Stories by Paris Schutz

A one-on-one with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who spent part of the week in Springfield lobbying lawmakers to approve a bill that would ease some of the casino taxes and fees. We discuss that and more with the mayor.

Every year, millions of people visit State Street in the heart of Chicago’s Loop. But is the street working the way it should? That’s the question the Chicago Loop Alliance is asking as it considers what State Street could be.

A Trump administration policy is expected to all but shut down family based immigration from Myanmar, also known as Burma, as well as Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan and Eritrea. The policy also restricts visas from Sudan and Tanzania.

This year, the U.S. marks the 400th year since the Pilgrims arrived. But the year before that, a much darker period began with the sailing of the White Lion. We speak with New York Times Magazine journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones about The 1619 Project.

Fulton Market in Chicago’s West Loop is home to some of the city’s trendiest restaurants – and its highest rents. But the area’s history as an economic powerhouse is anything but new. Geoffrey Baer takes us back.

The feds say Outcome Health founder Rishi Shah has more money than he claims.

Three CTA Red Line stations in Edgewater will be closed from Friday night through Monday morning for the fifth consecutive weekend. The Grand Blue Line station will also be closed.

Watch the Feb. 20, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones was also honored with a resolution acknowledging her groundbreaking 1619 Project, prompting moving comments from several council members.

Christopher Puente, 34, was charged Thursday with one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13, and an unrelated misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing.

Six Democratic presidential hopefuls met on the debate stage in Las Vegas, but it was the newcomer, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who received the most attention, and none of it positive. 

Lost in the hoopla of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s homecoming speech Wednesday was a nod he gave to the mild-mannered man standing nearby. So, who is Mark A. Vargas? Our politics team digs into that and more.

The days of watching the Cubs on TV for free are long gone. Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Danny Ecker tells us about the Marquee Sports Network – and what it means for Cubs fans in Chicago.

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich celebrated his homecoming Wednesday with a media spectacle at his North Side home. But public sentiment about his early release from prison is divided.

A free public event Friday will focus on food inequality across Chicago’s 77 community areas. We discuss the event with Rodger Cooley, executive director of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council.

Chicagoans have long taken pride in the city’s history and architecture, but as areas of the city are redeveloped, some of that is lost. Jimmy Nuter is doing all he can to rescue treasures from the city’s earliest days.

City Council approved a climate emergency resolution Wednesday, but no specific actions are on the horizon.

Boeing is inspecting more than 400 stored 737 Max jets after discovering tools, rags and other debris left in the fuel tanks of newly built planes.

A Carnivale celebration, late-night art show, chocolate and bicycles usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Watch the Feb. 19, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

An inmate at Illinois’ largest women’s prison says she was raped by a transgender inmate and claims Illinois Department of Corrections officials conducted a “sham investigation” to help cover up the incident.

Early voting is underway at 50 neighborhood sites and the city’s downtown “super site.” Here’s everything you need to know.

Speaking to a throng of reporters from his North Side home, the impeached former governor expressed his appreciation for President Trump and his efforts to fix “a broken criminal justice system.”

With the acknowledgement that “our choices remain hard, our fiscal situation challenging,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday delivered his proposal for a $42 billion state spending plan for the coming fiscal year.

Rod Blagojevich returned home to Chicago early Wednesday, shaking hands and signing autographs after President Donald Trump cut short his 14-year prison sentence.

Even as cities like Rockford and Waukegan move forward with their fresh authority to host casinos, Chicago is at a standstill.