Stories by WTTW News

Candidate statement: "My vision for this office is to first eliminate the Security Detail and refund all of the money spent on this to the Cook County Coffers. I will accept only a CTA Pass, Metra Pass and gasoline allowance for my personal vehicle only when traveling from courthouse to courthouse."

Reaction to Gov. Bruce Rauner's second budget address from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who says no state budget means layoffs are around the corner.

A 10-week-old sea otter pup rescued after a rough storm in California last month is recovering at her new home in Chicago.

Watch the February 17, 2016 full episode of Chicago Tonight.

An African-American movie studio in Logan Square made silent films that got people talking, but for all the wrong reasons. Geoffrey Baer shares the story of Ebony Films and more from Chicago's past in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey.

The saga continues for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. City lawyers say museum officials are considering other cities due to “uncertainty and delay” over the project’s lakefront spot in Chicago.

The latest in our 2016 election forums focuses on the 7th Congressional District contest pitting longtime incumbent Danny Davis against Iraq War veteran Thomas Day.

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday laid out two options for state lawmakers in his second budget address. Tonight, Amanda Vinicky joins us live from Springfield with more details of the governor’s budget proposal and response from Democratic legislative leaders.

Say so long to the adorable red panda cubs captivating visitors of the Lincoln Park Zoo. Soon, the almost 8-month-old cubs will be leaving town.

“Buildings can transform. They can change places. They can change the perception of places." That was architect David Adjaye’s message to a group of about 20 community leaders he met with on Tuesday at the DuSable Museum of African American History.

Watch the February 16, 2016 full episode of Chicago Tonight.

An enormous rooftop greenhouse on Chicago's South Side is growing crops year-round and providing the area with much-needed local produce. Joining us to talk about Gotham Greens' growing power is co-founder and CEO, Viraj Puri. 

Amid the budget stalemate, many public universities have been operating without funding from the state. Chicago State University has gone most of the fiscal year without a third of its budget. CSU President Thomas Calhoun Jr. tells us what's at stake.

Sixty days: That’s the maximum amount of time Chicago Police should take before allowing the public to see recordings or reports of police-involved incidents. The recommendation from the Mayor's Police Accountability Task Force comes on the same day as a group of attorneys and elected officials calls for a special prosecutor in the case that led to the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

One of the most intriguing congressional districts in the country, Illinois' 4th Congressional District includes parts of Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, Melrose Park, Brookfield, Cicero and Brighton Park. Joining "Chicago Tonight" to talk about his vision for the district is Javier Salas. Congressman Luis Gutiérrez declined our invitation.

It is a harmonious union of art and engineering, imagination and reality. Dutch artist Theo Jansen is a kind of Dr. Frankenstein, giving life to inanimate objects. His massive creations arrived this month at the Chicago Cultural Center, and “Chicago Tonight” spoke with the artist on the eve of his first exhibition in the city.

Eric Weiner likes to take on big ideas, and he loves to travel. In his new book, "The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley," he explores what it is about certain places in time and space that foster genius.

Watch the February 15, 2016 full episode of Chicago Tonight.

Justice Antonin Scalia was known for his biting dissents and sharp wit. But who was the man behind the black robes? Four former Supreme Court clerks join "Chicago Tonight" to talk about the late justice.

A close former associate of Justice Antonin Scalia from the University of Chicago reflects on their deep ideological divide and unlikely friendship. Paris Schutz has the story.

The detection of gravitational waves first predicted by Albert Einstein is being hailed as one of the most important discoveries of the modern age. Some local scientists who worked on this groundbreaking achievement are here to explain.

The Citizens Utility Board and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan have accused Peoples Gas of deliberately misleading regulators about the ballooning cost of a huge program to upgrade gas lines around Chicago. Tonight, we discuss the safety upgrades, the program's estimated cost and the claims about the company's actions with representatives from CUB and Peoples Gas.

The basketball legend is now a coach here in Chicago, and she's helping the Loyola women's basketball team give it their best shot.

A daughter of Jesse Owens, the African-American runner who dominated the 1936 Berlin Olympics, will speak at the opening of "Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936," the Illinois Holocaust Museum's new special exhibition.

Before you commit to Goodman Theatre's "2666," an epic five-hour play which touches on the true story of unsolved murders of hundreds of women along the Mexican border, you can see a play about the murders that's just 75 minutes. And free.