Stories by Matt Masterson

Classrooms across the city were left half-empty Thursday as students took the day to join in citywide Day Without Immigrants protests.

A shutdown of Illinois government has been averted thanks to a decision Thursday by St. Clair County Judge Robert LeChien that permits state employees to continue getting paid.

The leader of the powerful Chicago Teachers Union joins us to talk lawsuits and funding for schools.

The governor again pitches changing the workers’ comp system in his budget speech. Where does Illinois stand, and what reforms are on the table?

The Joffrey Ballet recently reimagined Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker”– and the company is now moving to the pulse of popular music.

A Chicago institution is closing up shop after 88 years. Visitors have been flocking to the Swedish Bakery in Andersonville to say – and eat – their goodbyes. 

Women perform better than men on memory tests used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study. But could this mental advantage be masking early markers of the disease in women?

Mavis Staples, a roller skating party and spirited festivals usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

The carefully documented history of manganese emissions in a small Ohio city serves as a warning for those concerned about newly discovered manganese concentrations on Chicago’s Far Southeast Side.

Even as Illinois staggers on, rudderless without a budget, Gov. Bruce Rauner was faced Wednesday with laying out a fiscal path forward. Read the governor’s address, annotated.

Watch the Feb. 15, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Strong charges from the Chicago Teachers Union leveled against Chicago Public Schools about funding the district’s diverse learners.

In 1971, Calvin Small and two friends started roller skating a little differently than everyone around them. It caught on. And  now, JB skating is known all over the country. 

Geoffrey Baer investigates why the Loop’s streets honoring presidents don’t honor the order of their terms, returns to a North Side bridge to nowhere, and relates the sad story of the “radium girls” of Ottawa, Illinois.

On Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools and five families of students filed a civil rights lawsuit against the state of Illinois. CPS CEO Forrest Claypool joins us to discuss the suit and the huge budget shortfall facing the district.

Calls for an elected Board of Education in Chicago are nothing new, but a pair of current and former politicians are continuing their efforts to end mayoral control over the city's seven-member board.

While Presidents Day serves to honor America’s presidents, thousands in Chicago are expected to mark the Feb. 20 holiday with protests against the current administration. “It’s a protest of policy,” said one organizer.

Watch the Feb. 14, 2017 episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Get tips for separating fact from fiction in the age of fake news.

BuzzFeed editor Craig Silverman talks about the consequences of living in a world of misinformation and fake news, and discusses how media platforms, businesses and individuals can begin countering it.

In another disturbing chapter of Chicago’s gun violence epidemic, two young girls were shot in the head within 30 minutes of each other Saturday night on the South Side.

A University of Chicago Booth School of Business professor talks about how your romantic relationships can affect your decision-making.

Neil Shubin has traveled the world in search of fossils to help better understand evolutionary origins. He tells us about his latest research on Earth’s southernmost continent.

Chicago Public Schools and five local families announced Tuesday they have filed suit against the state of Illinois in an effort to force equitable funding for the cash-strapped school district.

The state of Illinois will not get out of its budget hole without a significant income tax hike, according to a new report issued by the Civic Federation, a fiscal watchdog group.

Chicago parents on Monday called for an end to the finger-pointing between Gov. Bruce Rauner and Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool, saying the sides need to find common ground to solve the district's ongoing financial issues.