Stories by WTTW News

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago City Council tackle minimum wage, Wrigley Field renovations and more at today's meeting. 

Seven months into his new post as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, we sit down with Zach Fardon. We'll see what the attorney, best known for his role in prosecuting former Gov. George Ryan, has to say about gang violence, public corruption. 

Poet and writer Maya Angelou died on May 28, at the age of 86 in her home in Winston-Salem, N.C. Read what local leaders and artists recall about her impact and presence on the world's stage. 

Geoffrey tracks down a missing fountain, a stockyards priest and mysterious sand dunes in tonight’s edition of "Ask Geoffrey."

When you think of something having a "sell by" date, it's often food. But most grocery stores apply similar dates to their flowers. Tonight we meet a local resident who finds a new use for those flowers before grocery stores throw them out. 

The late, great actor Jack Lemmon returns in a stage tribute by his son, Chris Lemmon, who recounts growing up in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The end of the legislative session in Springfield looms. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan declared an extension of the 2011 income tax increase dead and as a result, Democrats are crafting a "middle-of-the-road" budget with less austere spending cuts. Chicago Sun-Times’ Springfield bureau chief Dave McKinney joins us with an update. 

The Chicago Cubs formally unveil their latest designs for the now larger Wrigley renovation project. Two top executives from the Cubs organization weigh in and we'll have neighborhood reaction as well. See slideshow of Cubs newest plans for Wrigley. 

Not everyone is happy with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal that the Lucas Museum of Cultural Arts be built on a parking lot near Solider Field in the very popular Museum Campus area. Tonight, we have a panel discussion on the pros and cons of Chicago being the museum’s home and what are more suitable locations that could serve other well-deserving neighborhoods.

Meet the new chairman of the Illinois Republican Party Timothy Schneider, a Cook County commissioner from Bartlett. Schneider hopes the struggling GOP will have a successful election night this November, especially behind gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner. 

A team of cave-diving scientists recently announced the discovery of a near-complete skeleton of a teenage girl in an underwater cave on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Northwestern professor Patricia A. Beddows was a member of the team and joins us to discuss the find. 

Meet the first group of Fellows in Second City’s new Bob Curry Fellowship. Named after the first African-American Second City performer, the fellowship offers intense training to help these funny people find their voices.

Eddie Arruza and his guests continue this week’s conversation, discussing  new details about Jesse Jackson Jr.’s life in prison.  

A comedy show, a tavern tour and a pirate-themed circus ; Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on this weekend.

Eddie Arruza and his panel of journalists discuss this week's headlines. 

The battle between Chicago Cubs and rooftop owners has hit the boiling point. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts announced plans to go forward with more scoreboards and an expanded renovation project as rooftop owners prepare to take them to court. Take our poll.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan presses for an income tax surcharge on millionaires, Toni Preckwinkle lobbies hard for her proposed Cook County budget. Chicago Sun-Times’ Springfield bureau chief Dave McKinney joins us with an update on these topics and more. 

Amir Sufi, professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, argues in his new book House of Debt that a sharp increase in household debt was an underlying reason for the Great Recession (in 2008) and a primary cause for our still sluggish recovery. Sufi joins us to discuss his book, and what in his view, former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner got wrong. 

Students with special health needs have had parents do everything for them such as manage doctors’ appointments and answer health insurance questions. But as those students grow up, they must learn to care for themselves. La Rabida Children’s Hospital has a program designed to help both teens and their families make a smooth transition.  

One could say that the Chicago Field Museum is putting a lot of eggs in one basket, with the publication of its new book, The Book of Eggs. The result being a grand collection, extensive showcase of 600 species of birds. We find out more when John Bates, associate curator and book editor, joins us. Take a quiz.

Actor Michael Urie made his claim to fame starring in the hit TV sitcom Ugly Betty. He joins us on Chicago Tonight to talk about his new Chicago comedy show Buyer and Cellar. Learn more about Urie's new play.

We share what you had to say about Jay Shefsky's recent story on the city's new approach to rodent control when we read some of our viewer feedback.

An 88 year-old war memorial has a new function: it’s the stunning backdrop to a show of contemporary sculpture.

A plan to rescue the pension system of Cook County workers could be on the fast track in pension-weary Springfield. So much so that County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is putting her reputation on the line to lobby state lawmakers and the governor to get it done in the waning days of the general assembly spring session. Will it happen? 

Illinois celebrates its bicentennial in 2018, and two authors have suggestions on how to fix the funk in Illinois just in time for the celebration. Read an excerpt from Fixing Illinois: Politics and Policy in the Prairie State.

What does China's rising economic and political clout on the world stage mean for the United States? The New Yorker writer Evan Osnos visits Chicago Tonight to talk about China's rising status and his new book. Read an excerpt from Age of Ambition.