Stories by WTTW News

Chicago Tonight Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky talks with us about where state budget negotiations stand as the beginning of fiscal year 2016 approaches quickly. 

A panel of local religious leaders joins us to talk about the racially motivated shooting at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina and how they are addressing safety concerns from their congregations.

In the first of a four-part series, Daily Herald reporter Melissa Silverberg and WBEZ's Linda Lutton take a look at poverty and education in Illinois. Their studies of state testing over the last decade revealed that the schools with the most low-income students performed the worst. Silverberg and Tim Broderick, data analyst and graphic designer for the project, join us tonight to share their results of the state Poverty-Achievement gap.

When CPS shuttered 50 elementary schools a couple of years ago, the district promised those neighborhood schools would not be replaced by charter schools. But, as the city's 130 charter schools continue to open and expand, some are having difficulty finding the right real estate for their schools. We take a look at one charter school struggling to find a permanent home.

Carol Fisher Saller's principles of copy editing might surprise anyone who's ever tussled with an editor over a piece of writing. She argues communication and collaboration between writer and editor are key; style rules are useful guidelines, not the straps of a straitjacket; and that language's evolution isn't anything to rail against. She joins Chicago Tonight. 

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.

Joel Weisman and local journalists discuss this week’s top headlines in politics, sports, and business.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the pros and cons of a high-speed rail system between downtown and O'Hare airport.

Pope Francis released an encyclical on the environment on Thursday. In the 192-page encyclical, the pope makes the case for a partnership between science and religion to fight climate change.  

Celebrating the Stanley Cup Champions, 

Sing along to On Your Feet!; Get a taste of Randolph; and sip some craft beer by Buckingham Fountain. Chicago Tonight has your weekend picks.

A torrential morning downpour and a limited ticket event didn't dampen Hawks euphoria today. We have a full recap of the parade and rally.

Ahead of the annual congregation of entrepreneurs, visionaries, and innovators at Techweek Chicago, we’ll talk with Techweek CEO Katy Lynch about what to expect this year and how the weeklong event has rebounded from last year’s snafu involving controversial party invites.

We speak to Mayo Clinic's Dr. Jacqueline Thielen about developments in women's health including some of the best treatment options for menopause.

Started by a mother’s desire to help other families with children with Down syndrome, Gigi’s Playhouse now has locations in 23 states in the U.S. and Mexico. Elizabeth Brackett reports on how the organization has helped its namesake and many other children.

Multi-Grammy Award winner, singer Dianne Reeves, visits Chicago Tonight to perform and discuss the scholarship Gala that brings her to town.

Earlier this spring, Jay Shefsky visited a Chicago family that has added goats to the chickens, ducks, and bees in their backyard farm. We revisit that story. 

We share what you had to say about Gov. Bruce Rauner’s attack ads against House Speaker Michael Madigan and Democrats.

The City of Chicago is expanding the planned parade route for the 2015 Stanley Cup Champions. Paris Schutz details why the route is being doubled and the City Council’s vote to approve a $1.1 billion borrowing plan.

Its Tevatron particle collider may have been superseded by the Large Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland, but Fermilab remains at the cutting edge of research into the origins of the cosmos.

Once the world's largest specialty apparel chain, Gap Inc. will now be closing 175 locations nationwide. Why will it shut down a quarter of its fleet? We talk with Crain's Chicago Business reporter Brigid Sweeney.

Just as fans plant themselves in front of their screens for a binge-watching session of the third season of the popular Netflix series, Orange is the New Black, the real life main character, Piper Kerman, is back in Chicago. She joins us on Chicago Tonight.

Long before hockey, football, and even baseball became popular sports in the U.S., there was velodrome racing. At the end of the 19th century, competitive racing on bicycle tracks was all the rage, especially in Chicago which had several velodromes throughout the city. Those great tracks have all disappeared but there is still one on the city's South Side that's currently sitting idle. But that could change soon.

He out-ponzied Ponzi, and the local press called him the king of the con and the greatest swindler of all time. Yet the story of Leo Koretz faded into obscurity since his death. His tale is now being told in the new book, Empire of Deception. The book’s author, Dean Jobb, joins us.