Stories by WTTW News

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss Ald. Joe Moore's call for a graduated city income tax to help solve Chicago's pension problems.

Celebrate the Blues in Grant Park; visit The Barack Obama Presidential Library; and sample the best ribs in town. Chicago Tonight has your weekend picks.

With billions of new revenue needed over the next few years to fund pensions, is a city income tax on the table? We get reaction from aldermen and budget experts.

The political game of chicken between Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic lawmakers got even more heated this week as the two sides went toe-to-toe over the issue of freezing property taxes. Chicago Tonight analyzes the pros and cons of a property tax freeze with experts. 

The Great Lakes contain 90 percent of the fresh water in the U.S. and the Straits of Mackinac have some of the most pristine water in the Great Lakes. But underneath the water are more than 60-year-old pipelines carrying crude oil and natural gas. Elizabeth Brackett has the details.

David McCullough is an author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He’s received two Pulitzer Prizes, the National Book Award, and nation's highest civilian award, The Presidential Medal of Freedom. In his new book, The Wright Brothers, McCullough takes us back to 1903 when two unknown brothers from Ohio changed the course of history.

A new exhibit in Hyde Park shares its name with a building that has generated a lot of publicity, protest, and angst over the last several months: The Barack Obama Presidential Library. But unlike the officially curated and managed home of the future former president's legacy, the Barack Obama Presidential Library housed at The Hyde Park Free Theater describes itself as “a community museum of, for, and by the people.”

We share what you had to say about Carol Marin’s conversation with Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, Exelon Corporation’s request for a rate hike, and Illinois’ continuing struggle with the state budget.

With no budget and only weeks before the new fiscal year starts, the state is careening toward a government shutdown. Who would that impact? 

The battle over the state’s budget continues to heat up. We’ll talk with Chicago Tonight Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky about the latest news coming out of the state’s Capitol. 

Named one of Time’s 100 most influential people last year, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, a Ugandan educator, joins us to talk about her advocacy for women and girls who have survived years of kidnappings and violence at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army warlord in Uganda.

Students at Haines Elementary School in Chinatown are learning the Next Generation Science Standards by building solar-powered cars and portable homeless shelters. Teachers there are combining all aspects of a STEM education--science, technology, engineering, and math--while students complete fun projects.

Once thought impossible, new research suggests people can learn perfect pitch. University of Chicago paleontologist and science explainer extraordinaire Neil Shubin is back to discuss that, the unique way trap-jaw ants avoid predators, “virgin births” in sawfish, and the shrinking of Mount Everest.

On the eve of the world premiere of On Your Feet! — a new musical based on the lives of Gloria and Emilio Estefan — Chicago Tonight talks to the couple about their extraordinary life together. 

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who’s accused of bank fraud and lying to the FBI in connection with a sexual abuse scandal, pleads not guilty in federal court. 

On the heels of former CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett's resignation, and as they are in the middle of contract negotiations with the district, thousands of Chicago Teachers Union members rally in the Loop to demonstrate their frustration with the district. 

The Chicago Blackhawks take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. We break down the first three games of the series and look ahead to Wednesday's Game 4 in Chicago.

Some have described the atmosphere in Springfield as toxic. Will lawmakers and Gov. Rauner move beyond the ugliness to get a deal done on the budget? Two lawmakers join us to talk about what's ahead.

As Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-controlled General Assembly continue to battle over the state’s budget, we talk with former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar (1991-1999) about the state’s pension-funding plan he signed into law, how he worked with Democrats in Springfield, and what advice he has for the governor. 

There's a lobbying and advertising war going on in Illinois. No, it's not related to the state budget. It pits the state's largest producer of energy, Exelon, which is asking for a rate hike to help its struggling nuclear power plants, against wind and solar energy groups that say Exelon is merely a billion dollar corporation seeking a bailout.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss this week’s top stories in politics, business, and sports. 

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s endorsement of Tammy Duckworth in the race for Senate and the widening field of candidates seeking to replace Mark Kirk who’s running for re-election, as well as businessman Willie Wilson’s announcement to run for president.