Stories by Andrea Guthmann

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi has promised to fix a broken property tax system and end political patronage hiring. But a recent report found that the assessor’s office is not complying with a series of federal court orders. Kaegi joins us to discuss that and more.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday will deliver her first budget address, with an expected plan to close an $838 million budget deficit. She’s already accounted for $200 million of that with a proposal to refinance $1.3 billion in city borrowing.

Amid fierce fast-food competition, McDonald’s home market lost momentum in the latest quarter. Bloomberg reports that same-store sales rose 5.9% globally, but the Chicago-based fast food giant is struggling to attract customers in the U.S.

Louis Comfort Tiffany led an all-star team of artists and designers who could create almost anything out of glass: lamps, jewelry, mosaics and also artwork of a spiritual nature. We visit the exhibit “Eternal Light.” 

Lenny Bruce has been called one of the most influential comedians of all time. Joe Montegna and Ronnie Marmo give us a sneak peek into their one-man play about the controversial comedian, which opens this week in Chicago.

The city of Chicago is seeking $130,000 in reimbursement for police overtime costs spent investigating the former “Empire” star’s allegedly false claims. A judge on Tuesday said that lawsuit “will be going forward.”

Watch the Oct. 22, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is seeking to add Irish pharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt to its lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors for their role in the nation’s opioid epidemic.

President Donald Trump injected racial overtones into the House impeachment inquiry Tuesday by comparing the Democratic-led investigation into his handling of U.S. policy toward Ukraine to a “lynching.” 

The president, according to people familiar with testimony in the House impeachment investigation, sees the Eastern European ally, not Russia, as responsible for the interference in the 2016 election that was investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller.

The exceptional breadth, depth and variety of Chicago theater was on full display Monday night as the winners of the 2019 Jeff Equity Awards were announced. Here are the highlights.

In a letter sent Monday to CTU President Jesse Sharkey, Mayor Lori Lightfoot urges the union to halt its work stoppage while negotiations continue because “our students and families are sacrificing a great deal that cannot be recovered.”

The hulking Old Post Office building that lay empty for the best part of two decades – and that many feared might never be redeveloped – will soon reopen. Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin weighs in on the landmark.

Parents across the city again have to figure out what to do with their children who attend Chicago Public Schools. We check in with four parents of CPS students who joined us last week ahead of the expected strike.

For more than 50 years, vending machines scattered throughout Chicago-area zoos and museums have sold visitors souvenirs made of melted plastic. Meet the man keeping the vintage technology alive.

The Ford plant on the city’s Far South Side has been causing some big headaches for the automaker, which is expected to report lower profits this week in a third quarter earnings report.

With near record high water levels, Lake Michigan swallowed up beaches, piers and sidewalks across Chicago and the region this summer. An Army Corps forecast shows those levels may persist into next year.

President Donald Trump lashed out Monday at critics who prompted him to move next year’s Group of Seven summit from his private golf club in Florida, claiming he would have hosted it for free and now it will end up costing taxpayers “a fortune.”

Chicago Animal Care and Control says its renovated facility and new medical equipment will allow staff to evaluate animals more quickly and carry out surgical procedures that will ultimately lead to more adoptions.

Watch the Oct. 21, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Writers Theatre’s production of “A Doll’s House,” cannily but faithfully adapted by Sandra Delgado and Michael Halberstam, and featuring a bravura performance by Cher Alvarez, brought the play back to life in the most unexpected ways.

The Chicago Board of Education is postponing its regular monthly meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, until the teachers union and SEIU Local 73 end their ongoing strike. In a statement, the board said this allows district leadership to focus on negotiations.

Teddy Bridgewater threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and the Saints improved to 5-0 without their injured star quarterback by beating the Chicago Bears 36-25 on Sunday.

Negotiators for Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union failed to come to a contract agreement despite weekend bargaining sessions, though both sides agree progress has been made.

Chicago teachers take to the picket lines. Will the city delay the start of legal pot sales? A federal probe into ComEd widens. And the Bears try to bounce back against the Saints. 

As teachers hit the picket lines for the second day, the city called on Chicago Teachers Union leaders to spend more time at the negotiating table in order to reach a deal.