Stories by WTTW News

The end of the legislative session in Springfield looms. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan declared an extension of the 2011 income tax increase dead and as a result, Democrats are crafting a "middle-of-the-road" budget with less austere spending cuts. Chicago Sun-Times’ Springfield bureau chief Dave McKinney joins us with an update. 

The Chicago Cubs formally unveil their latest designs for the now larger Wrigley renovation project. Two top executives from the Cubs organization weigh in and we'll have neighborhood reaction as well. See slideshow of Cubs newest plans for Wrigley. 

Not everyone is happy with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal that the Lucas Museum of Cultural Arts be built on a parking lot near Solider Field in the very popular Museum Campus area. Tonight, we have a panel discussion on the pros and cons of Chicago being the museum’s home and what are more suitable locations that could serve other well-deserving neighborhoods.

Meet the new chairman of the Illinois Republican Party Timothy Schneider, a Cook County commissioner from Bartlett. Schneider hopes the struggling GOP will have a successful election night this November, especially behind gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner. 

A team of cave-diving scientists recently announced the discovery of a near-complete skeleton of a teenage girl in an underwater cave on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Northwestern professor Patricia A. Beddows was a member of the team and joins us to discuss the find. 

Meet the first group of Fellows in Second City’s new Bob Curry Fellowship. Named after the first African-American Second City performer, the fellowship offers intense training to help these funny people find their voices.

Eddie Arruza and his guests continue this week’s conversation, discussing  new details about Jesse Jackson Jr.’s life in prison.  

Eddie Arruza and his panel of journalists discuss this week's headlines. 

The battle between Chicago Cubs and rooftop owners has hit the boiling point. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts announced plans to go forward with more scoreboards and an expanded renovation project as rooftop owners prepare to take them to court. Take our poll.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan presses for an income tax surcharge on millionaires, Toni Preckwinkle lobbies hard for her proposed Cook County budget. Chicago Sun-Times’ Springfield bureau chief Dave McKinney joins us with an update on these topics and more. 

Amir Sufi, professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, argues in his new book House of Debt that a sharp increase in household debt was an underlying reason for the Great Recession (in 2008) and a primary cause for our still sluggish recovery. Sufi joins us to discuss his book, and what in his view, former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner got wrong. 

One could say that the Chicago Field Museum is putting a lot of eggs in one basket, with the publication of its new book, The Book of Eggs. The result being a grand collection, extensive showcase of 600 species of birds. We find out more when John Bates, associate curator and book editor, joins us. Take a quiz.

Actor Michael Urie made his claim to fame starring in the hit TV sitcom Ugly Betty. He joins us on Chicago Tonight to talk about his new Chicago comedy show Buyer and Cellar. Learn more about Urie's new play.

We share what you had to say about Jay Shefsky's recent story on the city's new approach to rodent control when we read some of our viewer feedback.

A plan to rescue the pension system of Cook County workers could be on the fast track in pension-weary Springfield. So much so that County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is putting her reputation on the line to lobby state lawmakers and the governor to get it done in the waning days of the general assembly spring session. Will it happen? 

Illinois celebrates its bicentennial in 2018, and two authors have suggestions on how to fix the funk in Illinois just in time for the celebration. Read an excerpt from Fixing Illinois: Politics and Policy in the Prairie State.

What does China's rising economic and political clout on the world stage mean for the United States? The New Yorker writer Evan Osnos visits Chicago Tonight to talk about China's rising status and his new book. Read an excerpt from Age of Ambition. 

Geoffrey visits a rediscovered war curiosity, a long-lost war trophy, and a place in Chicago where north meets north in tonight’s Ask Geoffrey. 

Now that spring-like weather is actually here, what should you do with your tulips and other flowers? Eliza Fournier from the Chicago Botanic Garden joins us to offer spring gardening pointers. Read tips from Chicago Botanic Garden's May gardening checklist.

Springfield legislators enter the final stretch for the spring session and Chicago Sun-Times’ Springfield bureau chief Dave McKinney joins us with an update on where Gov. Quinn’s efforts to make his “temporary” income tax extension permanent stand, more general assembly news.

The original January 2002 airing of Attorney Michael Shakman on Chicago Tonight.

The legal battle that started in 1969 over Chicago patronage hiring is ending. Attorney Michael Shakman filed a motion to stop the federal hiring oversight because he says the city has reached "substantial compliance." We’ll talk to the man behind the “Shakman Decree," hear why he thinks the city no longer needs a hiring watchdog. 

Last week House Speaker Michael Madigan advanced a proposal to ask voters whether the state’s minimum wage should be increased to $10 an hour. Despite countless reports and research, the argument over the minimum wage still remains contentious. We debate the issue with our panel.

Chicago Tonight’s Phil Ponce interviews Mayor Rahm Emanuel on the three-year anniversary of Emanuel’s time in office. 

A federal law suit charges 10 police officers with battery and the use of excessive force. The actions, caught on tape, show an officer hitting a handcuffed, kneeling woman in the head and screaming racial insults at her. 

Tonight we look back at Rahm Emanuel’s first three years as Chicago’s first mayor post Richard M. Daley. We address Emanuel’s future challenges, including his re-election bid. View timeline of key events during Emanuel’s term.