Stories by WTTW News

We hear inside stories from reporters who witnessed the action in the courtroom, and we discuss what today's verdict means for corruption in Illinois. How do you think the Blagojevich verdict will impact politics in Illinois?

Jurors in the Rod Blagojevich corruption retrial have found the former Illinois governor guilty on 17 counts, not guilty on 1 count and were hung on 2 counts. The counts included wire fraud, extortion, bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to solicit bribes. The 20 counts involved five schemes: the marquee allegation of attempting to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat; shaking down Children's Memorial Hospital; shaking down the Illinois Road Builders Association; attempting to extort a race track owner; and attempting to extort then-Congressman Rahm Emanuel.

This week on Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review, newly released 911 tapes add even more controversy to the Memorial Day beach closings. The city's war on gangs nets 120 arrests as the top cop, Garry McCarthy, has vowed to "obliterate" them. The new school board approves hefty executive pay hikes as salary-slashed teachers protest, and CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard suggests teachers visit students' homes. An old court order from the Council Wars protects Ald. Ed Burke's controversial 24-7 police detail. ComEd is still reeling from the storm blackouts.

We hear what you had to say about recent stories when we read some of our viewer mail. Send Chicago Tonight your comments

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard want teachers to spend more time in the classroom -- but not to get scheduled 4 percent raises. Paris Schutz has the story.

Crude oil prices tumble, the unemployment rate stumbles, and the housing market falls too. Eddie Arruza and our financial panel break down why the economic recovery has stalled.

With civil unions here in Illinois now, Steven Petrow, the author of the Complete Gay and Lesbian Manners: The Definitive Guide to LGBT Life, gives us some etiquette tips.

The play is called "Chinglish" and its author is the Tony-award winning writer of the acclaimed "M. Butterfly." Eddie Arruza talks with David Henry Hwang about his latest play, which receives its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre on Monday.

Geoffrey Baer takes us to the former sites of both the Cubs and White Sox ballparks in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey.

President Obama announces the beginning of troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, amid bipartisan calls to end the conflict entirely. We carry his speech live, and then Carol Marin and her panel debate the repercussions of the president's decision at home and abroad. Did President Obama make the right move regarding troops in Afghanistan?

Hundreds of teachers and union members took to the streets this morning to protest the Chicago Board of Education's decision to rescind a contractual pay raise for teachers. Ash-har Quraishi tells us what happened inside the school board meeting that followed. Collective bargaining agreement: See pg 117, item 47-2.2 for pay raise clause

Finance Committee chairman Alderman Ed Burke has a security detail of multiple bodyguards and one Chicago police car; a measure Rahm Emanuel spoke up against during his campaign. Burke has the backing of a judge when the detail was contested in 1986. Elizabeth Brackett has the story.

We tour the Poetry Foundation's bold new downtown building. Eddie Arruza has the story.

In Erik Larson's new book, In the Garden of Beasts, he tells the true story of a Chicago family that unexpectedly finds itself in a position of prominence in Berlin during Hitler's rise to power. More on the book

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas says the average Chicago household now owes a whopping $63,525 to cover local government debt. Phil Ponce sits down with her to ask how she came up with the staggering $108 billion total amount.

A new form of DNA may help treat cancer, new understandings about ancient civilizations, and the important role of happiness in health. Chicago Tonight's science guy Neil Shubin talks about those stories, and his own upcoming research in the Arctic.

An artist who thinks "inside the box." Chicago Tonight sheds light on the shadow boxes created by Joseph Cornell on today's Artbeat. More on the Story: Photo Gallery MCA Chicago: Cornell exhibit

Jeffrey Lyons is best known as a movie reviewer and long-time host of Sneak Previews. He also had one of the most extraordinary childhoods imaginable, and was surrounded by celebrities from an early age. His father, Leonard Lyons, was the celebrity columnist for the New York Post. Jeffrey Lyons talks about his new book, Stories My Father Told Me: Notes From "The Lyons Den".

JoAnn Chiakulas, the lone holdout juror from Rod Blagojevich's first trial, tells us why she voted not guilty and the pressure she felt to change that vote. Elizabeth Brackett has the story. Blagojevich Retrial page "Breakdown of the Alleged Shakedowns"

We hear what you had to say about recent stories when we read some of our viewer mail. Send Chicago Tonight your comments

A unanimous appeals court decision upholds that Patrick Fitzgerald's office knew that a key witness in a Gangster Disciples drug ring case lied on the stand. Carol Marin and her panel looks at prosecutorial misconduct. Chicago Tribune article U.S. Court of Appeals: Freeman opinion

With unemployment rising and major companies threatening to leave the state because of high taxes, WBBM Newsradio 780's Kris Kridel joins us to survey the business landscape.

It took 90 years and 88 scholars at the University of Chicago to complete work on what is known as the Assyrian Dictionary. Ash-har Quraishi takes a look at the project and its historical significance. More on the Story: Web article & photo gallery The Oriental Institute: Assyrian Dictionary project

If you think your child doesn't have a food allergy, you might want to think again. A new study reveals that food allergies are on the rise nationwide. Dr. Ruchi Gupta sits down with us to discuss the study.

It's a struggle many Americans will soon face -- caring for their aging parents. Jane Gross joins us to discuss her new book on caregiving.

Geoffrey Baer takes you on a ride aboard Chicago's last surviving private commuter rail car. Chicago Tribune article