Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

Zoo officials say they’re hopeful that 2-year-old Ela and newcomer Apache, 7, will have a successful breeding season this winter and produce a litter of wolf pups in the spring.

Were three Chicago cops following procedure after an officer-involved shooting? Or did they engage in a cover-up to try and protect their fellow officer? That’s what a Cook County judge will decide this week.

A 19-year-old man from Elgin allegedly stole a cellphone belonging to an individual he met through an unidentified dating app. 

With current enrollment of just 20 students and a small incoming class projected, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced it will close St. Joseph College Seminary. 

Watch the Jan. 15, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

On his first full day in office, new Illinois. Gov. J.B. Pritzker moved to give approximately 20,000 state employees raises they’d been denied by former Gov. Bruce Rauner since 2015. 

Although his tenure has been marked by several school controversies, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is touting his achievements at both Chicago Public Schools and the City Colleges of Chicago. 

A law passed in 1976 gives the president authority to declare a national emergency. President Donald Trump has said he’d use the declaration to free up $5 billion to fund a border wall at the Mexican border.

They were among the first African-Americans to be accepted into the U.S. Marines Corps. Now, surviving members of the Montford Point Marines fear they could lose their veterans hall in Englewood.

Three groups file amicus briefs joining the original suit filed by Protect Our Parks, alleging it would be illegal for the Obama Foundation to go forward with the project in federally protected parkland.

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Kathy Chaney and Mary Mitchell, who are featured in a new Lifetime docuseries about R. Kelly, weigh in on the latest allegations against the R&B star.

With support from new Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois is getting closer attention throughout the state. 

It takes an actor of formidable technique to bring this two-act, two-hour monologue to vivid, active, almost cinematic life. From the moment Brendan Coyle emerges from the shadows, the spell is cast.

More than two years removed from a midnight deal to avert what would have been the second strike in four years, members of the Chicago Teachers Union are heading back to the bargaining table.

The odds of dying from an opioid overdose are one in 96, while the odds of dying from a motor vehicle crash are one in 103, according to a new analysis by the National Safety Council.

The request was filed hours after Ald. Burke waived his right Monday to a preliminary hearing to determine whether there was probable cause for the criminal complaint against him filed Jan. 3.

Watch the Jan. 14, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

In the wake of an attempted extortion charge against longtime Ald. Ed Burke, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has unveiled a number of ethics reforms. Ald. Nick Sposato weighs in.

On the eve of his inauguration as Illinois’ 43rd governor, J.B. Pritzker sits down for an interview with Amanda Vinicky and talks about his plans for the state.

From a childhood marked by privilege and tragedy to a life of business success and philanthropy, we bring you an original, in-depth look at the life of new Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford handed down the sentence to 24-year-old Micheail Ward on Monday, five months after Ward was convicted of murder and aggravated battery in the killing of Hadiya Pendleton.

The former Chicago police officer will be sentenced Friday. He was convicted last fall of second-degree murder in the fatal 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald.

Lyric Opera’s production of Giacomo Puccini’s popular romantic tragedy features singers who not only fit their roles ideally but also know how to act. 

She launched the first advertising agency owned and managed by an African-American woman in the 1970s. Barbara Gardner Proctor died on Dec. 19, 2018 at the age of 86.

With a collective call for elected officials to end their abdication of responsibility, and with a promise for what’s become a rarity – a balanced budget – J.B. Pritzker takes the oath of office, becoming Illinois’ 43rd governor.

The Chicago Bears rode a dominant defense to the NFC North championship in a breakout season. They hope to keep it going with a new coordinator.