Stories by Matt Masterson

Classes resumed Tuesday for students across Chicago, but many of the 500-plus teachers laid off in August could be left outside the classroom this school year.

Giddy on up to North Avenue Beach this weekend to watch the “sport of kings” at the Qatar Airways Chicago Beach Polo Cup.

Nearly three out of four seniors within Chicago Public Schools earned their diplomas in 2016 – a district record – as graduation rates increased across neighborhood, charter and traditional high schools.

Field Museum archaeologists made an unexpected find while excavating an the site of an ancient city in southern Mexico.

Our summer series of politically inspired cocktails has come to an end but goes out with a bang as we look back at a man who encompassed just about everything wrong with Chicago politics – longtime alderman Fred Bruno Roti.

A new transit facility aimed at improving connections between trains and buses at Union Station is set to open Sunday, city officials announced this week.

August is Chicago's most violent month in 20 years. The historic Tribune Tower is sold. Chicago teachers are set to vote on an October strike. And the Cubs are still on top. These stories and more with Joel Weisman and guests.

Helping patients recover from gunshot wounds is just one part of a new violence-prevention program at Stroger Hospital. A look at how workers are going above and beyond the bedside.

With girls and women seriously underrepresented in fields involving computer science, we visit a computer camp that is aiming to change that at the Illinois Institute of Technology. 

August marks Chicago's deadliest month for gun violence in 20 years. What Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has to say about rising crime, and whether others agree.

Doors at the school will reopen next week in Bronzeville for the first time since the 2014-15 school year. Chicago Public Schools announced last fall the school would be transformed into a neighborhood school focused on arts.

Watch the Sept. 1, 2016 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

It's been a spectacular growing season in the WTTW garden. Jeanne Nolan, the Organic Gardener, joins us with tips for harvesting and preparing some of our crops, including corn, tomatoes, Mexican sour gherkins, red noodle beans and neon eggplant.

Safe spaces and trigger warnings: Are they good for college students or stifling academic and intellectual freedom?

Meet the author of a new book that takes an in-depth look at the challenges the justice system poses for minority defendants.

Picking and eating wild mushrooms could result in a delectable treat or a deadly mistake. A fungi expert shares some helpful advice and tells us why picking mushrooms in city parks and your own neighborhood might not be the best idea.

Hear what viewers had to say about our recent interviews with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Che "Rhymefest" Smith when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf pays a visit to his Chicago masterpiece and talks about its evolution over the last 12 years.

The effort to take on powerful interests like House Speaker Michael Madigan and end partisan legislative map drawing may yet have life. Find out what the Independent Maps group plans to do.

A new gang has surfaced at the Cook County Jail that even the sheriff refers to as “bizarre.” Tom Dart credits members of the gang, called Savage Life, with a hostage incident that occurred at the jail late last month.

A medical degree may be worth all the time and money after all. A new report from Zippia, a San Francisco-based online resource for career advice, lists Chicago’s 100 highest-paying jobs.

Watch the August 31, 2016 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Visits to emergency rooms increased in the state following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study.

The owner of Block 37 is buying the landmark Tribune Tower. We have details from the pages of Crain's Chicago Business.

Not that long ago, air pollution from burning coal made the Windy City more like the Smoggy City. Geoffrey Baer tells us how Chicago cleaned up its act, and shares other stories about Chicago history in this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.

The head of the Chicago Police Board on what it will take to change the culture of the department and restore public confidence.