Stories by Paris Schutz

More fallout from a report detailing a culture of harassment and abuse in the state capitol on Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan’s watch. But is the speaker getting a pass?

Chicago’s top cop says a gun offender dashboard will create a “culture of accountability.” But not everyone agrees. Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli explains why she objects to the database.

Living in areas with poor air quality increases one’s likelihood of suffering from depression, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses, according to a new study by University of Chicago researchers.

Fancy footwork, street festivals, witty women, sideshow acts and odd flea market finds usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in Chicago.

About 180 miles southwest of Chicago, a wildlife conservation facility cares for hundreds of injured, sick or orphaned raptors. We go for a look and meet some of these incredible birds of prey.

Illinois prisons will soon provide civics and voting rights education workshops to soon-to-be released prisoners. “In Illinois, we understand that every vote matters and every vote counts,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a signing ceremony Wednesday.

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

President Donald Trump said he would be postponing his upcoming trip to Greenland after Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Greenland was not for sale.

A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges two security guards who worked at a public high school in suburban Chicago had sex with female students, and the school failed to adequately protect girls from purported predators.

In addition to the beauty of the music, there was the enduring thought that the very best way to ease the current East-West tensions would be to send the politicians on both sides packing and let the musicians take over the job.

Elevated lead levels in Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey, have made national news, causing growing concern over water safety in Chicago. Should residents be concerned about lead levels in Chicago’s water?

Teachers at Chicago Public Schools still have no contract deal with the Board of Education, and have repeatedly threatened to walk off the job. And another controversy is brewing within their ranks.

How a role-playing workshop hosted by Storycatchers Theatre is taking a new approach to improving the relationship between first responders and the communities they patrol.

Watch the Aug. 20, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The state had been prohibited from settings its own emissions targets for more than 20 years. Lawmakers are now expected to focus on an aspirational clean energy bill with the goal of moving Illinois to 100% clean energy by 2050.

A new law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker legalizes syringe exchange programs in Illinois, opening the door to an increase in operations aiming to serve a community at risk of overdoses and infection from unsafe supplies.

A long-awaited report on sexual harassment in the Illinois House outlines a culture of fear, intimidation and bullying under House Speaker Michael Madigan’s former chief of staff Tim Mapes.

Two University of Illinois social workers who once treated the man convicted of kidnapping and killing a visiting Chinese scholar claim they cannot be held legally responsible for his “random and incomprehensible actions.”

The company did not give a timeline for when it might expand it to the U.S. and other countries, only that it will be in “coming months.”

The 10-minute status hearing Tuesday was the first since the civil case was moved to federal court from state court. The former “Empire” actor didn’t attend the hearing in Chicago.

Planned Parenthood said Monday it’s pulling out of the federal family planning program rather than abide by a new Trump administration rule prohibiting clinics from referring women for abortions.

This year’s gala concert was in many ways the sharpest production to date, with bravura performances by Giordano Dance Chicago, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Chicago Dance Crash and a slew of others.

Solving the epidemic of gun violence in Chicago is an unrelenting challenge. We learn about CRED, a program that wants Chicago’s business community to see it as a problem it can – and should – help stem.

The Chicago theater company has announced Kai EL’Zabar as its third CEO and executive director. The 48-year-old media maven says while working in theater is new for her, she has been grounded in the arts all of her life. 

A woman who contracted Legionnaires’ disease in July is suing the hospital where she contracted the illness, alleging it didn’t take proper precautions following a previous outbreak of legionella bacteria, according to the lawsuit.

The individuals who became ill reported using water in their guest rooms in addition to the hotel’s hot tub and pool during their recent stays at the AmericInn by Wyndham Hotel in Schaumburg, according to health officials.