Stories by Matt Masterson

The Chicago Police Department on Wednesday continued mourning the loss of 53-year-old Commander Paul Bauer a day after he was shot and killed in the line of duty.

Book lovers, a Martian adventure, ciders and funny femmes usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Ben, a 40-year-old orangutan at Brookfield Zoo, underwent an emergency appendectomy last month after veterinary staff discovered a ruptured appendix. 

A Chicago man stumbles on a rare and valuable piece of art that is a close cousin to the most reproduced painting in history.    

Watch the Feb. 13, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

The new White House budget doesn’t match President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to save Medicaid and Medicare “without cuts.” We discuss the proposed reforms.

Many immigrant communities in Chicago formed ethnic clubs to help maintain their traditions. One such club has celebrated the German tradition of Karneval for over a century. We take a look.

As Gov. Bruce Rauner prepares to give the final budget address of his four-year term, the state’s bill payer is sounding the alarm. 

Online dating scams have cost victims in the U.S. and Canada nearly $1 billion over the past three years, according to a new report from the Better Business Bureau. And hundreds of these reports have come from the greater Chicago area.

“It’s a difficult day for us, but we will get through it,” an emotional Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Tuesday following the shooting death of 18th District Commander Paul Bauer.

A 28-year-old woman unsatisfied with the way in which House Speaker Michael Madigan handled her accusations of sexual harassment against Kevin Quinn is taking her complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

People with Huntington’s disease, a fatal genetic illness, are less likely to develop cancer than the general population. Now, scientists have a better understanding as to why, thanks to the discovery of an “assassin molecule” by Northwestern University.

A local Olympian is bringing home a medal. We look back at our visit with figure skater Bradie Tennell.

In Paramount’s revival of the 1966 musical, director-choreographer Katie Spelman not only finds a perfect balance between the personal and political, but fully captures the flamboyant decadence of 1930s Weimar Germany without exploiting the pure shock value of its sexual antics. 

Watch the Feb. 12, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Your thoughts on a new model of car-sharing that may come to Chicago called “free-floating” car-sharing.

The governor gives his budget address Wednesday, but with a backlog of unpaid bills hovering above $9 billion, what will he propose to plug the hole? 

Non-disclosure agreements enabled USA Gymnastics to cover up Larry Nassar’s crimes and Harvey Weinstein to silence his alleged victims. Should they be allowed—and are they enforceable?

Is there a safe level of technology use for kids? We discuss “The Art of Screen Time” with author and NPR education correspondent Anya Kamenetz.

Two Chicago-area researchers have uncovered what they think is the first piece of physical evidence showing that forgotten memories could still live on inside our brains.

Considering homeownership? How to decide if it’s the right time to buy—and how to avoid common mistakes. A discussion with real estate and personal finance author Ilyce Glink.

After 20 years, Kevin Quinn is “no longer an employee of any of my political committees” given “inappropriate conduct,” House Speaker Michael Madigan announced in a statement Monday.

Under a revised plan, students at Hope, Harper and TEAM Englewood high schools will now be allowed to stay at their schools through graduation instead of being forced out this summer.

A new city report on energy use by buildings shows progress toward reducing carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.

Officials battling the state’s opioid epidemic got a boost this week with the donation of a medicine that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. In 2016, nearly 1,950 people died of opioid overdoses in Illinois.

Defense attorneys say they need more than a year to adequately prepare for trial in the case of a Champaign man facing the death penalty in the disappearance and death of a University of Illinois scholar.