Stories by WTTW News

Watch the Sept. 18, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Chicago Tonight spends a day with a tugboat crew moving barges on the Calumet River.

The man behind a weekly gathering of Chicago web developers tells us how they use their tech skills for good.

On Sunday, “The Vietnam War,” a new 10-part documentary from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, premiered on WTTW. Burns and Novick were in Chicago last week and sat down with “Chicago Tonight” to talk about the epic work.

Carol Marin talks about the latest in state politics with Tina Sfondeles of the Chicago Sun-Times, Dave McKinney of WBEZ and Chicago Tonight’s Amanda Vinicky.

Research shows that hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans live in food deserts. According to a 2006 report, most of those in Chicago were made up entirely of African-American residents. 

A new analysis of citywide carbon emissions data shows that Chicago is 40 percent of the way to meeting emission reduction targets set under the Paris climate deal. 

After losing a patient to colon cancer, a local doctor strapped a sign to his back urging people to get screened for the disease. The reaction to his unusual move was instant – and widespread.

While little is known about the typically solitary lives of octopuses, new evidence out of Australia suggests that octopuses can congregate and socialize under the right conditions.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and about a dozen other elected officials will take part in a fundraiser aimed at boosting efforts to improve the quality of the river’s water.

University of Chicago researchers have discovered that lymphatic vessels, which are often blamed for enabling cancer to spread, can also boost a type of cancer treatment. 

The battle to repeal the Cook County soda tax is prolonged. Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich breaks his silence from behind bars. The hard sell for Amazon’s huge headquarters is underway. And the Cubs hang on to a division lead.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Friday that she will not seek another term in office in 2018, but declined to say whether or not she would run for another office.

On top of announcing its 2017 PARCC results, the Illinois State Board of Education says it plans to stick with the exam that critics have called confusing and unreliable.

Viewers had mixed opinions about former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who granted his first prison interviews this week.

Actors take action by taking the stage once a month to raise money for organizations that could lose funding under the Trump administration. Meet the program’s founder and find out what’s on tap in September.

Watch the Sept. 14, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Propaganda and political cartoons show different perspectives of Vietnam at the Pritzker Military Museum and Library.

Addressing violence is at the top of the ticket for a newly minted Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor.

The Chicago Architecture Biennial returns for a second year to highlight the work of contemporary architects from around the globe. We get a preview.

A discussion with Sharon Fairley, chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, which officially takes over on Friday.

Amazon plans to build a second headquarters somewhere in North America. Can Chicago woo the tech giant and the estimated 50,000 jobs that would come with it?

Community members get a chance to address key figures behind the Obama Presidential Center. A live report from the meeting.

Honoring the 150th anniversary of the birth of physicist Marie Curie and its own 150th anniversary, Northeastern Illinois University this month hosts a conference celebrating women’s contributions to science. Find out what’s on tap.

Universities and other publicly funded institutions will soon be required to make “reasonable efforts” to get research dogs and cats adopted once they are no longer needed.

The Cassini mission has completely transformed our understanding of Saturn and identified two moons that could potentially harbor life. On Friday morning, the journey will come to a fiery end.