Stories by Paris Schutz

State Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago) has some angry words for House Speaker Michael Madigan, in the wake of this week’s failed override of SB 1229, a major union bill that became a flash point in the ongoing political war between Madigan and Gov. Bruce Rauner. Paris Schutz has the story.

On this edition of Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review with Joel Weisman, our panel of guests discuss Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposal for a $500 million property tax hike, the ongoing battle over Dyett High School, and more.

Were you watching this week? Test your knowledge with these eight questions.

It's Labor Day weekend, Chicago. You won't be able to wear white after Monday, so flash your brights at this great lineup of festivals, including Turkish Fest, Jazz Fest and the Chicago Fringe Fest. Oh, and don't miss a Q&A at Music Box Theatre with Queen of Earth director Alex Ross Perry. Take your pick.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is reportedly considering a $500 million property tax hike—one of the largest in the city’s history—to help pay police and fire pensions and construction projects for Chicago Public Schools. The tax increase is expected to be included in the mayor’s 2016 budget. We examine what’s reportedly in Emanuel’s budget and what it means for city residents.

It's been a magical season for the Chicago Cubs: a Sunday night no-hitter added to one of the best records in baseball, and a likely playoff appearance. Joining us to take a closer look at what's been going right on the North Side–and what's ahead–is Chicago Tribune baseball writer Paul Sullivan.

Emily Graslie may just have the coolest job in the world. She's the Chief Curiosity Correspondent for the Field Museum and the driving force behind the popular YouTube channel The Brain Scoop. Graslie joins Chicago Tonight to discuss her work popularizing science.

Chicago businessman Julius Rosenwald was also a courageous philathropist and his work resonates to this day. The new documentary Rosenwald opens this Friday in Chicago and Highland Park. Chicago Tonight discusses the film–and the man at the center of it–with filmmaker Aviva Kempner, and Peter Ascoli, a faculty member of the Spertus Institute who is Julius Rosenwald's grandson.

In light of The SpongeBob Musical, we matched up songwriting celebs to their SpongeBob counterparts.   

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 far north suburban community of Fox Lake is still grieving as dozens of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers search for three suspects who allegedly shot and killed Fox Lake police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz early Tuesday morning. Brandis Friedman visited Fox Lake on Wednesday and she joins us with the latest.

A proposed penny-per-ounce tax on sugary beverages is meant primarily as a way to address skyrocketing obesity and diabetes rates. But some of that revenue could go toward funding the city’s big cash crunch.

Crain’s Chicago Business deputy managing editor Ann Dwyer takes a closer look at the wild ride on Wall Street, Sprint adding 1,050 jobs in Chicago, Chrysler’s considering producing Jeep Cherokees here and Illinois becoming the “Land of Delivery.”

We conduct a postmortem on Spike, the smelly corpse flower that failed to bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden. What happened? Paris Schutz has the story.

The Northwest Chicago Film Society kicks off its fall season of 35-millimeter film screenings on Wednesday at the auditorium at Northeastern Illinois University in the North Park neighborhood.

Dr. Cory Franklin spent 25 years leading Cook County Hospital's intensive care unit – more than enough for a lifetime of stories. The ICU's former chief joins Chicago Tonight to discuss his new book, Cook County ICU, his most memorable patients, and what they taught him.

For three hundred South and West Side Chicagoans, a summer job meant more than just a few extra bucks – it may have also meant a safer community. A pilot program called Target 7-11 H.I.T. paid neighbors in Englewood and the west side of Garfield Park to work as violence interrupters, during what is a notoriously deadly time of year for those communities. Brandis Friedman explains how it works.

In this edition of Ask Geoffrey, our local history expert goes ringside at Joe Louis' first professional knockout, rides by the site of long-lost Logan Square mansion, and finds out what's cooking at a former bread-baking palace.

The plus-size model speaks out in Model Diet, a locally-produced documentary criticizing the fashion industry’s standards. 

Illinois House lawmakers will soon consider whether to override a veto by Gov. Bruce Rauner that could send negotiations with state employee unions to binding arbitration. And with no state budget in place, just how do lawmakers plan on maintaining critical state services? Amanda Vinicky joins Chicago Tonight with a preview of the week ahead in Springfield. 

Congress reconvenes next Tuesday after a five-week recess, and there are some weighty and urgent matters to attend to, including yet another debt ceiling fiscal cliff. Joining us to share their thoughts on these and other issues are Congressman Bill Foster (D-11th); and Congressman Peter Roskam (R-6th).

Amnesty International is calling for the legalization of prostitution, a move some advocacy groups say is short-sighted. We'll hear from both sides.

As the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District cuts the ribbon on it's new sewage reservoir, we revisit Jay Shefsky's visit in May to the bottom of the Thornton Quarry.