Stories by Paris Schutz

How big a hit will homeowners and commercial property owners take if Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s pension reform proposal goes through? Read an article and view a chart.

The prospects of passing Mayor Rahm Emanuel's pension reform bill in Springfield this week are getting dimmer. We have the latest details from Chicago Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief Dave McKinney.

Amnesty International is directing its attention to gun violence in Chicago and its human rights impact, while the Better Government Association investigates the cost of alleged police misconduct in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Brandis Friedman has the details. Read Amnesty International's 10-Point Human Rights Agenda, the BGA story, and watch a web extra video.

More than 7 million Americans signed up for the Affordable Care Act. But who exactly signed up for ObamaCare? How many are paying into the health insurance system? And what happens to the people who missed Monday’s sign-up deadline? We go in-depth with Forbes health care and policy reporter, and author, Bruce Japsen. Read an article and a book excerpt.

Jerry Goldner is crazy about owls. Illinois has nine species and Goldner has photographed them all, along with more than 200 other types of birds. Jay Shefsky tagged along with him recently as he photographed what may turn out to be Chicago’s last Snowy Owl sighting of the season. View an interactive graphic about the various owl species in Illinois.

When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon's surface on July 20, 1969, it was one of the biggest news stories of all time about an event that forever changed mankind. But how was our understanding of that event shaped? A new book, Marketing the Moon, tells the behind-the-scenes story of how those missions were marketed to Americans and the world. One of the book's authors Richard Jurek joins us. Read an interview, view a slideshow of images, and watch web extra video of the Apollo 11 mission.

In town for standup shows at Zanies Comedy Club, Chicago native Jeff Garlin stops by to chat about his show “The Goldbergs” and his production work on the documentary “Finding Vivian Maier.”

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan files an amendment that would enact Mayor Rahm Emanuel's new pension reduction plan. The proposal includes a hefty property tax increase while also shrinking pension benefits. Who wins and who loses? 

Chicago aldermen react to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposed pension plan as they will have to take the tough vote to raise property taxes. Paris Schutz has the details. Read an article.

We talk with Charisse Conanan Johnson of Smarteys and Martin Dasko of Studenomics to find out the financial woes that are facing today’s young people. View a graphic of data on credit card debt, student loans and unemployment for millennials in Illinois.

Geoffrey Baer tells us what's at the end of the line for old "L" cars and more in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey. Read an article and view a slideshow.

Seth Goldberg has profound hearing loss and is developmentally disabled. When he was a baby, doctors said he might never speak or even sit up. But he performed with Josh Groban this summer at Ravinia. We revisit Jay Shefsky's inspiring profile. Watch video performances.

We share what you had to say about the mayor's proposed pension plan, the passing of Chicago house DJ Frankie Knuckles, the technology behind Star Trek, and our story about Puerto Rican soldiers in tonight's viewer feedback.

Is Chicago pension reform primed for passage? And will unions try to scuttle it? Paris Schutz has the details from Mayor Rahm Emanuel's news conference where teachers union officials attempted to disrupt the presser to state their opposition to pension reform. Watch a web extra video and read the city's proposed solution to pension funds.

Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband joins us to discuss his life in politics and his new job as chief of the International Rescue Committee. View a timeline of Miliband's political career.

Frankie Knuckles, Chicago's "godfather" of house music, died at age 59. Brandis Friedman has the story of his impact on Chicago's music culture. Watch a 2004 Artbeat special about Knuckles, and read thoughts and reflections from Chicagoans about the legendary DJ.

Howard Brown President and CEO David Ernesto Munar joins us. Read his bio.

An innovative training program in suburban Chicago helps individuals with developmental disabilities enter the workforce. We visit Aspire of Illinois to get a firsthand look at its Career Link program. Read an interview with an Aspire candidate's mother about how the program has changed her son's life.

For the last 50 years, Star Trek has captivated audiences as the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explored the galaxy using technological advances – warp drive, wormholes, beaming technology, holodecks – in order to do so. Dirk K. Morr, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins us to discuss the scientific ideas behind Star Trek technologies. View a graphic and read an interview.

BP says all the oil  from last week's spill is now cleaned up. But activists worry about the possibility of future spills. Elizabeth Brackett has the latest details. View a graphic on the Lake Michigan oil spill compared to the 10 biggest U.S. oil spills by volume.

A new report from Gov. Pat Quinn's transit task force is recommending a shake-up to the structure of the RTA, Metra, CTA and Pace systems to streamline operations and budget woes. The blue-ribbon transit study commission is also recommending ethics reforms. Carol Marin gets the details of the report from the co-chairs of the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force, George Ranney Jr.  and Ann Schneider, and the Task Force’s Ethics chairman, Patrick Fitzgerald. Read the full report, and view a graphic of the current structure of the RTA, Metra, CTA and Pace.

The clouds have cleared, the weather is warm, and anything is possible. Does that include a winning season on the south side? Paris Schutz has the details on the White Sox' home opener against the Minnesota Twins. Watch a web extra interview with White Sox Executive Vice President Kenny Williams.

A major campaign is gaining steam in the effort to award the so-called Borinqueneers the Congressional Gold Medal. During the Korean war, the 65th Infantry Regiment made up of soldiers from Puerto Rico displayed valiant and often heroic service all the while facing the challenges of discrimination and prejudice. We speak with one of the last surviving Borinqueneers living in Chicago and a member of the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance, which is pushing for the commendation to happen this year. View a timeline about the 65th Infantry Regiment.

In 1975, she became the first woman to cover the Super Bowl, and now she’ll be the first woman to receive a Ring Lardner Award. Jeannie Morris stops by to discuss women in sports, and how she was the woman who paved the way. Read what local female sports reporters had to say about Morris's impact on sports journalism.

We share what you had to say about the NLRB ruling on unionized football at Northwestern University and our conversation with Gov. Pat Quinn about his 2015 budget when we read some of our viewer feedback.