Stories by WTTW News

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joins us to discuss some major reforms proposed in the county's 2014 budget. Read her budget recommendations.

Best-selling author Bill Bryson joins us to discuss his newest book, One Summer: America, 1927. Read an excerpt.

Television producer, inspirational speaker and founder of The Adelante Movement Nely Galán hosts her national tour in Chicago this weekend. The Adelante Movement seeks to unite and empower women economically. The event will feature inspirational speakers, business workshops, networking sessions, and personal and financial business advice. Read an interview.

A book called How We Do It: The Evolution and Future of Human Reproduction explores the science of sex and childbirth. We revisit a conversation with the book's author. Read an excerpt.

We share what you had to say about the CTA's new Ventra fare card system, the fall legislative session, and a profile of a honeybee rescuer in tonight’s viewer feedback.

A very bumpy start to the CTA's new Ventra payment system has forced the transit agency to change gears. We hear what some passengers have to say, and get the latest on the CTA's newly revised plan. Read an article and share your thoughts.

President Obama invites House Democrats to a meeting at the White House to discuss the budget crisis. Is the government shutdown nearing its end? Carol Marin and her guests have analysis. Watch web extra videos.

Want to know how Cook County Jail keeps track of its inmates? Through hundreds of thousands of pieces of tattered paper. Paris Schutz has more on why Sheriff Tom Dart says it's a disaster waiting to happen. Read letters from Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown to Dart.

A newly redesigned $100 bill went into circulation on Tuesday. With a new paper blend, modernized security features and an updated portrait of Benjamin Franklin, the new bill will be more difficult to counterfeit. See photos and security features of the new bill.

A Chicago landmark is undergoing a renaissance as a luxurious hotel on Michigan Avenue. We take a peek under the dust in tonight's Ask Geoffrey.

Dan Parizek is a “Honeybee Rescuer." If you’ve got a beehive in the walls of your home, Dan will relocate it so it won’t be destroyed by an exterminator. With Colony Collapse Disorder destroying some 10 million beehives since 2007, Dan and others say we can’t afford to lose any more hives. We revisit Jay Shefsky's profile. Read an article, watch a web extra video, and learn more about Colony Collapse Disorder from local scientists.

Chicago was recently named as the host city for the 27th edition of the 2015 World Triathlon Grand Final. Elizabeth Brackett has won four World Championship titles and placed second in this year’s London World Championships. Watch a web extra video about what Chicago can expect when it hosts the World Championships in 2015.

GOP governor candidates have now all selected running mates. But are they qualified to be governor in an emergency? Paris Schutz has the latest. View a graphic of Illinois gubernatorial candidates and their running mates.

The Supreme Court’s new term started the first Monday in October. The court docket includes hot-button cases on political campaign contributions, abortion rights, free speech, affirmative action, public prayer and presidential power. We hear from three former Supreme Court clerks about the issues before the court and how cases are chosen.

FRONTLINE’s much-anticipated documentary, League of Denial: Inside the NFL’s Concussion Crisis, explores whether the NFL put players at risk by denying the relation between concussions and long-term health issues. Our panel tackles the question of football safety at all levels.

An exhibition explores the visual culture of the Northern home front during the Civil War.

The Civil War is remembered through art and literature that capture the American spirit on the Northern home front.

We talk with Academy Award nominee Joan Allen about her latest performance in The Wheel at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, a play about what happens to hope and human nature in times of war. Read an interview and watch web extra videos.

Lookingglass Theater opened their 26th season on Saturday with the deeply sensual drama, The North China Lover.

The Illinois General Assembly will tackle pension reform, marriage equality and tax credits for businesses during its fall legislative session. Carol Marin takes a look at the issues with members of the General Assembly.

Do you find medication instructions confusing? We talk with a Northwestern professor on a quest to make prescription labels clearer and more consistent so patients will get the most out of their medication.

The controversial oil and natural gas drilling method known as fracking is set to begin in Illinois. Will it bring jobs or will it wreak havoc on the environment? Read an article.

Despite a record-setting day from wideout Alshon Jeffery, the Bears lose their second straight game. James “Big Cat” Williams breaks down what went wrong against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Watch a web extra video.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich talks about her new book, a collection of columns called Even The Terrible Things Seem Beautiful to Me Now. Read some of her favorite columns.

On Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review last Friday, Joel Weisman and his guests discussed the Affordable Care Act. Some viewers took issue with the viewpoint of the panelists. We share what some of you had to say in tonight's Viewer Feedback.

Part 2 of our story about Janis Joplin's final show in the Chicago area -- at Ravinia, two months to the day before she died.