Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

On average, people in the U.S. generate 220 pounds of plastic waste each year, even though much of those materials could be recycled. Here’s the lowdown on the types of plastic that can and can’t be recycled. 

A grand jury has returned 16 additional disorderly conduct charges against the actor following an alleged attack hoax, according to the Cook County State’s Attoorney’s Office.

Businessman Willie Wilson, who finished fourth in his bid for Chicago mayor in the Feb. 26 election, announces his endorsement of former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot.

Timothy Williams was shot three times during the Feb. 15 attack at a manufacturing facility in Aurora. He believes that attack would have been prevented if state police had “followed their internal protocols.”

Brandis Friedman and guests discuss the details of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated income tax plan, as businesses and Republicans cry foul at higher taxes for millionaires.

Sparks fly in the first mayoral runoff forum. Courts deliver bad news for politicians and R. Kelly. Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock beats his charges. And the Lincoln Yards development nears a full City Council vote. 

The Chicago Department of Public Health is investigating an outbreak of salmonella after six people who consumed food from the kitchen counter at Supermercado Rivera became sick late last month.

R. Kelly built a worldwide musical brand that earned tens of millions of dollars over a nearly 30-year career. But tax and legal issues could leave the Grammy Award winner with next to nothing.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says the investigation began after Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct last month. 

The massive $6 billion Lincoln Yards development has nearly passed through all of its regulatory hurdles.

Want to know how much you’d pay under the governor’s graduated income tax proposal? Specifics of the plan, released Thursday, show it would hit high earners the hardest.

Watch the March 7, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

A man suspected of fatally shooting a sheriff’s deputy and wounding a woman at an Illinois hotel was taken into custody Thursday after an hours-long standoff.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Chicago with three different lineups, including an opening program that captures its illustrious history with an absolutely fascinating, generation-shifting juxtaposition of two pieces.

A severe drought earlier this year forced a large group of flamingos to flee a nesting site in South Africa. That’s when Lincoln Park Zoo and other wildlife conservation groups from around the world stepped in.

The author of “There Are No Children Here” tells us about his new book set in Chicago during the summer of 2013.

In 2016, the number of young black men killed by a firearm in Chicago was nearly 50 times the national rate, according to a new report analyzing such deaths among 15- to 19-year-olds.

The musical tradition dates back centuries. Meet two groups in Chicago that are keeping the art form alive.

The former Chicago police officer is currently slated to get out of prison in 2022. But an upcoming decision from Illinois’ Supreme Court could directly impact that timeline.

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger says his first-hand experience led him to conclude that the situation at the border represents a legitimate national emergency.

Embattled R& B star R. Kelly angrily blamed his ex-wife for “destroying” his name and claimed other people stole from his bank accounts in an interview that aired Thursday.

Watch the March 6, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The federal corruption case against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock is likely to come to a rare conclusion, and it calls into question some apparent missteps along the way.

Chocolates, an artisan market and a sweet walk in the woods usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel was no stranger to spurring development and chasing ambitious projects. But what kind of relationship will Chicago’s next mayor have with the city’s business community?

Authorities say the R&B star was taken into custody during a hearing Wednesday in Chicago over $160,000 in unpaid child support.