Stories by Paul Caine

With billions in unfunded pension liabilities, what options remain for lawmakers to defuse the state’s pension time bomb?

As principal of Blaine Elementary School in Lakeview, Troy LaRaviere was one of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s harshest critics. Now he wants Emanuel’s job.

Tensions over trade restrictions heat up as China responds with tariffs of its own on more than 100 U.S. products.

Rabiah Mayas, one of our favorite explainers of all things scientific, shares some of the latest top science news from Chicago and around the world.

A new book on changing attitudes towards love and marriage in India from an author with a local connection.

What the massive O’Hare expansion project will mean for passengers and taxpayers.

As tensions ramp up with Russia, questions also grow about the direction of U.S. foreign policy with the arrival of a new national security adviser.

Geoffrey Baer travels to France to meet this year’s winners of the Driehaus Prize for architecture.

State Sen. Kwame Raoul emerged from a crowded field to win the Democratic nomination for attorney general – beating former Gov. Pat Quinn and six others in the process. He joins us in discussion.

Erika Harold is a Harvard-trained lawyer and former Miss America. Strongly backed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, she is also the Republican candidate to replace Lisa Madigan as Illinois’ next attorney general. Harold joins us in discussion.

State Sen. Kwame Raoul has won a hard-fought race against a crowded field of eight candidates vying to be the Democratic nominee for Illinois attorney general. He will face political neophyte and former Miss America Erika Harold who won the GOP nomination.

State Rep. Jeanne Ives is running an insurgent campaign to challenge Gov. Bruce Rauner in the Republican gubernatorial primary on March 20. Hear about her campaign and plans for the state in our full video.

There’s no shortage of candidates to replace Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. But while Democrats have eight candidates to choose from, on the Republican side there are just two.

In 1967, African-Americans took their discontent to the street and President Lyndon Johnson tasked a commission to find out why. The last surviving member of that commission talks about progress made and lost in the years since.

As survivors of the Parkland shooting return to school in Florida, we ask local high school students their thoughts on school safety and gun control.

Could a new space race led by private entrepreneurs take humans to Mars and beyond? Futurist and best-selling author Michio Kaku talks about humanity’s destiny to colonize the solar system and reach for the stars.

As President Donald Trump indicates his desire to work on gun safety measures, Democrats in Springfield are aiming to tighten controls on gun dealers.

Democrats remain committed to pushing for meaningful gun control, the U.S. Senator says. We discuss gun control, the Mueller investigation and efforts to get a deal for Dreamers.

President Trump’s national security adviser says there’s no doubt Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. The latest on the Mueller investigation.

Meet the team from Von Steuben High School that’s on its way to the prestigious U.S. Open Robotics Championship.

Non-disclosure agreements enabled USA Gymnastics to cover up Larry Nassar’s crimes and Harvey Weinstein to silence his alleged victims. Should they be allowed—and are they enforceable?

The news site DNAinfo Chicago shut down three months ago. Now, former staffers are coming back with a new business model and a new name, but with the same focus on hyperlocal news.

Could Elon Musk’s successful launch and landing of his Falcon Heavy rocket usher in a new era of commercial exploration—and exploitation—of space? This story and more from the world of science with Neil Shubin.

Three of the richest men in America want to bring radical change to health care. Could their new company bring down costs?

From “Empire” to “Electric Dreams,” Chicago is fast becoming a major television and film production hub. We speak with the director of the Illinois Film Office.

Powerful Chicago Ald. Ed Burke is under fire once again for an alleged conflict-of-interest violation involving two downtown buildings.