Stories by Alexandra Silets

For 45 year, Studs Terkel took WFMT radio listeners along for an amazing and crazy ride. Now, thousands of hours of his radio show are being digitized and posted online for free.

Despite regularly placing on “best schools” lists, New Trier High School did not earn a nod last week from U.S. News & World Report. How those rankings are determined – and why some high-performing schools get left out.

A viewer spots a Blue Island building with an image of three chain links on its facade. Geoffrey Baer has the scoop on the odd fellows behind that insignia in this week’s Ask Geoffrey.

Following a historic diagnostic procedure last month, Layla, a 2,300-pound eastern black rhinoceros, underwent life-saving surgery last week to relieve an infection.

A newly identified compound that acts like a “dirty time bomb” against metastasizing cells “could potentially result in a better outcome” for some patients, said Dr. Sui Huang of Northwestern University.

Wine, chocolate-covered treats, food trucks, nerdy comedians and cultural performances usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

By all accounts, Ivan Albright was a lighthearted fellow – but in the mid-20th century, the Chicago artist painted some very dark pictures.

The Illinois Department of Public Health launched a new pilot this week. How the Infant at Work program aims to make life a little easier for working parents.

There’s a new tool in the fight against gastrointestinal diseases – and it’s housed at Northwestern University.

A new report from the Metropolitan Planning Council makes more than two dozen recommendations to reduce the economic costs of segregation.

Watch the May 15, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

A group called Protect Our Parks says developers of the Obama Presidential Center have pulled a “bait and switch.” Could they slow the project down?

The Chicago Tribune is the latest media outlet to suspend online comments. Is there a way to welcome feedback while eliminating vitriol?

A mole-like mammal known as the Palawan moss shrew was recently discovered in the Philippines by a team of researchers – including one from Chicago.

The negative ion technology featured in some pendants doesn’t pose an immediate health concern, but continuous use over time may result in a slightly elevated skin exposure to radiation, says the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Whether you’ve got a generous backyard garden or a container collection on your apartment patio, it’s time to put your green thumb to work. We get spring planting tips from the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Eliza Fournier.

A new Magellanic penguin chick hatched Saturday at Shedd Aquarium, just hours before Mother's Day. 

State education officials have recommended additional oversight of special education policies at Chicago Public Schools after finding the district violated federal law.

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday used an unconventional method to announce a sweeping public safety plan that includes reinstating the death penalty in Illinois. 

Watch the May 14, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

An intensely disciplined, fearless, altogether remarkable ensemble of sophisticated young artists brings this singular – and singularly riveting – docu-drama to life.

An organization in New York City that doesn’t allow men is under investigation for discrimination. But in Chicago, women-only coworking spaces are on the rise.

About 100 Southeast Side residents attended the first public meeting addressing exposure to neurotoxic manganese since the city became aware of it in 2016. “How are you going to keep us healthy?” one resident asked.

The former police board president, appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, on why she now wants to replace him.

Mississippi’s long-running literary tradition includes renowned names like William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and Richard Wright. Add to that list the only woman to win the National Book Award twice: Jesmyn Ward.

Sports gambling gets a big boost from the U.S. Supreme Court. What that could that mean for Illinois.