Stories by WTTW News

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists continue their conversation in a web extra video.

We hear what you had to say about the new pension bill pending in Springfield when we read some of our viewer mail.

Ald. Sandi Jackson goes back to work as the Chicago City Council takes up important measures. Paris Schutz has the latest.

As the Tribune Company emerges from bankruptcy, several suitors are sniffing around its assets, including Rupert Murdoch and Freedom Communications. Kris Kridel of WBBM Newsradio 780 and 105.9FM has that story, and more top business headlines.

He was one of the most popular hockey players in Chicago history -- and then he was sent out of town in the prime of his career. We talk with former Blackhawks star Jeremy Roenick about his time in Chicago.

We continue our conversation with former Blackhawks star Jeremy Roenick, and hear frank talk about violence in hockey, and about his days partying and gambling.

Theaster Gates may be the hottest artist in Chicago right now, with major exhibitions around the world. 

Watch an extended, one-on-one interview with artist Theaster Gates.

Chef Rick Bayless joins us with a recipe for holiday entertaining.

A Federal Appeals Court shoots down Illinois' ban on carrying concealed guns in public. Paris Schutz has more on what happens now.

A new pension reform bill is pending in Springfield and while it has some bi-partisan support, it's facing criticism as well.  We'll hear from some who have objections to the latest plan.

A Chicago architect is the 2013 winner of the prestigious Driehaus Prize for Classical and Traditional Architecture. Our Geoffrey Baer reveals the winner.

What's on America's economic to-do list? The creator of a new survey has the details.

Neil Steinberg, longtime columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, shares stories from his new book, a defense of the city of Chicago.

We remember Ralph Frese, who died yesterday at the age of 86.  Frese built hundreds of canoes by hand -- including giant ones to cross Lake Michigan.  We take another look at Jay Shefsky's profile of the legendary Illinois paddler.

Daley nephew R.J. Vanecko makes his first court appearance--and lands a judge with connections to the Chicago dynasty. Carol Marin has more.

A series of missed opportunities cost the Bears, keeping their December free-fall going. James "Big Cat" Williams is here to break down what went wrong against the Vikings.

Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent is charged with intoxication manslaughter in a car accident that killed his teammate Jerry Brown early Saturday morning. James “Big Cat” Williams shares his thoughts on this latest NFL tragedy in our web extra video.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists talk about no-bid contracts and the impact on unions. And they discuss the latest developments in the case of off-duty Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate’s beating of a Chicago bartender.

Chicago’s high school dropout rate – about 35 percent – is at the heart of the city’s problems with poverty, violence and unemployment. We delve deeper on a special episode of Chicago Tonight.

Is Chicago on the right path in fighting its chronic high school dropout problem? Our panelists – young people, educators at challenging schools, researchers and thought leaders – answer candid questions from members of our studio audience and viewers at home in a 30-minute web-exclusive conversation.

With a high school dropout rate around 35 percent, Chicago is a city full of out-of-school teenagers. Educators, activists, reformers, and district officials have competing ideas on how to reverse this trend. Yet students’ perspectives are often missing from the conversation on dropout prevention. We talk with young people – two who left CPS without a high school diploma, and one who decided to stay in school – about their ideas to change the system.

Students who are truant in their K-8 years are much more likely to drop out of high school later down the road. Elizabeth Brackett reports on one elementary school’s hands-on approach to combat the truancy crisis.

We talk with the educators who try to keep kids from falling off the grid, one student and one day at a time.