Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

For the first time, Shedd Aquarium will host a full week of events leading up to Earth Day on April 22. 

Matt Binns is equal parts artist, inventor and businessman. We visit his workshop to see how his company’s custom-made globes are constructed.

The U.S. attorney’s office charged three people Monday with federal drug offenses for allegedly conspiring to sell synthetic cannabinoids at a West Side convenience store.

Chicago Tonight reporter Alex Ruppenthal talks about his investigation into allegations of sexual abuse surrounding a Chicago-area coach who was banned by USA Gymnastics in November 2017.

Weaving function and design at a local museum dedicated to Native American art and culture.

Watch the April 2, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Loyola’s Cinderella story came to an end Saturday when the men’s basketball team was bested by Michigan, but that doesn’t mean the competition is over.

Rabiah Mayas, one of our favorite explainers of all things scientific, shares some of the latest top science news from Chicago and around the world.

She’s been photographing Chicago for nearly 70 years. Meet artist Barbara Crane.

Atlanta is still in the throes of a major cyberattack. How vulnerable are cities like Chicago to hackers using ransomware?

In her brilliant play “Smart People,” Lydia R. Diamond creates an impossibly thorny and twisted verbal, emotional and intellectual maze of race, sex and “super-achieverdom.”

“At the end of the day I don’t have the luxury of basing my decisions on public pressure, political pressure,” CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said, explaining why he rejected COPA findings in the death of Quintonio LeGrier.

Two people have died in Illinois, including one in the Chicago area, after experiencing severe bleeding related to the use of synthetic cannabinoids, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

There have been 22 percent fewer homicides and 25 percent fewer shootings citywide in 2018 over the same period last year, according to Chicago Police Department data.

A young suburban gymnast goes to the police in 1997, accusing her coach of sexual abuse, but charges are never filed. Now she is sharing her story. “Everything that happened to me I think people should know,” she said.

The underdog Ramblers take on the 3rd-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Saturday evening. Where to watch the game in and around Chicago.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is deposed in a 2015 fatal police-involved shooting and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is forced to release a secret letter calling the shooting “justified.” Meanwhile, the Loyola Ramblers hope to continue their NCAA Cinderella story.

Paris Schutz and guests discuss Cook County’s lawsuit against Facebook, and the governor’s race in Illinois.

Eighth graders in Chicago Public Schools will find out Friday afternoon what high schools they’ve been matched with as part of the district’s new online application system.

A camera set up near Rosehill Cemetery captured an unusual photo of a flying squirrel last fall, but the image was only recently discovered.

A new book on changing attitudes towards love and marriage in India from an author with a local connection.

Watch the March 29, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

What the massive O’Hare expansion project will mean for passengers and taxpayers.

Facebook is facing backlash in the wake of a data privacy scandal. University of Chicago computer science professor Ben Zhao shares his perspective.

The United States Census is not often a hot-button issue, but it’s recently been thrust into the center of controversy.

Songwriter Bryan Adams and other members of the creative team behind “Pretty Woman: The Musical” talk about the intersection of pop music, movies and musicals.