Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

A $2.5 million award to address climate change will help Chicago expand bike-share programs to all parts of the city, according to the mayor’s office.

Sex, politics and religion are widely considered taboo topics for polite conversation. Yet that's exactly what Camille Paglia tackles in her latest book, “Provocations: Collected Essays.”

Those who know Gov. Bruce Rauner best describe him as stubborn – and smart. An intimate look at what shaped Rauner, and what that’s meant for Illinois as he tries for a second term.

Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” comes out Nov. 13 and her tour begins that night at Chicago’s United Center, with Oprah Winfrey serving as moderator.

Caring for patients is a vital part of the medical school experience. Armed with knowledge and backpacks full of supplies, a group of students is taking its skills to the streets of Chicago.

Watch the Oct. 29, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

In their final meeting before next week’s midterm elections, the Democrat and Republican each pitched themselves as the candidate most capable of putting the priorities of Illinois voters into action.

Audience members engage in a process similar to a television “elimination” contest to choose one of five contenders for an unspecified office. It is great fun, but also offers food for thought – and a healthy dose of cynicism.

City Council members tackle a $2 billion problem they say they can no longer avoid. But how will it be paid for?

Las Vegas residents donated nearly 800 units of blood after last year’s mass shooting, but new research shows that many of those donations weren’t needed – and some even went to waste.

The lawsuit claims nine Chicago cops “withheld exculpatory evidence, manipulated witnesses, and misdirected the investigation” in order to frame an innocent man for the murder of a Cook County Sheriff’s deputy.

Insurance shoppers likely will have several choices for individual health coverage this fall. The bad news? There's no guarantee they will cover certain doctors or prescriptions.

President Donald Trump mourned the dead and forcefully condemned anti-Semitism after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 dead. But faced with another national tragedy, he did not long turn his focus away from the midterm elections or himself.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless says its newly announced proposal could generate $150 million per year for homeless services and decrease the city’s homeless population by 36,000 in just 10 years.

The public weighs in on the police reform consent decree, but will it impact the final agreement?

While the country debates civility and decency in political rhetoric, a new commercial causes a stir in the race for Illinois governor. Grammy-winning rappers stump for a mayoral unknown. And can the Bears bounce back Sunday against the Jets?

An estimated 15 million people in the U.S. – including thousands of Chicago residents – experienced water shutoffs in 2016, in many cases because they failed to pay their water bills. 

New data shows enrollment at Chicago Public Schools dropped by just over 10,000 students since last year. The district is now in danger of losing its title as the third-largest school district in the country.

Members of the Goonie Boss gang faction face federal racketeering and murder charges stemming from nearly a dozen Englewood killings between 2014 and 2016.

How Brendan Kelly and Democrats running in other largely rural, blue-collar districts fare in November could determine whether the party wins the 23 seats it needs to take control of the House next month.

Chicago streets filled with cars and passengers – but no drivers – may sound like something out of the cartoon “The Jetsons,” but some suggest the technology actually has roots in Illinois’ not-so-distant past.

A Chicago man accused of threatening to kill U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake because he was "tired" of the Republican "interrupting" President Donald Trump will face federal charges in Arizona.

Watch the Oct. 25, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Incumbent Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and her Republican challenger Darlene Senger talk about paying the state’s bills and more.

An update on a pedestrian path set below CTA train tracks on the city’s North Side: what’s become of the project since our spring 2017 visit, and what is yet to come.

A new initiative backed by former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Chicago’s entrepreneurial elite aims to turn Chicago into a top tech hub.