Stories by Michael Lipkin

WIll State Sen. Kwame Raoul challenge Gov. Pat Quinn in the Democratic primary? Columnists Eric Zorn, of the Chicago Tribune, and Laura Washington, of the Chicago Sun-Times, share their takes on the impact a Raoul candidacy would have on the race.

The Washington Post’s chief correspondent Dan Balz joins us to talk about his new book, Collision 2012: Obama vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America. Read an excerpt.

CVS has opened a massive mail order pharmacy in Mount Prospect. We tour the facility and hear what the company's CEO has to say about the impact of the Affordable Care Act.

Chef Rick Bayless shares his Roasted Poblano Gazpacho recipe with us. Read the recipe.

Chicago's former comptroller is indicted on federal charges of bribery and money laundering while serving as Ohio's deputy treasurer. Paris Schutz has the details. Watch our 2011 interview with Amer Ahmad.

Whittier Elementary School parents protest the demolition of a contested field house. Chicago Public Schools says the Pilsen field house was unsafe. Elizabeth Brackett has the details.

How will the Navy Pier redesign change the character of the waterfront? Is the community getting a voice in DePaul’s design plans for its massive, taxpayer-subsidized basketball arena? Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin joins us to chime in on these topics and more.

We share what you had to say about Jesse Jackson Jr.'s sentencing, Safe Passage, and Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review in tonight’s viewer feedback.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists take on changes in journalism in this web extra conversation. Was the sale of The Washington Post to Jeff Bezos a vanity purchase? And what changes are ahead at the Sun-Times and Crain’s? Watch the web extra video.

Historic coins, airplanes, and fashion shows; Chicago Tonight knows what's going on this weekend.

Nearly 4,000 people were injured and more than 500 killed Wednesday as Egyptian authorities attempted to disperse protest camps loyal to ousted president Mohamed Morsi. M. Cherif Bassiouni, a war crimes expert and law professor at DePaul University, joins us on Chicago Tonight at 7:00 pm with insight into the conflict.

Another Metra board member resigns as Gov. Pat Quinn appoints a team to recommend overhauling the region's entire transit system. Paris Schutz has the latest. Read bios for the 15-member task force.

From the very first coin authorized by President George Washington to the yet-to-be-issued newly redesigned $100 bill, we visit the World’s Fair of Money at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont to see what $1 billion in historic rare coins and paper money looks like. Eddie Arruza has the story. Read an article and view a slideshow.

In tonight’s viewer feedback, we share what you had to say about our interview with Shelia Simon, the push to reappoint Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, and CPS officials calling for new charter schools.

Former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is sentenced to 30 months in prison, and his wife Sandi Jackson is sentenced to 12 months. We have the latest news and analysis. Read an article, view a timeline, and watch web extra videos from our archives.

The Jacksons will stagger their prison sentences, choosing to send Jesse Jr. to prison before Sandi. Carol Marin and her guests have analysis.

View a timeline of Chicago Tonight's coverage of former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife Ald. Sandi Jackson from 2009-2013.

As a longtime congressman, Jesse Jackson Jr. was a regular guest on Chicago Tonight. Watch web extra videos of Jackson Jr. that illustrate the kind of political gravitas he had before this scandal erupted last year.

Chicago Public Schools officials are calling for new charter schools despite massive neighborhood school closings and deep budget cuts. Elizabeth Brackett has the details. Read CPS's full proposal.

City Council's Progressive Caucus is putting pressure on the mayor to reappoint Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson. Paris Schutz has the details.

Attorney General Eric Holder has announced a major shift in federal sentencing policy, calling on federal prosecutors to sidestep mandatory minimum sentences for low level, non-violent drug offenders. We have analysis on what the change will mean and why Holder is announcing it now. Read the full memorandum.

End-of-life decisions are deeply difficult to make. That’s why Dr. Mary Mulcahy and Chicago journalist Randi Belisomo are trying to get more people to have these conversations preemptively. They join us to discuss Life Matters Media, their new initiative to get people to talk more openly about death. Read an article and watch a video essay.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's new speed cameras could make the city a fast buck. The city debuted its new automated camera system on Monday, with cameras now operational in four neighborhood parks. An additional eight locations will catch speed demons on film next month. View a map of speed camera locations.

According to Chicago Public Schools, safe passage routes are ready for the first day of the school year, Aug. 26, but some parents disagree. Elizabeth Brackett has the details. View safe passage maps.

We chat with Lieutenant Gov. Sheila Simon about why she has decided to throw her name into the race for Illinois Comptroller. Read more about the role of comptroller.