview.

A new report from Gov. Pat Quinn's transit task force is recommending a shake-up to the structure of the RTA, Metra, CTA and Pace systems to streamline operations and budget woes. The blue-ribbon transit study commission is also recommending ethics reforms. Carol Marin gets the details of the report from the co-chairs of the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force, George Ranney Jr.  and Ann Schneider, and the Task Force’s Ethics chairman, Patrick Fitzgerald. Read the full report, and view a graphic of the current structure of the RTA, Metra, CTA and Pace.