Stories by Kristen Thometz

A North Shore salon owner says cosmetology licenses should not be required for employees of salons specializing in styling hair, rather than cutting it. But not everyone in the industry agrees that a blow-dry license is a good idea.

One of the oldest giraffes in a North American zoo died last week. At 27, she had surpassed the median life expectancy for giraffes, which is about 17-20 years.

A 33-year-old man sparked a brief manhunt Sunday afternoon after he phoned a Chicago dispatcher claiming his vehicle had been stolen with an 8-year-old girl inside.

Illinois’ largest county – and the Democrats who run its politics – will work to get state Sen. Kwame Raoul elected as the state’s next attorney general.

A team led by University of Chicago professor Angela Olinto will use a NASA super pressure balloon to study mysterious cosmic rays that could offer groundbreaking new insights about the universe. 

More than a decade after Kevin Clewer was stabbed to death inside his Lakeview apartment, his family and Chicago police are once again asking for help identifying his killer.

Two months after becoming the first company approved for fracking in Illinois, Woolsey Operating Company has withdrawn its permit. 

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez says President Trump is “unfit to be president.” Security is stepped up in the wake of a fatal truck attack in New York City. Sex abuse allegations shake up Springfield. And Rod Blagojevich appeals to the Supreme Court.

Watch the Nov. 2, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

As Springfield grapples with allegations of rampant sexual misconduct and harassment, lapses and flaws in the system for dealing with charges of harassment and other unethical behavior are rising to the surface.

Football may be America’s favorite sport, but with the rising fear of brain injury and CTE, it’s taken a bruising. We visit a Chicago-area helmet maker to see how it’s tackling the issue. 

Thousands of planets orbiting alien suns, giant new telescopes coming online: Could we finally answer the question “Are we alone in the Universe?”

Autumn is not just pumpkin spice lattes and apple picking. Learn about the science behind the season with physicist Dr. Olivia Castellini.

The local news websites DNAinfo Chicago and Chicagoist on Thursday ceased publication and abruptly shut down. 

Cook County Jail wasn’t designed to be a psychiatric facility, but it’s turned into one of the largest mental health institutions in the country, says Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.

Chicago Sun-Times theater and dance critic Hedy Weiss shares her recommendations from Porchlight Music Theatre, Lookingglass, Goodman, Black Ensemble Theater and BoHo Theatre.

Complaints against state lawmakers and legislative staff have been sitting in a binder for as long as three years, according to a legislator who sits on the commission charged with ruling on misconduct.

A Broadway superstar returns to Chicago to plea for help for his Puerto Rican homeland, and addresses a controversial tweet about the president.

Watch the Nov. 1, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Chicagoans have watched the Navy Pier Flyover begin to take shape over the last three years. But the city recently pushed back the completion date to 2019. Frustrated cyclists and pedestrians are beginning to ask why.

Otis Wilson was a key member of the Chicago Bears 1985 Super Bowl team. He joins us to discuss his new book “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Chicago Bears Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box.”

GOP lawmakers delay releasing their tax overhaul. Can legislators agree on cuts that meet the president’s demands?

Officials responding to last week’s oil spill in the South Branch of the Chicago River have recovered dead wildlife from the water, including 43 fish and four turtles. The source of the spill is still unknown, according to the EPA. 

After cutbacks at the EPA and skepticism within the Trump administration about climate change, the city of Chicago has made clear its intention to step up efforts to protect the environment.

A Chicago Public School principal whose school is in the process of constructing a $60 million expansion attempted to sway the answers of teachers on a 2017 survey measuring the overall quality of the school.

Former Vice President Joe Biden weighs in on the current state of affairs and on the threat posed by Russia during a speech in Chicago. Is he laying the groundwork for 2020?