Stories by Sean Keenehan

After a nearly 20 year-run in a century-old converted frame house located near the North Branch of the Chicago River, The Hideout is looking down river to the centralized, bustling South Branch, where it has opened a new pop-up spot for 10 weeks along the Riverwalk. 

Thursday is Democrat Day at the Illinois State Fair and, as expected, they used the opportunity to slam Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s anti-union, pro-business Turnaround agenda that they say is preventing lawmakers from approving a statewide budget. We’ll have more news from Springfield with Chicago Tonight’s Amanda Vinicky.

The Chicago Housing Authority's Cabrini Green homes stood for decades on the Near North Side. Between 1995 and 2011, the buildings were demolished and replaced with mixed-income housing. The new documentary "70 Acres in Chicago" tracks that tumultuous period and the efforts of residents to save their homes.

Glass blowing is an expensive art, and not a typical means of managing trauma from gun violence. But a University of Chicago pediatric clinical psychologist has teamed up with a local glassblowing non-profit to help teenaged survivors of gun violence mentally recover from their traumatic experiences. Brandis Friedman has the story.

Neighborhood festivals, a pop-culture convention and the return of a historic bike ride through the city highlight this weekend's event lineup. Check out those events, and more, in our roundup.

Geoffrey Baer revisits what was once billed as "America’s Fastest Growing Department Chain" in Back of the Yards, takes us to a 1936 German Day rally at Soldier Field, and finds the location of a star-spangled bridge featured in a photo from the 1960s.

Wednesday is a make-or-break day for candidates running for office in 2016. The powerful Cook County Democratic Organization met for what is their traditional slating session. Which candidates won the coveted endorsement and how does it bode for 2016?

The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments over Chicago's pension reforms in November. Attorney John Schmidt says the city's pension reforms are fundamentally different than the state's reforms that were struck down earlier this year. Schmidt joins us on Chicago Tonight.

Crain’s Chicago Business deputy managing editor Ann Dwyer takes a closer look at McDonald’s Wall Street bounce, recently announced job cuts at Walgreens, the mass exodus of corporate jobs from Chicago, and Amazon’s Chicago expansion. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced on Tuesday a plan to improve the service of two of the city's busiest bus routes. The three-part plan calls for improved speed and overall performance of Chicago Transit Authority buses along Western Avenue (No. 49) and Ashland Avenue (No. 9). Get details of the plan and read the mayor's announcement.

A plan to provide nearly $500 million in relief to the cash-starved CPS is locked up in an ideological battle over collective bargaining. Paris Schutz joins us with more on the story.

The National Labor Relations Board on Monday announced that Northwestern University’s scholarship football athletes would not be allowed to form a union, despite a 2014 NLRB ruling that states the players are university employees. Joining us to discuss the details of the NLRB decision is Eldon Ham, a Chicago-Kent College of Law professor and sports legal analyst for WSCR 670 The Score.

A new proposal before the City Council aims to prevent another controversial privatization deal like the infamous parking meter lease of 2008, but some critics say the plan doesn’t go far enough. Joining Chicago Tonight to discuss the proposed ordinance is Judy Stevens, policy coordinator at the Better Government Association, which consulted the Emanuel administration when crafting the ordinance. 

He's only 25 years old, but composer, poet and conductor Matthew Aucoin is already a major sensation in the classical music world. And now, Lyric Opera of Chicago has commissioned the young composer to write an opera. Second Nature receives its world premiere this week at Lincoln Park Zoo. We speak with this classical phenom on Chicago Tonight.

Nathan Morin says he stopped wearing deodorant because he was "lazy and cheap." But when he moved to Chicago and became a bicycle commuter, he rediscovered the need for some type of odor protection. That's when his search for a certified organic deodorant led him to an unlikely place: the kitchen, where he began concocting his own recipe.

The National Labor Relations Board has overturned its historic March 2014 decision to treat Northwestern University scholarship football student-athletes as employees, and ruled on Monday that the players will not be allowed to form a union.

Julian Bond, the civil rights activist, professor, and politician, died Saturday in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. He was 75 years old. In 1976, Bond and journalist John Callaway sat down for an interview at WTTW. We remember Bond's legacy, and revisit his discussion with Callaway on national politics.

Two leaders in the Illinois House of Representatives join Phil Ponce on Chicago Tonight to discuss the budget stalemate in Springfield and a possible property tax freeze.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic candidate for president, brings his campaign to Chicago Monday evening. The senator and self-avowed socialist has attracted huge crowds and national attention, with polls that show he is gaining on Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. What is behind the buzz, and who in Chicago is behind him? Paris Schutz joins us with that story.

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.

From NBA legend Michael Jordan’s lawsuit against Dominick’s to the end of CPS’ pension pickup for non-union workers, Joel Weisman and his panel have your week in review.

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