Stories by Natalie Valdes

Chicago Tribune's Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin stops by to discuss the renovation efforts to iconic Wrigley Field, including the new video board.

In advance of airing Power to the People tonight, we speak with Johan Norberg, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, about supplying energy to developing nations.

We share what you had to say about renovations to Wrigley Field, invasive species in the Great Lakes, and an artist's crusade to paint and preserve native prairie plants in tonight's viewer feedback.

Rahm Emanuel faces his second term as Chicago mayor, but are the days of rubber stamp City Council over? We have the details.

This historic mayoral runoff election is over with Mayor Rahm Emanuel winning a second term. We discuss the results of that race, as well as the results of the 18 aldermanic runoff elections with our panel of political experts. 

We talk with some aldermanic winners about beating the incumbents, as well as their priorities for the wards they represent and working with a new City Council.

Chicago-based painter Louis Grell was nearly forgotten until family members alerted Elmhurst's Theatre Historical Society about the over 300 commissions he did in movie palaces and hotels in the 1920s and 1930s. We revisit the story.

Gardening season is just around the corner. To help us prepare for the upcoming season, The Organic Gardener Jeanne Nolan stops by our garden and studio. 

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has secured a hard-fought re-election after a historic and surprising runoff challenge from Cook County Commissioner Jesús "Chuy" García.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is re-elected to a second term as Jesús "Chuy" García concedes. Check out the latest mayoral and aldermanic runoff results.

It's Election Day in Chicago. Voters will decide the fate of the next mayor of Chicago, as well as cast their ballots for alderman in 18 wards.

Author and broadcaster Scott Simon, longtime host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, joins us to discuss a new book about his mother's life and death, the lessons she taught him, and the bond they shared.

Best-selling author Erik Larson who shot to fame with his classic, Chicago-inspired book, The Devil In the White City is once again using his celebrated storytelling skills to recount the shocking last voyage of the Lusitania.

The state's Executive Inspector General Ricardo Meza is stepping down after nearly five years on the job. He joins us to talk about Illinois' corruption problem.

It's a sprint to the finish line for Rahm Emanuel and Jesús "Chuy" García. We take a look at how the candidates are preparing for Election Day.

Voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide Chicago's first mayoral runoff since the city changed to a nonpartisan election system. They'll also decide who will represent 18 wards in the City Council, and some incumbents could be thrown out. We analyze the mayoral and aldermanic races with a panel of political experts.

The EPA has awarded more than $8 million in grants to combat invasive species in the Great Lakes. We talk with the Shedd Aquarium's Phil Willink about the $100 million a year invasive species problem.

An exhibition at The Field Museum looks at City Windows, the papercut artwork of Chinese artist Qiao Xiaoguang now on display at two locations in Chicago. We get a preview.

An Adler Planetarium astronomer tells us whether earthlings may, at long last, be hearing from other intelligent life in the universe.

Joel Weisman and his guests discuss the news of the week. In the final days of the mayoral runoff campaigns, what are the candidates' last-minute ads and strategies? And will aldermanic runoffs in 18 wards affect turnout? Indiana's Religious Freedom law continues to be controversial. All that and more on The Week in Review.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists continue their conversation with a discussion of changes at Wrigley Field, the dispute over Ernie Banks’ will, and predictions for the mayoral election.  

Feast your eyes on flowers, real and painted; view intricate papercuts of iconic landscapes in Chicago and Beijing; and celebrate Easter by donning your best bunny ears or '70s garb. Chicago Tonight has your weekend picks.