Stories by WTTW News

Beverly Walker, acting director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, talks about running the controversial agency charged with protecting Illinois’ children. 

Protests erupt in South Korea as a delegation from North Korea arrives ahead of the Winter Olympics. Can Olympic diplomacy defuse the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula?

Away from the courtroom, local artist Tom Gianni employs his talents in far different and impressive ways. We explore his solo show, “Art that Works for a Living.”

The latest social media craze of matching your face with faces in works of art left Chicagoans out in the cold, thanks to Illinois’ strict laws on biometric data. Do these rules keep us safe or leave us behind?

If you’re looking to shed pounds, you’ve likely done some Googling. But beware: Not everything you read online will help you reach your beach bod goals. Local dietitians debunk diet and exercise myths and share tips.

Ramar, one of the oldest gorillas in the country, celebrated a milestone birthday this month with a frozen “cake” filled with fruit and raisins. 

On the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration—and as a federal government shutdown commenced—an estimated 300,000 people in Chicago gathered to express their dissatisfaction with his leadership as part of the Chicago Women’s March to the Polls.

In a five-page filing Friday afternoon, U.S. Attorney John Childress says a “sentence of death is justified” against Brendt Christiansen if he is convicted in the death of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang.

Nearly 230 Chicago Public Schools are underutilized, according to new district data. That’s nearly equal to the number of schools the district says are operating efficiently.

A special hourlong presentation celebrates Joel Weisman’s 40th anniversary as host – and his final appearance at the helm of the show he helped create. “For four decades, Fridays have always been my favorite day of the week,” he says.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told representatives of a children’s health group last week that he wants to eliminate lead from drinking water within 10 years, but he has yet to offer a strategy to meet the goal.

How would Illinois residents be notified of a nuclear threat – and where should they seek shelter if an alert was issued? We speak with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. 

Watch the Jan. 18, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Chicago has made it to the second round of cities for Amazon’s HQ2. The question now: What will it take for the city to make it to the final four?

Vivid colors bring to life messages of hope, and resistance. A pair of new art shows on the campus of DePaul University look at the power of the people through the power of printmaking.

She is taking the opera world by storm, and she’s here to show us why. Janai Brugger of Darien joins us in conversation and performance.

President Donald Trump could begin his second year in office with a government shutdown. An assessment of his first year, and a look ahead.

Should Chicago follow the lead of New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. to enact rent control? We hear from both sides of the debate.

The award-winning journalist talks about his astonishing four decades at the helm of his groundbreaking show on WTTW.

Chicago Public Schools’ plan to build a new $85 million high school in Englewood, and shutter four existing schools, is proving to be a hard sell for several area residents.

Watch the Jan. 17, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

An environmental nonprofit represented by University of Chicago lawyers filed a suit Wednesday against U.S. Steel over Lake Michigan pollution.

Tensions flared Wednesday at a City Council meeting over a government subsidy to a Catholic hospital that opposes abortion and contraception, causing a rift along social and racial lines before a close vote. 

Understanding a federal court’s decision to keep the much-debated DACA program that protects young immigrants.

How independently can adults with intellectual disabilities live as they age? We visit a group of men who have shared a home for decades. 

How evidence-based health care policy can get more value out of the health care system. A discussion with Katherine Baicker, dean of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.