Stories by Erica Gunderson

We toast the analytical chemist and former South Side resident by switching up the elements of a classic Manhattan.

Sepsis affects more than 1 million hospital patients each year in the U.S., but detecting it can take days. Now, scientists at the University of Illinois are developing a rapid test to detect the potentially deadly condition.

Lawmakers finally pass a budget, but Illinois bonds may still face a junk rating. Holiday weekend violence despite increased police presence. Can the underperforming Cubs right the World Series ship?

Researchers of demographic shifts in the Chicago region have some interesting takeaways following analysis of census data. One calls the findings “staggering.”

Some 87 people were shot and 15 killed over this year’s four-day holiday weekend, with the lion’s share coming on the Fourth of July.

Watch the July 6, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth says President Donald Trump is not behaving as the commander in chief of the United States military should and is ceding too much power to military commanders.

Illinois Senators discuss the newly passed budget and explain why they voted the way they did.

At long last, Illinois has a budget – its first in more than two years. And residents will be sending more of their paychecks to state government to help pay for it.

When a developer painted over a beloved and iconic mural on a shuttered Pilsen community center last month, the response was swift and strong.

In the late 1950s, the Chicago Defender and Pabst Brewing Company sponsored the Miss Wonderful 1958, an all African-American beauty contest. Meet Ernestine Terry, who was one of the contestants.

Life as an amphibian is no easy hop through the woods. Why Chicago scientists are measuring levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) in Lake County frogs.

A lawsuit alleges Secretary of Education Betsy Devos violated federal law and abandoned “critical federal protections” for students that were set to take effect this month.

As more cruises and kayaks join commercial barges on the river, some tour boat operators are concerned about safety. Learn the “rules of the road” for Chicago waterways.

For more than a decade, a network of nonprofit organizations has been addressing gang violence by hosting summer basketball games in neighborhoods across the city.

For 30 years, Paul Meincke covered local, national and international news for Chicago’s ABC7. Now, he’s in the midst of another adventure: a canoe trip along the length of the mighty Mississippi River. We check in via Skype.

The Chicago Police Department says the city saw 56 shootings and eight homicides from Friday night to Tuesday night, with the majority occurring Monday on the city’s South and West Sides.

A massive food festival, live music, fine art and Irish fiddles usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

This fall, Roosevelt will begin offering a new scholarship to future STEM teachers, thanks to a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Watch the July 5, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Chicago might be called the Second City, but we can lay claim to a few big historical firsts. Geoffrey Baer shares his favorite firsts in this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.

After a bruising two-year battle, Illinois may be on the brink of a budget. Lawmakers from either side of the budget divide join us with insights.

The head of the nonprofit group Violence Interrupters says his platform includes job creation, reducing gun violence, boosting public school funding and bridging gaps between Democrats and Republicans.

Thursday will be do or die for an income tax increase and Illinois’ first budget since July 2015, following a warning from Moody’s that the state is under review for a credit rating downgrade.

Lincoln Park Zoo will give away hundreds of condoms this week as part of a nationwide outreach program to draw attention to the link between human population and endangered species.

Artwork by Lilly Wachowski, best known as co-director of “The Matrix,” honors 27 transgender people killed last year—and allows the viewer to look them in the eyes.