Stories by Nick Blumberg

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday held a press conference to lay blame for the weeks-long partial state government shutdown at the feet of House Speaker Mike Madigan, and to decry lawmakers for taking a pay raise when there's no budget in place. We'll get the latest Springfield news from Chicago Tonight's Amanda Vinicky.

In a city that has 50 aldermen, it might not come as a surprise that Illinois has the most units of government in the country, nudging out the competition with 6,964 governmental bodies, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This fact isn’t lost on Gov. Bruce Rauner, who created the Local Government and Unfunded Mandates Task Force to come up with recommendations on how to trim down that number. We discuss the task force’s recommendations.

Need your car detailed or piano tuned? Whether you're looking for an event caterer or a portrait painter, dog groomer or furniture mover, Chicago magazine's just released list of the "Best of Chicago" highlights 72 shops, services, and activities that make the Windy City second to none.  

Chicago Sun-Times Theater Critic Hedy Weiss joins us to review the Steppenwolf’s Grand Concourse, Black Ensemble Theater’s Men of Soul, Lookingglass Theatre Company’s Moby Dick, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s The Little Mermaid.

This is week three of the partial state government shutdown. Carol Marin talks with four lawmakers about whether a compromise is in the foreseeable future.

Swimming safely in the Chicago River is now one giant step closer to reality, according to sanitary officials. Chicago Tonight details the new disinfection process making that possible.

Author and Basecamp founder Jason Fried joins Chicago Tonight for a conversation about changing the way we work – and why showing up to an office every day doesn't mean we're actually being productive.

In preparation for becoming public school teachers, students at Illinois State University's College of Education are receiving a full immersion in Chicago this summer. It's called the Summer Teacher Education Partnership for Urban Preparation, or STEP-UP.

The phone of the future may be able to detect depression, says a new study from Northwestern University's School of Medicine. Clinical psychologist Stephen Schueller of Northwestern's Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies joins us to discuss the study's findings.

The WTTW organic vegetable garden is thriving this summer despite all the rain and fluctuations in temperature. The Organic Gardener Jeanne Nolan joins us to harvest mid-summer crops. She’ll also give us some tips on what vegetables can still be planted at this point in the season.

We share what you had to say about Forrest Claypool’s appointment to lead Chicago Public Schools and the return of happy hour to Illinois bars. 

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss this week’s top stories.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss Democrat Andrea Zopp's bid for the U.S. Senate, and talk further about the buzz surrounding the resurgent Cubs.

Outdoor concerts, food and art highlight this weekend's roundup of summer events.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Thursday that Forrest Claypool will be the new CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Claypool, Emanuel’s chief of staff, will replace Interim CEO Jesse Ruiz, who has been serving in that capacity since former CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett resigned in April. Claypool begins his new role on Monday, July 27.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle won a victory Wednesday after the county board narrowly signed off on her controversial sales tax hike, but there might be some legal and political risks. We’ll talk with the Civic Federation president Laurence Msall and Nick Kachiroubas, an assistant professor at DePaul University’s School of Public Service.

Drinkers across the state may be toasting Gov. Bruce Rauner, who signed a bill into law on Wednesday allowing Illinois bars to offer happy hour drink specials, but not everyone is happy about its return. On Thursday, we'll get the latest on the bill with Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D).

Harper's Lee's hugely anticipated sequel Go Set a Watchman stirs debate about its plot and its value as a successor to the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 1960. Chicago writer Marja Mills became close friends with Harper Lee and her sister and wrote a book about the experience. She joins us to share her thoughts on the new book.

Last summer, Jay Shefsky brought us to The Garden, home of Chicago’s dirt jumps. We revisit his story of the hidden treasure found in Chicago’s woods. 

We share what you had to say about the approval of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s 1-percent sales tax increase and CPS Interim CEO Jesse Ruiz’s statements about the CPS budget.

Abena Joan Brown died on Sunday at age 87. She was a pioneer of the African-American theater scene in Chicago and co-founded the ETA Creative Arts Foundation in 1971. We revisit her appearance on WTTW’s Artbeat Chicago program in 1998. During the segment, Brown talks about the early days of starting a theater company.

Cook County Commissioners approved Wednesday a 1-percent increase in the county portion of the sales tax, which brings Chicago’s sales tax to 10.25 percent. President Toni Preckwinkle’s proposed penny-on-the-dollar sales tax was approved by a vote of 9-7.

Interim schools chief Jesse Ruiz joins us to discuss the financial challenges facing the Chicago Public Schools.