Stories by Nick Blumberg

Author and broadcaster Scott Simon, longtime host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, joins us to discuss a new book about his mother's life and death, the lessons she taught him, and the bond they shared.

Voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide Chicago's first mayoral runoff since the city changed to a nonpartisan election system. They'll also decide who will represent 18 wards in the City Council, and some incumbents could be thrown out. We analyze the mayoral and aldermanic races with a panel of political experts.

Oak Brook-based McDonald's on Wednesday announced its plans to raise starting pay at 1,500 company-owned stores to $1 above the local minimum wage and offer paid time off after a year of work -- but some labor advocates say the company isn't doing enough. Northfield-based Kraft has been bought out by billionaire investor Warren Buffett and the Brazilian group 3G Capital, who plan to merge the company with Heinz. We'll talk about those stories with Crain's Chicago Business reporter Peter Frost.

Ald. James Cappleman was elected in 2011 as a candidate for change. The former social worker, who is one of the Chicago City Council's openly gay members, has been heavily supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel's PAC in his re-election bid. He's facing an April runoff against lawyer Amy Crawford, who is also openly gay.

Chicago mayoral candidates Rahm Emanuel and Jesús "Chuy" García gave a brief news conference following the forum.

First-term Ald. John Arena, a member of the City Council's Progressive Caucus and a frequent thorn in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's side, faces a runoff rematch with Chicago Police Lt. John Garrido in the race to represent the northwest side's 45th Ward.

Tracking the history and treatment of cancer from ancient Egypt through today: we talk with Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of the book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, about a new three-part documentary produced by Ken Burns that begins airing Monday, March 30 on WTTW11.

A French prosecutor announced Thursday that a Germanwings co-pilot deliberately crashed a jet in the French Alps after locking the pilot out of the cockpit. The prosecutor said there is no indication the crash was related to terrorism. The announcement has sparked questions about mental health evaluations for airline pilots, and why the co-pilot was able to prevent the pilot from gaining access to the cockpit. We have analysis.

Ald. Mary O'Connor faces a runoff challenge from Chicago firefighter and former police officer Anthony Napolitano. While O'Connor has touted the accomplishments of her first term, many in the northwest side ward are angry over new O'Hare airport flight paths that they say have made their neighborhoods unbearably noisy. They join us.

Incumbent 36th Ward Ald. Nicholas Sposato decided to run in a different ward after the 36th was re-mapped. Four candidates ran to take over his seat, which covers parts of Belmont Cragin and Portage Park. Two candidates made it to the April runoff: former congressional staffer Omar Aquino and consultant Gilbert Villegas. They join us.

The head honchos at The Second City discuss their book about the importance of improv in everyday life.

Historian Alice Dreger's new book, Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science, is a funny, surprising story of Dreger's career as an activist, researcher, and advocate for evidence-based activism. She joins us.

In February's election, challenger Derrick Curtis had a slight advantage over incumbent Ald. Lona Lane, though neither received a majority of the vote. The two will face off in next month's runoff election, and Chicago Tonight will host a forum to discuss the issues facing the 18th Ward.

Author Gillian O'Brien joins us to discuss her book Blood Runs Green, a non-fiction account of the largely forgotten murder of a prominent Irish-American doctor who was also the member of a secretive Irish Republican organization.

The race for the open seat in Chicago's 11th Ward has gone to a runoff between Patrick Daley Thompson and John Kozlar. Thompson is an attorney and Water Reclamation Commissioner. He's also a nephew of Richard M. Daley and grandson of Richard J. Daley. Kozlar is a law student and neighborhood advocate who ran and lost in the 2011 race. They join us.

Chicago's 2nd Ward has been significantly remapped and includes a diverse array of neighborhoods, from parts of downtown Chicago to Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village. We'll host a conversation between Brian Hopkins and Alyx Pattison, the two candidates for alderman who will face each other in an April 7 runoff election.

Drivers using the Jane Byrne interchange face major closures starting Tuesday night.

State lawmakers want to make it easier for students to skip the PARCC test by introducing a new bill to opt out of standardized testing.

The Chicago Plan Commission has OK’d an Obama Library on public parkland.

Voters in more than a third of Chicago’s 50 wards will head to the polls again in April. In Tuesday’s election, no clear winner emerged in 19 races for alderman across the city. 

Voters across Chicago overwhelmingly support an elected school board, according to results of a non-binding referendum that appeared on the ballot Tuesday in 37 of the city’s 50 wards.

This week, there was another new discovery of footage from Chicago's Eastland Disaster. 

We discuss the recent changes in dietary guidelines and how they affect the way we're supposed to eat.

Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders are trying to find ways to close a gap in the current year's budget and will soon start debating the governor's austere proposal for the coming fiscal year. We talk with lawmakers about what to expect.

Gov. Bruce Rauner releases his budget for the coming fiscal year. We'll analyze his priorities with fiscal experts, and discuss how likely he is to get the Democratically controlled General Assembly to see things his way.

When Gov. Bruce Rauner announced the hiring of former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, he called the two-term Republican a "superstar governor" with a proven track record. We'll learn more about Lingle's time in office and her legacy in Hawaii from Chad Blair, political reporter for the Honolulu Civil Beat.