Stories by Alexandra Silets

Andrea Zopp talks about her candidacy to become the democratic nominee in the primary race for U.S. Senate against Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth. The winner will face incumbent Senator Mark Kirk.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and from both chambers talk about the emergency one-month budget the Senate will vote on this week, and whether there will be any negotiations or attempts to pass a full budget for the coming fiscal year when the House returns to Springfied on Wednesday.

Lawmakers in the Illinois House on Thursday approved an emergency one-month budget which passed on July 1 in the Senate with no Republican support. But a pass in the House may not resolve the budget impasse, as Gov. Bruce Rauner has vowed to veto the temporary spending plan.

Can Chicago condo buildings ban smoking in owners’ units? Some buildings are making the change. We talk with Crain’s Chicago Business real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin about that, the new disclosure rules coming, and the latest trends in the housing market.

Lawmakers left Springfield for the Fourth of July weekend without a budget deal in place triggering a partial government shutdown. We talk with legislators from both sides of the aisle about what to expect if the impasse continues and what's on the session's agenda this week to resolve the fiscal crisis.

Chicago music fans have a lot to look forward to this summer with the Grateful Dead and Lollapalooza making headlines here. But Humboldt Park neighbors rejected the return of Riot Fest. Rock critics Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis join us to talk about the headliners and the headlines.

With the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage, the last 14 states now must recognize and grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that states cannot ban same sex-marriage. In a landmark 5-4 ruling, Anthony Justice Kennedy wrote, “no union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family.”

Chicago celebrates its 46th annual Pride Parade on Sunday. We talk with the man behind the parade and Ald. Tom Tunney about the history, security, and future of one of Chicago's largest parades.

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton joins Carol Marin to talk about the Springfield summer session's budget showdown.

Named one of Time’s 100 most influential people last year, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, a Ugandan educator, joins us to talk about her advocacy for women and girls who have survived years of kidnappings and violence at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army warlord in Uganda.

Some have described the atmosphere in Springfield as toxic. Will lawmakers and Gov. Rauner move beyond the ugliness to get a deal done on the budget? Two lawmakers join us to talk about what's ahead.

The charges against former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert include perjury and using a complicated series of financial maneuvers to hide a $3.5 million payoff to someone from Yorkville, where he taught high school decades ago. We take a closer look at the legal issues behind the indictment and the possible ramifications.

Chicago Sun-Times Theater Critic Hedy Weiss reviews five shows being staged around Chicago.

One way Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed cutting spending is to repeal the so-called “prevailing wage” law. So what is the prevailing wage and why is it on the books? Our experts debate the pros and cons of eliminating the prevailing wage the state pays for public construction projects. 

Rabbi Herman Schaalman turned 99 years old this year. After a life spent studying religious texts and the Torah, he’s starting to doubt the existence of God. We'll talk with the rabbi about his own evolution.

The University of Illinois’ new president is a geophysicist who studies the earth’s atmosphere. But his focus now will be on moving the state’s huge university system forward. We’ll talk with him about possible budget cuts, tuition costs, and his vision for the future.

There are 13 new members joining City Council today. We talk to four of them about their priorities and the fiscal challenges that face Chicago in the next four years.

A new special exhibit opens on Saturday with 40 species of amphibians. We talk with the Shedd Aquarium's Special Exhibits manager about the "ribbiting experience."

It's official. The Obama Presidential Library is coming to Chicago. What will it mean for the South Side? We'll hear more details about the city's triumph.

On Friday, May 8, the Illinois Supreme Court found the state’s 2013 pension reform law unconstitutional, affirming the ruling made six months earlier by a lower court. In its ruling, the Supreme Court said “crisis is not an excuse to abandon the rule of the law.” We discuss the decision with a panel of lawmakers.

A Tinley Park man, who suffers from muscular dystrophy and has had five heart surgeries for his atrial fibrillation, was in Nepal to climb Mount Everest when the deadly earthquake struck. We'll hear about his emotional journey.

There's a new board chairwoman at the College of DuPage, and she wasted no time making changes. In a contentious first vote on Thursday, April 30, the new majority of reform trustees voted 4-3 to put the school's controversial president, Robert Breuder, on paid administrative leave. 

One in five parkway trees in Chicago is threatened by the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. So what can people do to stop the shrinking of the region's tree canopy? The Morton Arboretum's CEO, Gerry Donnelly, joins us to talk about reversing tree loss.

U.S. Supreme Court justices were deeply divided during oral arguments on the issue of same-sex marriage. The key question: Does the Constitution guarantee gay and lesbian couples the right to marry? Four former clerks weigh in.

State lawmakers are reconvening this week in Springfield to work on the budgeting process for next year. We'll hear from legislators from both sides of the aisle.