Stories by Kristen Thometz

According to a new survey, four out of five Illinois residents are concerned about being able to afford some aspect of health care in the future, such as prescription drugs and health insurance.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down more than 1,000 points Monday — the worst one-day performance in two years for the blue-chip index, as fears increased over the global economic shock of coronavirus.

Chicago is home to the only training orchestra in North America. And while it’s blooming with youth, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago is turning 100 this season. We sit in on a rehearsal to hear the dynamic sound that only an orchestra can make.

Lynn Nottage’s 2018 play about the savage slaughter and potential decimation of Africa’s “big tusk” elephant population, and the illicit trade in ivory that drives it, is a stunning piece of work – equal parts poetry, ritual and an anatomy of corruption.

Watch the Feb. 24, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The guidelines that aim to determine whether immigrants seeking legal residency are likely to become a government burden are part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to reduce immigration, particularly among poorer people.

The former “Empire” star appeared at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Monday, almost a year to the day after he first entered a similar plea in the initial case against him.

Chicago’s Polish bakeries have to prep for two Paczki Days: Fat Thursday, celebrated by Poles, and Fat Tuesday, celebrated by everyone else.

Two students who took a biomedical science class in the northwest suburbs say the program prepared them for stressful real-life situations. “Everyone should know what goes on in the body and how things work,” said Sarah Touhy.

The daughter of former Vice President Al Gore is founder of the Center for Earth Ethics, which frames the environmental crisis in moral terms. She tells us about her work ahead of her appearance this week at a climate change forum in Chicago.

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is boisterous and unrepentant as he returns home, singing the praises of President Trump. Meanwhile, Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushes a progressive tax in his budget address.

On Friday, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reported four new cold-related deaths in the county.

CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler said analyses conducted by his office found possible “gaming and cheating techniques,” including longer than average test durations and high numbers of pauses.

An 80-year-old man who spent nearly 60 years in prison after being convicted of killing one of three suburban Chicago women whose brutalized bodies were found in a state park walked out of prison Friday.

What Maestro Riccardo Muti and the orchestra have made continually clear throughout this year of celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth is how thrillingly modern the composer’s work can feel. 

Fresh out of prison thanks to a commutation this week from President Donald Trump, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is in the hunt for a post-prison career. 

This marks the latest incident at a school that has already seen multiple administrators removed and several investigations launched in recent weeks.

One particular issue keeps rising to the top of voters’ concerns this primary season. Medicare for All took center stage at the democratic debate in Las Vegas this week – and the candidates pulled no punches.

Poverty was front and center at a summit Thursday at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where local policymakers, union leaders, employers and academics focused on how to end poverty in Chicago within a generation.

Chicago artists talk about the long-term impact of the museum’s annual Black Creativity exhibit.

A one-on-one with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who spent part of the week in Springfield lobbying lawmakers to approve a bill that would ease some of the casino taxes and fees. We discuss that and more with the mayor.

Every year, millions of people visit State Street in the heart of Chicago’s Loop. But is the street working the way it should? That’s the question the Chicago Loop Alliance is asking as it considers what State Street could be.

A Trump administration policy is expected to all but shut down family based immigration from Myanmar, also known as Burma, as well as Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan and Eritrea. The policy also restricts visas from Sudan and Tanzania.

This year, the U.S. marks the 400th year since the Pilgrims arrived. But the year before that, a much darker period began with the sailing of the White Lion. We speak with New York Times Magazine journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones about The 1619 Project.

Fulton Market in Chicago’s West Loop is home to some of the city’s trendiest restaurants – and its highest rents. But the area’s history as an economic powerhouse is anything but new. Geoffrey Baer takes us back.

The feds say Outcome Health founder Rishi Shah has more money than he claims.