Stories by WTTW News

Are Charter Schools a shining example for the future-- or a budget busting waste of money?  As contract talks intensify between the Chicago Public Schools and its teachers, we take up that debate.

The Colorado shootings spark a national debate about guns. Closer to home, local gun laws are undergoing major revision. Are they strong enough to prevent a similar tragedy? Paris Schutz reports.

The Eisenhower expressway narrows to three lanes in Oak Park, but why? Geoffrey Baer tells us more in this week's Ask Geoffrey.

We hear what you had to say about the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union's dispute over salary and contracts in tonight's Viewer Mail.

A new report blasts the Chicago Public Schools for budget mismanagement. We have the latest.

Chicago is on pace to break the record for the most 90-degree days. What is causing the prolonged heat wave, and is this a sign for what's to come in future summers? A meteorologist from the National Weather Service joins us.

Kids from around the country come to a Chicago summer camp to learn to play the blues. We revisit Blues Camp.

The Chicago Tribune looks set to finally emerge from bankruptcy, while the disgraced head of futures brokerage PFGBest says "it was the regulator that made me do it." Kris Kridel of WBBM Newsradio 780 and 105.9FM has those stories, and more top business headlines.

The Chicago Teachers Union says an arbitrator is recommending a big raise for teachers. We look at what this may mean for negotiations between teachers and the school board.

Will the new World Trade Center surpass Willis Tower in height? You might be surprised by the answer. Geoffrey Baer tells us more in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey.

We have your reaction to a proposed new coal plant on the South Side in tonight's Viewer Mail.

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is suffering from a mood disorder; that's what his office announced on Thursday. We explore what a "mood disorder" is and how it can interfere with personal and professional relationships.

We talk with Chicago business leader and author Karen Kane about corporate governance -- and why it's important to you.

We asked what you thought about Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.’s extended absence. We read what some of you had to say in Viewer Mail.

Corn prices soar as the worst drought in decades continues to afflict the Midwest. Kris Kridel of WBBM Newsradio 780 and 105.9FM has that story, and more top business headlines.

A trip to the beginning of time and back. That's what visitors to the Adler Planetarium will experience in a new, interactive history of the universe. We take you inside this incredible voyage.

Chicago Public Schools just released its proposed budget for next year. For many, it's a stunner, with the district planning to completely empty its bank account. We get reaction from all sides.

The city is cracking down on businesses that it says foster crime. We have your thoughts in tonight's Viewer Mail.

We bring you a special preview of the 32nd Annual Taste of Chicago.

Chicago's lovely lakefront is home to a rather alarming monument. Geoffrey Baer tells us more in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey.

Meet the Field Museum's artist-in-residence. We get a behind-the-scenes tour of a most unusual studio environment.

In Chicago, we see both extreme cold and extreme heat. We asked which one you prefer. We read what some of you had to say in Viewer Mail.

Today, the earth is at its farthest point away from the sun that it will be all year. But it sure doesn't feel like it. What can you do to stay safe during the heat wave? City officials and a doctor are here to give some potentially life-saving advice.

Indicted Cook County Commissioner Bill Beavers says he's been wrongly accused, and he claims to have documentation to prove it. Paris Schutz has the story.

We revisit a group of Lake Michigan surfers who are so passionate about their sport that they won't let a little thing like winter stand in their way.

We asked if you thought the state should pass a law that prevents Illinois towns from banning plastic bags. We read what some of you had to say in Viewer Mail.