Stories by Alexandra Silets

Support in the predominantly Hispanic 31st Ward is splitting between longtime Ald. Ray Suarez and former TV reporter, Milly Santiago. They meet on Chicago Tonight to talk about the issues.

Public schools nationally are at a crossroads, according to Joel Klein. After serving as chancellor of the New York City Department of Education for eight years, Klein took on unions, politicians, and the status quo to improve public education and give students and parents more choice. He joins us.

Homeless youth are one of Chicago’s most vulnerable populations. Estimates vary, but roughly 2,000 Chicago teens are thought to be homeless each night. But homelessness for youth often looks very different than it does for adults. Advocates call it "housing instability." We visit one program trying to prevent these teens from becoming chronically homeless adults.    

The head honchos at The Second City discuss their book about the importance of improv in everyday life.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the heated runoff campaign debate between Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Jesús "Chuy" García, U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s resignation, and the sale of the Willis Tower.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the impact Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed budget would have on public transportation.

Taste what Chicago has to offer; hear Chicago stories; and listen to the sounds of Chicago blues. Chicago Tonight has your weekend picks.

A video made by a group of young Chicago filmmakers is an official selection of the 2015 White House Student Film Festival. It was one of 15 selected from 1,500 entries and it will be honored at the White House on Friday.

Local transit officials are pushing back against major transit funding cuts proposed in Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget. Will fares go up? We have the details.

Expulsions and out-of-school suspensions in Chicago Public Schools saw a drop in the 2013-2014 school year, but a recent study suggests troubled students are still vulnerable. We discuss school discipline with our panel.

The 24th ward will have a fresh face representing the Lawndale neighborhood in City Council. Will it be the son of the former president of the Chicago Board of Education or a businesswoman who worked her way up from receptionist to vice president of a tool distributor?

Geoffrey Baer's latest documentary exploring the career of the winner of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize at the University of Notre Dame is Street Smarts: Architect David M. Schwarz.We get a preview.

Historian Alice Dreger's new book, Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science, is a funny, surprising story of Dreger's career as an activist, researcher, and advocate for evidence-based activism. She joins us.

Meet the self-taught Chicago artist who could make dazzling art out of anything he found. Known as Mr. Imagination, he turned bottlecaps, mirrors, and scraps of wood into delightfully original works of art.

A swath of public parkland now belongs to the Obama Presidential Library Foundation, if it chooses to locate here. We have the latest on that, and other news from Chicago City Council.

A predilection for social media and a jet-set lifestyle brings the political career of Congressman Aaron Schock, the once rising star of the Republican Party, crashing down. With reports that Schock over-billed taxpayers by misreporting travel expenses, could the young congressman be in real legal jeopardy? We discuss the issue with our panel.

Chicago is fighting for the winning bid of President Barack Obama's presidential library and museum. These institutions were originally created to provide access to presidential records, but author Anthony Clark argues they've become platforms for a president to promote his legacy, not accurately exhibit history.

As a part of its Youth Safety and Violence Prevention program, the YMCA of Metro Chicago has launched the Urban Warriors program. The unique program brings together post-9/11 combat veterans with teens from some of Chicago's tougher neighborhoods for mentoring and bonding over their shared experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In February's election, challenger Derrick Curtis had a slight advantage over incumbent Ald. Lona Lane, though neither received a majority of the vote. The two will face off in next month's runoff election, and Chicago Tonight will host a forum to discuss the issues facing the 18th Ward.

Geoffrey Baer tours a Miracle House, swings by a bobtail swing bridge, and makes some noise at a silent film studio in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey.

U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock announced he will resign March 31. The announcement comes after multiple stories of questionable spending of taxpayer and campaign funds by the congressman.

We discuss the progress being made on closing this year’s budget gap and Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed Fiscal Year 2016 budget, as well as how the governor is settling into his role with Chicago Tonight Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky.

With Mayor Rahm Emanuel and challenger Jesús "Chuy" García offering competing views on how to fix the city's finances, our panel looks at the proposals put forward to fix the city's looming crises.