Stories by Nick Blumberg

A proposal from the Department of Labor would hold retirement advisers to what's called a "fiduciary" standard. The goal is to protect investors from advisers with a conflict of interest, but financial companies say the change will be costly and could keep many people from getting retirement advice at all. We'll take a closer look at the proposal.

The new Matt Damon movie "The Martian" rocketed to the top of the box-office this past weekend, but how accurate is its rocket science? Our panelists give us their review of the physics and psychology of the cinematic trip to Mars.

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.

The internationally recognized choreographer discusses his history with the Joffrey Ballet, the de-gendering of ballet, and who – if not him – acts as the true successor to the father of American Ballet.

Joel Weisman and his panel of guests discuss top stories of the week, including the issue of gun violence and a new push for tighter gun laws. 

From a new online sex ed course to an extremely rare celestial event, here are the five stories "Chicago Tonight" readers were most interested in over the past seven days.

Catch a restored version of Lugosi's "White Zombie," a 35 mm film considered to be the original Hollywood zombie flick.

For nearly half of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s term, Illinois has been without a budget. Rauner argues the budget impasse constitutes a state of emergency, which is his rationale for using an obscure rule-making procedure to cut spending and set up stricter eligibility requirements for social services. Amanda Vinicky joins us to discuss the governor’s plans.

Cutting-edge architecture built by a robot, spiders and even you! That's just a small part of what you can experience when the Chicago Architecture Biennial opens Saturday at the Chicago Cultural Center and sites around the city. Geoffrey Baer has been watching 75 top architects put the finishing touches on it all, and he's here to give us a preview.

From Alice the corpse plant to liquid water on Mars to the Chicago Bears: Test your news knowledge with this week's set of questions.

With the over-65 population in the U.S. expected to grow significantly in the coming decades, financial exploitation of senior citizens will increase dramatically, according to a new book.

Martha Stewart, David Petraeus, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and many more notable speakers will be in town this month for Chicago Ideas Week. Tonight we’ll talk with the founder of the annual cultural event about what to expect this year.

Teller, the usually silent half of magic duo Penn and Teller, speaks his mind about the new production of "The Tempest" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, in which he weaves stage illusions into the story of an exiled duke who uses the supernatural world to protect his daughter.

The number of single-parent households has tripled since 1960. Grammy and Academy award-winning hip-hop artist Che "Rhymefest" Smith, a native of Chicago's South Side, embraces this subject in a new documentary titled "In My Father's House," which chronicles his reconciliation with the father who abandoned him as a child. Rhymefest joins us tonight to discuss his new film.

For more than four decades, Variety Comics has anchored the corner of Western and Wilson avenues and attracted comic book fans and the curious alike with its superhero murals. At the end of October, the Lincoln Square comic book store will close.

In light of a nationwide gender disparity among playwrights, all four of Goodman’s new resident playwrights just happen to be women. Meet them all right now.

The Chicago Park District is hosting tonight the second of two public meetings on the proposed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Brandis Friedman will have a live report from McCormick Place.

As summer turns to fall, time seems to be at a standstill in Springfield. With the House not scheduled to meet anytime soon, is now the time for state lawmakers to break ranks and come up with a plan B? And if so, what practical options do they have? We talk with a group of so-called rebel lawmakers.

As the Cubs head into the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the team is seeing an almost 12 percent increase in attendance. What effect might this have on future ticket prices? Crain’s Chicago Business deputy managing editor Ann Dwyer sheds light on this story and others with Eddie Arruza.

An ambitious new government-led research initiative aims to fully map the human brain. The goal is to advance understanding of how the brain works and develop treatments for crippling neurological diseases. But for researchers, the Holy Grail is to understand the origins of human consciousness. Two leading neuroscientists join us to talk about this potentially groundbreaking project.

From incredible feline feats to free museum admission, to a pooch parade to hot apple cider, we've got your weekend covered.

An architect with a global portfolio but a laser-like focus on context. Works deeply embedded in culture but devoted to breaking stereotypes. And a talented eye with more of an approach than a style. "Chicago Tonight" takes a look inside David Adjaye's new solo architecture exhibition at the Art Institute’s modern wing.

Amid controversy and an outcry from parents and principals regarding budget cuts to special education and layoffs for teachers and aides, CPS announces plans to change the way the district serves students with special needs. Tonight, find out how the district plans to change its focus.