Stories by Alexandra Silets

It was a wild day for the markets. Stocks plummeted deeply this morning—then bounced back a bit in the afternoon. Crain's Chicago Business columnist Joe Cahill joins “Chicago Tonight” with the latest on what has been the worst yearly start for the markets on record.

Wednesday marks Museum Selfie Day – the perfect marriage of learning and self-indulgence created by blogger and "Culture Snatcher" Mar Dixon as a way to get the masses packed into those cultural fonts of wisdom: museums. We take a look at 15 of the best selfies from local museums.

"Chicago Tonight” has learned that Gov. Bruce Rauner and top Republican leaders are planning to introduce legislation aimed at an emergency financial takeover of the city of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Paris Schutz has details.

Sure, the museum's coal mine ride is fun, but does it also need to be accurate? We revisit the popular exhibit.

Earlier this month, North Korea claimed to have successfully detonated its first hydrogen bomb as a "self-defense against the U.S." While it was known that the secretive, totalitarian dictatorship had atomic weapons, the assertion to have successfully tested a far more powerful hydrogen bomb has been greeted with skepticism.

Illinois is in an unprecedented budget stalemate that's lasted more than half a year and has sucked up much of the oxygen in Springfield. On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers plan to unveil legislation that would take away mayoral control from Chicago Public Schools. We speak with a panel of legislators.

The two men at the center of the Netflix documentary series, Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, are serving lengthy sentences, but one of Dassey's Chicago-based attorneys is questioning the interrogation methods used by the police. He joins us to discuss the series and what’s next for his client.

Two organizations have joined forces to release nearly 200,000 fish into the Chicago and Calumet waterways over the past two years.

The Windy City once again is the top city for bedbugs, according to a recent study by pest control company Orkin. “Chicago Tonight” talks with a pest control expert, doctor and entomologist about what this unflattering ranking means for Chicago.

State's Attorney Anita Alvarez faces critics and opponents in a contentious forum to answer the question of whether a special prosecutor should handle police shootings. Paris Schutz brings us the latest.

While the start of the Major League Baseball season is still nearly four months away, the Cubs have aleady made headlines in 2016 with plans to beef up security around Wrigley Field. Joining us to talk about the proposed changes is Crain's Chicago Business sports business reporter Danny Ecker.

Tensions are rising between Gov. Bruce Rauner and one of Illinois' largest unions. We discuss what that could mean for the state with Anders Lindall, public affairs director for AFSCME Council 31; and John Tillman, CEO of the  Illinois Policy Institute.

They are some of the most divisive issues of our time: abortion, affirmative action, contraception, unions and immigration. And they are all under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court this term. Three former clerks join us to outline the cases.

Founded in 1905, the Chicago Defender gave a voice to black Americans during the Jim Crow era and helped along the careers of politicians from JFK to Richard J. Daley. Former Defender editor and reporter Ethan Michaeli spent years conducting research and interviews for his extensive new history book.

A show dedicated to the life of the barrier-breaking performance artist opens Saturday at Northwestern’s Block Museum. 

Paris Schutz and his panel discuss the newly released video of the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Cedrick Chatman, the powerful Chicago aldermen who delayed a vote on oversight reform and Gov. Bruce Rauner's first year in office.

The new documentary "Equal Under God" follows one man's crusade for the protection of albinos in Uganda. One of the filmmakers – who has another connection to "Chicago Tonight" – joins us to discuss the film.

Former FCC chairman and WTTW trustee emeritus Newton Minow turns 90 on Sunday. While you may remember that he once famously called TV a “vast wasteland,” you might not know that he’s actually a big “Downton Abbey” fan. In honor of his upcoming birthday, we share 10 things about him that might just surprise you.

A federal judge on Thursday ruled to release surveillance video that was originally held under protective order by the city depicting the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager—17-year-old Cedrick Chatman—by a white Chicago police officer in January 2013. We talk with Brian Coffman, an attorney representing the boy's family.

The race to be Cook County's top prosecutor is getting even more interesting. Today, Cook County Democrats changed their minds about endorsing a candidate for state's attorney – in August, the party chose not to endorse anybody – and officially backed a challenger to incumbent Anita Alvarez.

Despite the cold, there's plenty to do with your green thumb – even though it may be a little blue right now. Joining us with some winter gardening ideas and tips is Eliza Fournier of the Chicago Botanic Garden.

See all the boats, hang with Danny Tanner and hipster it up with the best of them. 

Eight times a week, Chicago actor Abby Mueller portrays the great songwriter Carole King in the national touring production of "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical." Mueller joins us to speak about the real Carole King and the very musical Mueller family of Evanston. She'll also perform a classic Carole King song live in our studio.