Stories by WTTW News

We share what you had to say about our talk with Charles Preston of the Black Youth 100’s protests in solidarity with Baltimore, the new City Council as coalitions begin to develop, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel's blueprint to Chicago's fiscal solvency. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel lays out a plan to rescue the city’s financial and debt crisis. Paris Schutz explains why that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions more in the short term.

A new City Council will be sworn in next month, and aldermen are quickly organizing into both new and old coalitions to push their political agendas. But how exactly will this new council take shape? And will it become less of a rubber stamp and more independent from the mayor’s office?

Charles Preston is a member of the Black Youth Project 100 in Chicago. BYP has organized this week's protests in solidarity with Baltimore to show their support and also highlight structural problems in their own community. 

Tuesday, a team of federal health officials arrived in southern Indiana to evaluate a recent surge in HIV cases, which the director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS called one of the worst outbreaks of the last 20 years. We talk with John Peller, president and CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, to see how Chicago’s infection rate compares to Indiana, what the underlying causes are, and how to stem the tide of cases.

Jay Shefsky visits a Chicago family that has added goats to the chickens, ducks, and bees in their backyard farm.  

Geoffrey Baer visits a towering turtle, diamonds in River North, and a vanishing south side lake.

Former Gov. Dan Walker died at age 92 at his home in California. Walker, a Democrat, served a single term as governor from 1973-1977. 

There’s a renewed push for redistricting reform in Illinois. Independent Maps, a nonpartisan statewide coalition, is starting a campaign for a constitutional amendment creating a non-partisan independent commission responsible for drawing Illinois General Assembly districts. Paris Schutz has the latest on the coalition’s efforts.

U.S. Supreme Court justices were deeply divided during oral arguments on the issue of same-sex marriage. The key question: Does the Constitution guarantee gay and lesbian couples the right to marry? Four former clerks weigh in.

Chicago Police Detective Dante Servin was acquitted earlier this month in the shooting death of Rekia Boyd. What lessons can be learned from the case, and what needs to change going forward?

Two is a new book of photographs of people and things accompanied by essays by successful authors. It's a collaboration between Evanston-based photographer Melissa Ann Pinney and acclaimed novelist Ann Patchett (Bel Canto).

The World Health Organization warns that the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or "superbugs" means that we could be on the brink of a "post-antibiotic era" in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill. They say the situation is "so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine." We talk with two experts about the scale of the threat and what we can all do to try and contain it.

Last year, 11,000 neighbors gathered around 1,000 tables to share a meal on one evening as part of the Chicago Community Trust’s initiative, On The Table. We hope you’ll join us for another meal together on May 12, 2015 – and this time, the conversations will focus on honoring and inspiring the philanthropist in each one of us.

Marisa Eve Girawong, a graduate of Chicago’s Malcolm X College, died in an avalanche resulting from the massive earthquake that struck Mount Everest on Saturday. As the death toll continues to rise, a local medical group is raising money for its partner hospital, Nepal Orthopedic Hospital, in the country's capital of Kathmandu. 

Is Gov. Bruce Rauner balancing the budget on the backs of Illinois towns and municipalities? Dozens of Illinois mayors have come together to fight the governor’s proposal. Paris Schutz has the details.

State lawmakers are reconvening this week in Springfield to work on the budgeting process for next year. We'll hear from legislators from both sides of the aisle. 

In advance of this week’s NFL Draft in Chicago, Bears' Chairman George McCaskey sits down with Phil Ponce to talk football. McCaskey will talk about all the changes at Halas Hall this offseason and what Bears’ fans can expect this year. He also addresses some recent NFL issues and controversies, including questions about concussion care and domestic violence awareness. 

Evanston Township High School takes a unique approach to bringing a diverse group of students into Advanced Placement courses.

In his new book, Stuart Cohen takes us back to the early 20th century for a look at Howard Van Doren Shaw's architectural footprint on the typical American home.

We share what you had to say about chef Rick Bayless' visit and the latest episode of the School Project when we read some of our viewer feedback.

One of the most memorable quotes in Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain’s homily at the funeral of his good friend and mentor, Cardinal Francis George, came from George himself. “The only thing we take with us when we die is what we have given away,” Sartain said, quoting the Cardinal who had spoken to him about the nature of death. Given this core belief, it is no surprise that George spent much of his final weeks, and even his final hours, fine-tuning the manuscript for a forthcoming book of personal essays called A Godly Humanism. 

Joel Weisman and his panel of local journalists discuss the week's top stories, including the funeral of Cardinal Francis George, the CPS federal investigation fallout, and the Bulls and Blackhawks playoffs.