Stories by Paul Caine

With the state budget standoff in its seventh month and little apparent urgency from Springfield, we talk with the presidents of Governors State and Northeastern Illinois Universities as the funding crisis deepens.

Birds not ordinarily found in Chicago visit the region during the winter to utilize natural – and man-made – resources.

Tonight, the Chicago Police Board is holding a public hearing on the search for a new superintendent, and African-American aldermen and community members reveal to us their short list for the job. Paris Schutz joins us with details.

In 2013, Harold Pollack came up with a nine-point index card of common sense financial advice after a conversation with journalist Helaine Olen. Now, the two have expanded the card slightly into a book designed to put the average person on the road to financial well-being. Pollack joins “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the book.

A digital exhibit from the Chicago History Museum explores a found diary from 1894.

The Shedd Aquarium recently announced a new arrival at the Chicago institution and it's definitely not the creature you'd expect it to be. We went to the Shedd to investigate its latest rescue, named Peach.

He was the grandfather of glam rock, a groundbreaking musician and performance artist. Joining us to reflect on David Bowie's life and work is Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones.

Who is going to make sure Chicago aldermen play by the rules? A major step forward Monday in determining the answer to that – a sign that City Council could finally be ready for real reform and transparency. But will powerful forces derail this latest effort? Paris Schutz has details.

As Chicago aldermen push for new oversight of City Council and take a hard look at proposals to borrow billions, they’re also faced with ongoing ethics questions about the city’s Law Department and police review authority. A panel of aldermen joins "Chicago Tonight" to discuss those issues and the search for a new police superintendent. 

Tuesday the public gets to have its say in the search for the city's new police superintendent. Lori Lightfoot, president of the Chicago Police Board, joins "Chicago Tonight" to talk about the search.

After several years of delays, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) says it will demolish the viaduct at the intersection of Western, Belmont and Clybourn avenues and create a new street-grade roadway. But will the new plan to replace it improve traffic conditions? Eddie Arruza has the story.

Big labor could take a huge hit in a case brought to the Supreme Court by 10 California teachers arguing that they shouldn't be forced to pay union dues. We take a look at the implications for Illinois, where Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has made labor reform a top priority.

Celebrate the New Year with a new puzzle from local pro Sandy Weisz of the Mystery League. The focus of our third installment? Chicago history. We've also got a bevy of bonus photo puzzles to help you exercise your brain.

The iconic musician and artist died just days after his 69th birthday and the release of his 28th studio album, "Blackstar." We revisit our look inside the groundbreaking exhibition that closed just over one year ago at the MCA, "David Bowie Is."

Paris Schutz and his panel discuss the disciplining of 22 Chicago police officers for dash-cam violations, calls for a federal probe of the Chicago Fire Department and the mayor’s reversal on an investigation into the City Law Department. 

Chicago's black firefighters and paramedics are calling on Mayor Rahm Emanuel to replace Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago. The group, represented by the African-American Firefighters and Paramedics League, is also asking the U.S. Department of Justice to expand its investigation into the Chicago Police Department to include the Chicago Fire Department.

The Penn State astronomer will discuss his involvement in an astrological event from 2014 which many at the time speculated to be a sign of alien life. 

Is City Council becoming more independent in the wake of Mayor Emanuel’s unpopularity? A pair of City Council votes next week – one on ethics oversight and one on a $3 billion borrowing plan – may go a long way toward answering that question.

The stock market took a tumble Thursday as China’s stock market dropped 7 percent overnight and crude oil prices dropped to their lowest level in more than a decade. But what does that mean for investment portfolios? “Chicago Tonight” talks with three financial experts.

Last month, Elon Musk's SpaceX successfully landed one of its Falcon 9 rockets back onto its launch pad. In November, Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin landed its sub-orbital capsule New Shepard. Space enthusiast and Fermilab physicist Don Lincoln recently wrote a column on the Musk versus Bezos competition and shares his insights.

For 25 years, Redmoon engaged the community in dozens of neighborhoods. Its exuberant street parades and seasonal festivals brought theatrical magic right to the people. But the twin problems of fallout from its Great Chicago Fire Festival in 2014 and an expensive rental space in Pilsen have brought the respected company to its end. We speak with the company's longtime artistic director Jim Lasko.

We share what you had to say about some of our recent stories when we read viewer feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Laugh out loud at a comedy festival, get your craft on and take an architectural tour.