Stories by Nick Blumberg

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.

As the national debate over gender-neutral bathrooms continues, Northwestern says its new facility is the first of its kind at a major Chicago university.

Illinois is a single step away from having its first budget in years, after a whirlwind of Fourth of July action that saw the state Senate swiftly overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner’s vetoes of a $5 billion tax hike and $36.1 billion budget that the senators had passed just hours earlier.

Illinois senators will spend Independence Day voting on a budget and income tax hike. Even if both plans pass, it doesn’t necessarily mean Illinois will get its first budget in two years. 

Following a highly controversial move in 2013 to close 50 elementary schools, Chicago Public Schools has sought to sell the vacant properties. Find out who is buying the shuttered schools, how much they’re paying, and what the sites could be used for.

Dr. Catherine Humikowski described her job at Comer Children’s Hospital as “perfect.” But dealing with trauma—and her own near-death experience in 2013—prompted her to take a break.

City officials say the ordinance affirms that government agencies will not practice discrimination-based operations, but some activists say the city could do more to protect immigrant and minority rights.

Like many humans approaching their elder years, a 49-year-old western lowland gorilla named Ramar has been dealing with knee pain.

In a stunning turnabout from the partisan divisions that has kept Illinois without a budget for the past two years, Republicans joined with Democrats to pass $5 billion in new taxes, along with a $36 billion budget.

Illinois escaped an immediate slump to “junk” bond status as it began its third consecutive year without a budget—a politically depraved condition that’s a first for modern state governments. Get the latest from Springfield.

A new penny-per-ounce sugary drink tax will not take effect in Cook County on Saturday.

The state will begin a third fiscal year without a budget in place, despite a potential breakthrough Friday morning, when a $36.5 billion spending plan cleared a major hurdle in the Illinois House.

The governor and the state of Illinois claim an amended discrimination lawsuit filed by Chicago Public Schools suffers from the same flaws that got its previous suit tossed from court earlier this year.

A new Illinois program aims to educate the public on how to identify individuals at risk of radicalization, a strategy critics say unfairly targets Muslims. 

Following successful Illinois House and Senate votes on a Democrat-backed education funding reform bill, Republicans are taking a shot at fixing the nation’s least equitable education funding formula.

Try our smoky twist on the classic bloody mary in honor of a crime scene pioneer who trained police detectives with her gruesome dioramas.

President Donald Trump has selected former federal prosecutor John Lausch to be the next U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, according to multiple reports Friday.

A coalition of attorneys general and the city of Chicago is prepared to challenge the Trump administration’s environmental policies in court.

Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno resigns. Three more cops are indicted in the Laquan McDonald case. There’s talk of a high-speed tunnel to O’Hare, and Miguel Montero is out at home.

Two days before a Springfield special legislative session is scheduled to end, Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno announced she will resign Saturday.

Soda fans will find out Friday whether or not they'll start paying more for their sweetened beverages in Cook County this weekend.

Watch the June 29, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Will the mayor cave to pressure to get independent oversight of the Chicago Police Department?

Since 1981, FitzGerald’s in Berwyn has played host to an array of talent as part of its American Music Festival. Meet the club’s owner and a Bay Area singer-songwriter performing at the fest this weekend.

Organic gardener Jeanne Nolan explains how to keep your gardening soil productive and shares tips for succession planting. 

There are plenty of coding classes for teens and young adults in Chicago, and most of them aren’t cheap. But one local nonprofit is shaking up the landscape by offering coding classes to young women—for free.