Stories by WTTW News

With the government hours away from a possible shutdown, we take a look at the impact on Chicago. Paris Schutz has the details.

The clock is ticking down on a midnight deadline for a government shutdown. What would a shutdown mean for the country and can it be avoided with a delayed implementation of ObamaCare? Carol Marin and her guests have analysis.

James "Big Cat" Williams breaks down the turnovers and shoddy tackling that led to the Bears' first loss of the season against the Detroit Lions. Watch a web extra video.

Arlene Marks stopped painting several years before she moved into assisted living. But when she arrived, she found new inspiration. Jay Shefsky has a profile of a suburban artist rediscovering her art and painting charming portraits of her neighbors. Read an article and view a slideshow.

Melanie Kupchynsky has been a violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for more than 20 years. She began playing the violin at the age of 4 and her first teacher was her father, known to everyone else as “Mr. K.” After her father's death, Kupchynsky co-wrote a book called Strings Attached, recounting the lessons learned from her father. Read an excerpt from the book, view photos, and listen to music clips.

A book called Picturing Illinois takes a look back in time through Chicago history using picture postcards. We revisit a conversation with the book's authors. View a slideshow.

We share what you had to say about sand mining near a state park and the state of the economy in tonight’s viewer feedback.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the possibility of an African American candidate running against Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the prospect of ADM moving to Chicago. Watch the web extra video.

A fiesta at the zoo, free jazz concerts, and a Bunky Echo-Hawk exhibit at the Field Museum; Chicago Tonight knows what's going on this weekend.

The celebrated work of nanny-turned-photographer Vivian Maier remains on view at the Chicago History Museum and opens next week at the Union League Club.

Illinois lawmakers must be paid, a Cook County judge ruled on Thursday, in response to Gov. Pat Quinn's decision to suspend lawmakers' salaries because of their failure to solve the state's pension crisis. Judge Neil Cohen ruled the move to withhold pay unconstitutional. Chicago Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief Dave McKinney gives us the details. Read the full order, along with statements from Quinn and Cullerton.

The fiscal year ends on Monday and the federal government still does not have a solution on how to fund the upcoming year. We break down the chances of a shutdown and the effects it would have.

The Illinois health insurance marketplace has officially been named “Get Covered Illinois.” Starting on October 1, Illinois residents will be able to shop around for health care plans. Gov. Pat Quinn has released a few preliminary estimates of plan rates, saying plans in Illinois could be more than 25 percent lower than initial federal estimates. Our panel breaks down some of the numbers. View a timeline on the Affordable Care Act and future health care deadlines.

Illinois’ most visited State Park is at the center of a fight to expand mining. Will it revive the local economy or mar a scenic landmark? Paris Schutz has the story. Read an article.

Former WTTW reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist Judy Valente first visited Mount St. Scholastica monastery to lead a retreat for busy professionals. She kept returning to the monastery in Atchison, Kansas as a student. She shares her journey of spiritual healing in her new book, Atchison Blue. Read an excerpt.

Chicago music legend Curtis Mayfield is remembered onstage at Black Ensemble Theater. We talk with the two men who portray Mayfield in the play, including one who knew him. Read an interview with the theater's founder and watch a web extra video of Mayfield from WTTW's archives.

We share what you had to say about violence in Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to build or expand Chicago schools, and tougher Illinois gun laws in tonight’s viewer feedback.

Playful painter, serious warrior: meet Bunky Echo-Hawk.

Will the Cornell Square Park shooting be the catalyst for Springfield to toughen Illinois gun laws? Paris Schutz has the latest on what Mayor Rahm Emanuel had to say.

The Environmental Protection Agency sampled a small number of Chicago homes and found higher levels of lead where water pipes were disturbed by street work and plumbing repairs. We have analysis. Read the EPA study.

Alan Dixon talks about 40 years of public service in his new book, The Gentleman from Illinois. Read an excerpt and watch web extra interviews with Dixon from WTTW's archives.

It’s the world’s most powerful digital camera and it sits atop the Blanco telescope in the Andes Mountains of Chile. But it was constructed on the campus of Fermilab in far west suburban Batavia. The Dark Energy Camera officially began its work on August 31 and has already captured some amazing images of outer space. Its real mission, though, is to help scientists figure out if so-called Dark Energy is responsible for the universe’s accelerating expansion. We learn how the camera is helping scientists unravel one of the greatest mysteries in the cosmos. Watch videos and view a slideshow.

Randall Wells, one of the world’s leading dolphin researchers, joins us to discuss the longest-running study of a wild dolphin population and his commitment to conservation. Read an interview and view a slideshow.

Chicago Tonight Correspondent Elizabeth Brackett is currently in Nairobi, not far from Westgate Shopping Mall, the site of a terrorist attack launched by Islamic radicals that killed dozens of shoppers and injured more than 170 people. Watch web extra interviews.

Looking back at a couple of influential dancers, and looking ahead to a weekend dance concert.