Stories by Marc Vitali

Being labeled "the topless cellist" was a mixed blessing for one American artist of the avant-garde. Charlotte Moorman's occasional nudity in her performances attracted curiosity, but it also may have distracted from the pioneering work she brought to experimental art of the 1960s and ‘70s. A new exhibition looks at the bold life and legacy of this musician, performer and muse.

To say that former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has seen a lot is undoubtedly an understatement. He's served under eight presidents of both major parties (2006-2011), led the CIA and Texas A&M, and been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Now, he’s the president of the Boys Scouts of America. He joins us to talk about his new book.

The Chicago River is now visible via Google Street View. A small team spent nearly 10 hours documenting the waterway with a 360-degree camera in October. Here's what it looks like.

The state's oldest and largest social service agency announces it will eliminate 30 programs and 40 percent of its staff. We bring you more on this and other news out of Springfield with Amanda Vinicky.

Just months after watching a Siegfried and Roy TV special, Jeanette Andrews, age 4, was performing magic for her class. Two years later, she staged her first paid gig. On Tuesday, Andrews, now 25, performs a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art which pairs illusions with each of the five senses.

The top Democrat in the Illinois Senate says he's willing to make a deal with Gov. Bruce Rauner on pension reform and other items in the governor's so-called Turnaround agenda. Is the budget impasse finally thawing out?

Gov. Bruce Rauner has a week to decide whether to expand the state's medical marijuana pilot program. So far the program only covers a limited number of serious illnesses and has 4,000 registered patients. Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple, the head of the state Medical Cannabis Advisory Board, joins us to talk about the pilot program.

Hear what viewers had to say about the Republican proposal to take over Chicago Public Schools when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

For many young men, their first car is also their first love. But for some of Chicago's at-risk teens and young adults their first car isn't theirs to drive–but theirs to fix. Learning classic car restoration is more than just a trade, it's a chance to pave a new future. Brandis Friedman has the story.

The onset of the Great Depression stalled a nearly complete diorama project conceived in the 1920s. Emily Graslie, the Field's chief curiosity correspondent, made it her mission to complete it nearly 90 years later. She joins us to discuss the project.

As Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel face crises at the state and city level, crisis management specialists tell us about the importance of leadership and image.

For the first time in a decade, five planets will be visible at the same time in the pre-dawn sky – and you won't need a telescope to see them.

Chicago Public Schools today gave layoff notices to some administrative employees as part of efforts to reduce its $480 million budget shortfall. "There’s no doubt that these cuts are painful," CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said in a statement. "However, with limited resources and a budget crisis not just this year but into the foreseeable future, we had no choice."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins “Chicago Tonight” on Thursday, Jan. 28 to discuss Chicago Public Schools’ financial collapse, the city’s search for a new Chicago police superintendent and the increasingly bitter state budget standoff. What are your questions for the mayor? Share them with us.

Joel Weisman and his panel discuss Gov. Bruce Rauner’s power play to take over the financially broken Chicago Public Schools, Democrats’ response to his proposal and the lack of bipartisan support of the governor’s pension plan. 

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday announced a pension deal to reform Illinois' troubled state retirement system, but Democratic leaders in the legislature quickly pushed back on the plan. A panel of lawmakers discusses the proposal and whether it has any chance of passing the General Assembly.

Just a day after Gov. Bruce Rauner and Republican leaders in the General Assembly proposed a state takeover of the financially distressed Chicago Public Schools, lawmakers propose altering the TIF legislation to allow a surplus to be spent on the district. 

Thousands of birds in southwest Indiana were killed after a new strain of bird flu, the H7N8 virus, was found at 10 poultry farms late last week, according to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.

Gov. Bruce Rauner says he and Senate President John Cullerton have a deal on major pension reform, but it fell apart as the day went on. What happened? Paris Schutz has details.

We watch older performers in theater and musicals – why then do we see them less frequently represented in dance? That was the question dancer/choreographer Michelle Kranicke set out to answer with the aMID festival – a showcase of dancers and choreographers ranging in age from 25 to 75.   

A nonpartisan coalition aims to wrestle political mapmaking out of the hands of lawmakers and into the hands of the people. Cindi Canary, the organization’s executive director, joins us to discuss the citizen initiative Independent Maps.

Hear what viewers had to say about the Republican proposal to take over Chicago Public Schools when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Turkish singer Aysenur Kolivar was recently in Chicago for a fellowship program with the Old Town School of Folk Music. She collects and performs music from the Black Sea region. During her stay she performed at WTTW. We bring you that performance from our studio.

An exhibition at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston looks at the "haute couture" that has long existed in Native American communities. We revisit that story.