Stories by WTTW News

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss further former mayor Jane Byrne’s impact on Chicago in this web extra exclusive.

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

The Cubs say they’ve satisfied the mayor’s request and it’s time for the city to sign off on their plans. Meanwhile, the rooftop owners tell us why they believe they’ll win a court case against the team.

Over the past 10 years, monarch butterfly populations have been declining in North America. Learn simple ways to promote the creature’s habitat in your backyard.

The Chicago art scene of the 1960s was wildly imaginative. We talk to the director of a new film that gives the most complete look yet at the many artists who became known as the Imagists.     

Chicago Tonight’s Phil Ponce interviews Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Phil and Rahm look back at his first three years in office and they discuss Chicago’s future.

A credit rating agency warns of trouble ahead for Illinois because of its failure to extend the income tax hike.

Friday marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the massive Allied invasion of Nazi occupied Europe that turned the tide of World War II.  Everyday the number of veterans who took part in that historic event are diminishing. But we hear from one Chicago-area veteran who was among the first to storm the beaches of Normandy.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle went to Springfield to make a personal pitch for Cook County pension reform. The bill passed in the Senate, but hit a road block in the House this session. Preckwinkle joins host Phil Ponce to discuss the next steps, more. 

A panel of lawmakers discuss the latest state budget news and more. State Sen. Heather Steans (D) says, lawmakers are kicking the can down the road. She joins us tonight. 

Joel Weisman and his guests continue the CWIR conversation, discussing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to require videotaping of all city gun sales and more. 

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

After decades of scientists basically using male laboratory animals for medical research, the National Institutes of Health is ending the gender bias practice in research. The shift, as published in the journal Nature, should help minimize side effects and dosage miscalculations not discovered until after products hit the market. 

When Deborah Hersman was appointed to chair the National Transportation Safety Board by President Obama she became, at 39, the youngest person to ever fill that position. She recently left her job at the NTSB to head the Chicago-based National Safety Council. 

Chicago's Divvy bike-sharing program may be peddling to success on the streets and lakefront of the city - but it's losing money. The company recorded an operating loss for 2013. 

We share what you had to say about recent stories when we read some of our viewer feedback. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago City Council tackle minimum wage, Wrigley Field renovations and more at today's meeting. 

Seven months into his new post as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, we sit down with Zach Fardon. We'll see what the attorney, best known for his role in prosecuting former Gov. George Ryan, has to say about gang violence, public corruption. 

Poet and writer Maya Angelou died on May 28, at the age of 86 in her home in Winston-Salem, N.C. Read what local leaders and artists recall about her impact and presence on the world's stage. 

The late, great actor Jack Lemmon returns in a stage tribute by his son, Chris Lemmon, who recounts growing up in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The end of the legislative session in Springfield looms. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan declared an extension of the 2011 income tax increase dead and as a result, Democrats are crafting a "middle-of-the-road" budget with less austere spending cuts. Chicago Sun-Times’ Springfield bureau chief Dave McKinney joins us with an update. 

The Chicago Cubs formally unveil their latest designs for the now larger Wrigley renovation project. Two top executives from the Cubs organization weigh in and we'll have neighborhood reaction as well. See slideshow of Cubs newest plans for Wrigley. 

Not everyone is happy with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal that the Lucas Museum of Cultural Arts be built on a parking lot near Solider Field in the very popular Museum Campus area. Tonight, we have a panel discussion on the pros and cons of Chicago being the museum’s home and what are more suitable locations that could serve other well-deserving neighborhoods.

Meet the new chairman of the Illinois Republican Party Timothy Schneider, a Cook County commissioner from Bartlett. Schneider hopes the struggling GOP will have a successful election night this November, especially behind gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner. 

A team of cave-diving scientists recently announced the discovery of a near-complete skeleton of a teenage girl in an underwater cave on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Northwestern professor Patricia A. Beddows was a member of the team and joins us to discuss the find.