Stories by Alexandra Silets

Otis Wilson was a key member of the Chicago Bears 1985 Super Bowl team. He joins us to discuss his new book “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Chicago Bears Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box.”

GOP lawmakers delay releasing their tax overhaul. Can legislators agree on cuts that meet the president’s demands?

Officials responding to last week’s oil spill in the South Branch of the Chicago River have recovered dead wildlife from the water, including 43 fish and four turtles. The source of the spill is still unknown, according to the EPA. 

After cutbacks at the EPA and skepticism within the Trump administration about climate change, the city of Chicago has made clear its intention to step up efforts to protect the environment.

A Chicago Public School principal whose school is in the process of constructing a $60 million expansion attempted to sway the answers of teachers on a 2017 survey measuring the overall quality of the school.

Former Vice President Joe Biden weighs in on the current state of affairs and on the threat posed by Russia during a speech in Chicago. Is he laying the groundwork for 2020?

Local officials call for restrictions on opioid prescriptions as Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposes a $500,000 investment to fight the opioid epidemic.

Basketball kept Max Sansing and his friends out of trouble, but when the rims were removed from neighborhood parks and schools, their lives were changed. Now Sansing is using old backboards to tell that story.

Scientists say there are more bacteria in the ocean than stars in the universe, yet little is known about them. A new study outlines the “crazy idea” that led to a project described by one scientist as the “Google database for microbes.”

Lady arm wrestlers, a massive art fair, sudsy brews and sea lions usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Watch the Oct. 31, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

We take a closer look at the race for governor in both parties, and the surprise candidate running for attorney general.

Lobbyist Denise Rotheimer, who is also running as a Republican for state representative, testified that she was the victim of “mind games” and untoward comments made by state Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago.

An investigation uncovers a disturbing gap in how much local communities charge their residents for water. We discuss the findings with Chicago Tribune reporters Cecilia Reyes and Ted Gregory.

Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are back home in Chicago to launch the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit. 

Up to this point, it wasn’t certain that a challenger would emerge from the intraparty revolution Gov. Bruce Rauner ignited when he signed an abortion law in late September. There’s no ambiguity now.

Walgreens and CVS try to fend off competition from Amazon. Reporter Bruce Japsen joins us for a look at possible shifts in the pharmacy business.

Supporters of a bill vetoed this summer by Gov. Bruce Rauner are calling on legislators to override that action next month in the hopes of expanding the use of gas tax funds to public transportation services and other improvements.

Former Northwestern professor Wyndham Lathem and his accomplice Andrew Warren, charged in the stabbing death of a Chicago hairstylist, will have their hearings scheduled together as their cases proceed.

Words of culinary wisdom from master pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of The French Pastry School.

Is Gov. Bruce Rauner about to get new competition in the Republican primary? 

Watch the Oct. 30, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

The Chicago Tribune published a report Monday on the “rediscovery” of a long-forgotten 35 mm film in the National Archives. The story behind the incredible aerial footage of Chicago shot in August 1914.

Paul Manafort and his longtime associate Rick Gates are indicted on money laundering charges, but the White House says it has nothing to do with President Donald Trump.

The EPA says the source of an Oct. 26 oil spill remains unknown, but cleanup efforts continue this week along the 1.5-mile stretch of the south fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River.

Lawmakers who signed an open letter describing a culture of sexual harassment and misconduct in Springfield discuss the problem.