Stories by Matt Masterson

As high school juniors across Illinois prepare to take the SAT exam next April, a local tutoring group is helping school leaders prepare for a shift away from the maligned Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test.

A look at what's behind the rise and fall of the great big McMansions. Why aren't they selling?

Remember the very musical von Trapp family from “The Sound of Music”? Last summer, my daughter and I met a group you might call the Chicago von Trapps. Together with their father they call themselves Cielito Lindo, which means “beautiful heaven.”

The Bureau of Land Management said Thursday it will not follow the recommendation made last week by an independent board to euthanize or sell thousands of wild horses and burros, including 179 being held in Illinois.

We look back at this notorious unsolved murder, 50 years later.

As speculation around the Chicago Cubs making a World Series appearance reaches a fever pitch, the Illinois High School Association is proposing pitch count limits for its athletes in an effort to curb throwing-related injuries. 

Whether fictional or real, stories of hacking appear to be everywhere. We discuss online security and the public’s fascination with hackers with two local experts.

Morrissey comes to Douglas Park, craft beer spills in Oak Park and Elmhurst, a global jam unites musicians from India and Chicago, book fans toast Quimby's, lovers of the grape head to North Kenwood and DIY types search for treasure in Andersonville. Those events and more in this weekend's jam-packed roundup.

Hear what viewers had to say about the new water tax hike and our recent interview with Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The head of the Mayo Clinic sheds light on what he has called “an epidemic of burnout” impacting doctors and undermining patient care.

Students at three Chicago charter schools won a fight to keep doors open, but the schools are now under state control. A look at how they're starting off the new school year.

The debate over water and sewer taxes is over in Chicago: they are going to go up. But what do aldermen want to do about driverless cars in Chicago? The latest from Wednesday's meeting.

The changing leaves signal not only the approach of fall but also the flu season. A new study shines a light on where most seasonal flu strains originate each year.

Field Museum scientists are ready to identify your strangest natural possessions this weekend. Learn more about Identification Day.

Watch the Sept. 14, 2016 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

A new two-year grant program will seek out new community-based methods of getting minorities and women involved in science, technology, engineering and math careers.

Nearly 1,200 people are being forced to move from their homes in East Chicago, Indiana, after high levels of lead were found in the soil. WBEZ’s Northwest Indiana reporter Michael Puente joins us with the story.

An African-American movie studio in Logan Square made silent films that got people talking, but for all the wrong reasons. Geoffrey Baer shares the story of Ebony Films and more in this week's encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.

A world music group that uses the arts as a vehicle for peace-building. We have a performance by the ensemble Saffron Caravan.

A quiet election is about to take place that could have major reverberations. Why two judges are trying to knock Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans out of his job.

The average global temperature in August tied with July as the hottest month since record keeping began in 1880, according to NASA. 

Watch the Sept. 13, 2016 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

The presidential election is exactly eight weeks away. We break down the campaigns and what the candidates need to do in the final push.

It was one of the most brutal massacres of our generation: hundreds of thousands killed during the Rwandan genocide. Survivor Clemantine Wamariya shares her story and her work to make sure it never happens again.

In a recently published op-ed, Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli warns that a “war on guns that focuses solely on punishment” will fail. She joins us in discussion.

For female college students, peer victimization appears to inflict the same long-term distress associated with severe childhood physical or sexual abuse, according to a new study.