Stories by Evan Garcia

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski joins us to discuss ongoing health care negotiations.

Watch the Aug. 21, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

About a dozen different species were under close watch during the event as scientists looked for any changes in behavior. 

As the fight over the Cook County sweetened beverage tax enters yet another round, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is getting some praise from one of the county's biggest unions.

The comedian and civil rights activist died on Saturday. He was 84. 

Chicagoans from all neighborhoods and walks of life came out of the shadows to fix their appropriately covered eyes on the skies.

The last time a total solar eclipse spanned the continental United States from coast to coast was 99 years ago. Thousands joined in the Adler Planetarium’s celestial celebration to mark the occasion.

“Until the government starts to call it what it is – and that’s terrorism – I’m not sure the point will fully come across as to how dangerous of a problem this is,” said Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi, of far-right extremism.

Onlookers were treated to a clear view of the solar eclipse in Carbondale. “It was a festival sort of atmosphere,” Amanda Vinicky said. “You literally had a beer tent, carnival rides, and band, a whole lot of very excited people wearing garb for the solar eclipse.”

Animal behavior experts noticed the biggest change in one particular species during Monday’s eclipse: humans. 

Adler Planetarium astrophysicist Lucianne Walkowicz joins us from the eclipse epicenter in Carbondale. 

Over the course of civilization, eclipses have been met with fear and superstition. How humans have reacted to—and explained—eclipses throughout history.

In the wake of widespread protests, Chicago Public Schools officials are hoping educators can use the events of Charlottesville, Virginia, as a teaching moment when classes resume next month.

Videos of the eclipse from Chicago’s Adler Planetarium and multiple spots across the U.S. from NASA, plus safety tips, Chicago watch parties and more.

“Sometimes, children and teens in certain sports believe they need to achieve a particular body type to be successful,” said Dr. Rebecca Carl. “Unless they have a healthy strategy to work toward their goals, however, they can end up defeating themselves and causing health problems.”

Like scientists across the country, Lincoln Park Zoo’s animal experts will spend Monday’s solar eclipse carefully observing the zoo’s residents for changes in behavior.

School districts across the state already track how prepared students are to enter high school, but beginning this fall they’ll also start measuring their development before they enter elementary school.

A Chicago company has until Sept. 6 to submit a plan for reducing brain-damaging manganese dust that has been found nearby in a primarily low-income, minority neighborhood on the Southeast Side.

This week, we raise a glass to the moms who hold it down in the House (and the Senate) with a concoction as American as apple pie—fragrant applejack, tough whiskey and snappy lemon and ginger. 

Following years of steady decreases, a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a significant rise in teen overdose deaths in 2015. “It’s disappointing,” said Renee Manworren, a local researcher.

Rauner slams Trump’s response to the violence in Charlottesville. The battle over school funding ramps up. Lawmakers try to stamp out the soda tax. And the Cubs hold a slim lead in the National League Central division. 

As the debate over Confederate monuments heats up following the Charlottesville tragedy, some Chicago aldermen want to get rid of a name with a fascist history.

Watch the Aug. 17, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

What can happen if you look at the sun for too long, even if it’s partially or almost fully blocked? We speak to an ophthalmologist about how to safely watch the eclipse.

Participating in the eclipse is a way for “people to demonstrate that they want to understand the world scientifically,” DePaul sociologist Roberta Garner says. 

Along Wolf Lake on Chicago’s Southeast Side lies the only Illinois state park within city limits, where visitors can find fishing spots, biking trails – and invasive species.