Stories by Dan Andries

Why does one crowded CPS school look forward to a multimillion-dollar annex while another, just a few blocks away, fears closure for under-enrollment? WBEZ education reporter Becky Vevea fills us in on a troubling trend.

Watch the July 7, 2016 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

The award-winning series celebrates some of the stranger destinations you can visit in the U.S. The show's host and executive producer join us to talk about what you can expect from the new season, debuting this weekend.

Words of optimism from the new owners of a black-owned South Side bank that had been in financial trouble. Why they say keeping such businesses alive is crucial.

Eat your way through 200 menu items at the 36th annual mega-fest in Grant Park, where Billy Idol and Sheila E. are among this year's musical guests. Get details on that event and others in this week's roundup.

The Chicago Botanic Garden's Eliza Fournier shares a bushel of recommendations to keep your garden healthy in the summer heat.

The mayor and aldermen have made it clear they are going to abolish the Independent Police Review Authority. But what will it be replaced with? 

Arts journalist Victoria Lautman shares the mystery and beauty of India's stepwells, stunning architectural structures hundreds of years old that can be up to 10 stories deep.

Proposed legislation could open the door to more invasive species in the Great Lakes, say environmentalists. But shippers say it puts a patchwork quilt of conflicting regulations under one federal agency that allows them to do business while still keeping invasive species out.

Watch the July 6, 2016 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

On the South Side of Chicago some local entrepreneurs are repurposing an old meatpacking plant in an effort to create something very unusual – a way of doing business that creates no trash.

The former Illinois governor is back in the spotlight and campaigning, but not for a political office – or so he says.

In the mid-1980s, the Lincoln Park Zoo and Brookfield Zoo set up critical captive breeding populations of two bird species native to the Pacific Islands. A new report from the Center for Biological Diversity underscores the impact of such programs.

Did a used-car salesman design and build his sleek and sporty luxury car right here in Chicago? Geoffrey Baer has that story and more.

Juno is set to uncover what Jupiter has been hiding. After a five-year, 1.75 billion mile voyage, NASA's spacecraft named after a Roman goddess successfully entered into orbit around the largest planet in our solar system Monday night. 

The state's six-month stopgap budget sailed through the Illinois General Assembly by a huge vote margin last week, just before the fiscal year deadline. Only four lawmakers voted against the plan. They join “Chicago Tonight” to explain their decision.

It has been said that the Great Depression was the best thing that ever happened to American artists. A new exhibition looks at how artists of the 1930s applied their diverse visions to the American dream during this time of immense change.

Watch the July 5, 2016 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

On Saturday, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize-winner Elie Wiesel died. He was 87 years old. In 2002, host Phil Ponce spoke with the author and activist about his widely acclaimed book "Night." Watch the full interview.

The brutal murder of eight young Chicago nurses in the summer of 1966 horrified the nation. Fifty years later, the lead prosecutor on the case that was instantly dubbed "The Crime of the Century" is here to tell us about it.

Abner J. Mikva, a former federal judge and congressman, died Monday, July 4 at the age of 90. Mikva dedicated more than a half-century to public service. 

This week, we raise a glass to five-time U.S. Congressman and two-time U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, the O.G. hipster of the Senate, with a new twist on an old-school cocktail.

Fireworks can be a lot of fun for humans, but frightening for some pets. Learn what you can do to ease your pet's stress when the celebrations start.

Lawmakers and the governor strike a six-month budget deal. Schools get funding to open in the fall. The Bears lose a legend, and the Cubs' Kris Bryant makes history. Joel Weisman and guests discuss these stories and more.

For the first time in a year, there is a state budget, albeit a temporary one. There is also relief for Chicago Public Schools, but with some caveats. Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky joins us with the latest.

Now that it’s clear that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas will be taking his project to another state, what of the small nonprofit group that fell the mighty filmmaker and his supporter, Mayor Rahm Emanuel? Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry joins us.