Stories by Marc Vitali

Celebrated actor, singer and dancer Rita Moreno is in Chicago to honor Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street, at an awards ceremony on Wednesday night. Tuesday, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award-winning artist joins Chicago Tonight to share stories from her incredible life and career.

New Joffrey Ballet dancers speak about their experience with crafting public persona in the world of professional ballet. 

Activists in Chicago have scored a major victory in the form of a new adult trauma center for the city's South Side. While the new facility is being hailed as a big step toward health care equity in an underserved area, activists say much more needs to be done. Eddie Arruza joins us with details.

The outcome was as expected: the Super-Bowl caliber Green Bay Packers beat the rebuilding Chicago Bears in the season-opener at Soldier Field. But the Bears ability to effectively run the ball, limit penalties, and run a more up-tempo offense surpassed most fans' expectations. Former Bear James "Big Cat" Williams gives us his take on the first game of the season. Also, don't miss our preview of next Sunday's game with Craig Morgan, a Chicago native and Arizona sports reporter.

A group of local science researchers want your help on a truly wild project. Learn about Chicago Wildlife Watch, and how you can help them better understand the urban ecosystem of Chicago.

Class is in session for what could be a hectic year at Chicago Public Schools, which may face layoffs in the middle of the school year if state lawmakers don’t come through with $480 million. On top of that, district officials are negotiating a new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union. CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey gives us an update on contract negotiations and the likelihood of a teachers strike. 

Should the United States and Chicago accept more Syrian refugees, in light of the crisis in Europe? President Obama has put the number at 10,000 but some local officials say it should be much higher. Paris Schutz has the story.

An investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Better Government Association finds that pension funds for government workers are continuing to pay benefits to some retirees long after the retiree and their spouse have died. One of the lead investigators on the story breaks it down for us.

Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon is in town to work with veterans of his choreographic style at the Joffrey Ballet and some new kids on the block – the Joffrey recently added 10 dancers to the company. Wheeldon joins us in advance of the Joffrey's 60th anniversary season, kicking off Wednesday with the program Millennials.

We share what you had to say about some of our recent stories when we read viewer feedback from the Chicago Tonight website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Chicago Tonight has learned that the new head of the Chicago Public Schools, Forrest Claypool, sends his child to Francis W. Parker, an exclusive, private school in Lincoln Park.

The Chicago Bears kick off the 2015 NFL season at noon this Sunday against division rivals the Green Bay Packers. After a dismal 5-11 outing in 2014, new head coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace were brought in to pick up the pieces and the Bears will take the field with a lot to prove.

Chicago director Kimberly Senior talks about her experiences directing – for the fourth time – playwright Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Disgraced. 

Joel Weisman and guests discuss the first day of school for CPS students and teachers, the enduring state budget stalemate and more on local business news, crime and sports.

From a tiny extinct fish to a possible property tax hike, here are the five stories Chicago Tonight readers were most interested in during the past seven days.

Take advantage of the still warm weather and go for a kayak, sample over 300 wines at Buckingham Fountain, and listen to free music from around the world. It'll be boot weather soon enough.  

The Chicago Police Department, with assistance from the Cook County Sheriff's Office, has released a composite sketch of the dismembered child found in the Garfield Park lagoon last weekend, and authorities are asking residents for assistance in identifying the remains.

After last week’s legislative victory over Democrats on a union arbitration bill, Gov. Bruce Rauner has a new message for the General Assembly. This comes as Illinois' budget deficit escalates each day. Paris Schutz has the story.

The Iran Nuclear Deal: To its proponents it's a comprehensive agreement that will keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, to its detractors it's a naive and flawed deal that undermines the United States' closest ally in the region. Tonight, Israeli Consul General Roey Gilad and Loyola University professor of political science and national security specialist John Allen Williams debate the merits of the deal.

Chicago began demolishing its crime-ridden, dilapidated public housing high-rises in the mid-1990s. By 2000, the city had launched the ambitious Plan for Transformation, aiming to replace 38,000 public housing units with new or rehabbed mixed-income units in 10 years. But 15 years later, the Chicago Housing Authority is still working to complete that goal.

After spending months combing through nearly 100 years of archival photographs and newspaper articles, the Chicago Tribune is releasing a comprehensive look at the Chicago Bears.

Chicago's Alfonso Iannelli was a prolific artist whose work adorns local landmarks such as the Adler Planetarium. He also devoted creative energy toward designing ingenious household appliances such as coffee makers. A new book titled Everyday Modern: The Industrial Design of Alfonso Iannelli documents those efforts. Joining us tonight are the book’s author David Jameson and Chicago cultural historian Tim Samuelson.

Art, dance, music and theater: Get the best of everything in our guide to fall arts in Chicago.

We share what you had to say about some of our recent stories when we read viewer feedback from the Chicago Tonight website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.