Stories by WTTW News

Watch the July 29, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The Fed under Chairman Jerome Powell has signaled that rising economic pressures — notably from President Donald Trump’s trade wars and from a global slowdown — have become cause for concern. So has an inflation rate that remains chronically below the Fed’s target level.

At issue is a federal policy that allows people who receive benefits through other government programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, to automatically qualify for the food aid program known as SNAP. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s hot mic controversy. An ethics reforms package targets Ald. Ed Burke. Federal agents edge closer to House Speaker Michael Madigan. And the Bears report to training camp.

A sweeping expansion of deportation powers unveiled this week by the Trump administration has sent chills through immigrant communities and prompted some lawyers to advise migrants to gather up as much documentation as possible to prove they’ve been in the U.S.

Researchers have received $1.2 million in grants to study police-involved shootings in the U.S. and to develop a police training program designed to improve officer decision-making in high-stakes situations.

Tens of billions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater runoff end up in the Great Lakes each year, polluting the water and prompting beach closings and swimming advisories. How new legislation aims to help.

Prosecutor Angel Krull said a more far-ranging indictment could replace the charging document that led to R. Kelly’s arrest as he walked his dog in Chicago in mid-July. 

As part of a wide-ranging discussion on “Chicago Tonight,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she will be seeking public input on possible locations for a Chicago casino.

A Chicago couple is part of an international team bringing a flashy new take on “dinner and a show” to local audiences. Meet the stars of Teatro ZinZanni.

A two-year budget impasse had many college students fleeing Illinois. Will a boost in funding now help persuade them to stay?

Midwesterners could be forgiven for thinking that Wisconsin has a lock on all things cheese. But in Chicago, we’ve managed to one-up our neighbors to the north: we set it on fire.

The 1915 tragedy that left more than 800 people dead in downtown Chicago is the subject of a new documentary. Meet the producers of “Eastland: Chicago’s Deadliest Day.”

Watch the July 25, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Researchers analyzed the results of a 2015-2016 survey to assess the health of Chicago’s youngest residents in nine communities. Among their findings: widespread food insecurity and not enough physical activity.

The Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation are buying the archive for $30 million as part of an auction to pay off secured creditors of Johnson Publishing Company.

The massive art project that got the attention of students across the globe is part of an educational initiative aimed at preserving oceans and the people who live closest to them.

The teens were taken into custody and charged with felony counts of aggravated battery and mob action, days after a cellphone video of the incident was uploaded online.

The Justice Department said Thursday that it will carry out executions of federal death row inmates for the first time since 2003. Five inmates who have been sentenced to death are scheduled to be executed starting in December.

After months of anticipation, Congress finally heard testimony from former special counsel Robert Mueller. Democrats say they will continue to hold President Trump accountable, while Republicans say it’s time to close the books on the investigation. 

Saturday marks the 100th anniversary of the Chicago race riots. How some local organizations are planning to remember that violent week in 1919.

Why are allies of House Speaker Michael Madigan writing checks to an ousted campaign operative? Our politics team weighs in on that and more in our weekly roundtable.

We hit the streets to check out some 3D art that might catch you by surprise if you don’t watch where you’re going.

By 2025, at least 25% of the Illinois’ energy must come from renewable sources, like wind or solar. But projections by the Illinois Power Agency find that without changes to current policy, the state could fall short.

Two key initiatives of Mayor Lori Lightfoot were put to the test Wednesday, and the unanimous passage of each shows that Chicago’s new mayor has command over City Council.

Robert Mueller on Wednesday bluntly dismissed President Donald Trump’s claims of total exoneration in the federal probe of Russia’s 2016 election interference, telling Congress he explicitly did not clear the president of obstructing his investigation.