Stories by Jay Shefsky

There was a time in Chicago when the accordion was everywhere—and not just for polkas. These days, the accordion is not the powerhouse that it used to be, but there is at least one place where the instrument is still going strong. Jay Shefsky went to check it out.

The Chicago History Museum has turned to Kickstarter to fund a project that would train high school students in East Garfield Park how to record oral history interviews with local residents. Learn more about the Forty Blocks project.

Hear what viewers had to say about Paris Schutz's interview with Mayor Rahm Emanuel when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Chicago is seeing a rise in high-rise construction with 34 new buildings over 200 feet tall currently under construction. That number has doubled in the last 15 months. What’s causing the sky-high building boom? Curbed Chicago editor AJ LaTrace joins "Chicago Tonight" to explain.

Chicago Public Schools denied Friday that about 150 students from around the city could lose a widely celebrated magnet arts program at the end of the current semester, despite statements made earlier this week to the contrary.

Over the course of five decades, Vivian Maier documented city life by taking more than 100,000 photographs, many of them in Chicago. The now-famous street photographer would have celebrated her 90th birthday on Monday. We revisit our story that introduced “Chicago Tonight” viewers to her incredible images.

Attendance was down 30 percent last year at the museum, largely due to its hugely popular retrospective of David Bowie's career–the museum's most-attended exhibition ever. Most other Chicago museums fared better, according to 2015 attendance data compiled by Museums in the Park.

Joel Weisman and his panel discuss a possible breakthrough in contract negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools, Gov. Bruce Rauner's State of the State address and the 30th anniversary of the Bears Super Bowl win.

Earlier this evening, the union announced a possible breakthrough in contract talks after the day's bargaining session wrapped up.

It’s 2016 and we’re still three metaphorical minutes away from global doom. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists say global warming and nuclear weapon proliferation pose serious threats to mankind.

Can technology change how we learn? Former hedge fund analyst Sal Khan thinks so. His new approach to learning involves "hustle" and "flipping the classroom." Learn more from the founder of the free, non-profit online learning website, Khan Academy. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins us to talk about the gridlock in Springfield, the financial crisis at Chicago Public Schools and police accountability. Watch the full discussion now.

Take a dip in Lake Michigan with the Lakeview Polar Bear Club, mellow out to the sounds of trumpeter Marquis Hill, sip wine and winter beer and more.

In the Loop, a photographic feast is now being served. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Museum of Contemporary Photography combed its archives to find the pictures that best reflect the character of the museum. What they found were dramatic images from the 19th century to the 21st.

Hear what viewers had to say about Gov. Bruce Rauner's State of the State address when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The Art Institute's Head Curator of Contemporary Art James Rondeau will officially take over as president of the institution, the museum announced Thursday. The 46-year-old succeeds Douglas Druick, the museum's president since 2011 who announced his retirement in October.

Chicago animal shelters like PAWS are still coping with the spread of a new, highly contagious strain of canine influenza. In the U.S., the outbreak of the H3N2 dog flu virus was first found in Chicago last year. It's now spreading to western states.

In a roughly 30-minute speech on Wednesday, Gov. Bruce Rauner lightly mentioned the ongoing budget impasse and did not say the phrase “Turnaround agenda" once. Instead, the governor struck tones of reconciliation on issues such as pension reform and education funding.

City and suburban residents have demanded that the Chicago Department of Aviation take steps to address the problem of O'Hare noise and today Mayor Rahm Emanuel met with members of one community group. Eddie Arruza has more on that meeting.

Chicago's most famous mayor might have a 50-foot Picasso in a plaza named for him, but a statue of Richard J. Daley resides in Springfield. Geoffrey Baer explains why Hizzoner is honored outside of Chicago in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey. 

The largest monetary donation in the history of the Art Institute of Chicago comes courtesy of Dorothy Braude Edinburg, a longtime patron of the museum who died last January at the age of 94.

After the Illinois Supreme Court ruled a pension reform plan unconstitutional, lawmakers have failed to come up with a solution to a problem that worsens with each passing day. Could some form of federal bailout or bankruptcy restructuring be the answer for Illinois? 

United may be in for a bumpy ride if activist investors get their way, and a new low-cost grocery store from Whole Foods is coming to Evergreen Park. Those stories and more from Crain's Chicago Business deputy managing editor Ann Dwyer.

Gov. Bruce Rauner delivered his second State of the State address Wednesday as Illinois continues to see an unprecedented budget impasse. How will Rauner appeal to the Democratic-controlled General Assembly and how will Democratic leaders respond? Amanda Vinicky joins us to share reactions from lawmakers.