Stories by Amanda Vinicky

Illinois police will be able to temporarily confiscate guns from individuals found by a court to present a danger to themselves or others, under a law signed Monday by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Public housing across the U.S. will become smoke-free at the end of the month. What that means for some 60,000 residents in Chicago.

With the 30th anniversary of the Discovery Channel’s popular “Shark Week” fast approaching, the Shedd Aquarium is calling on visitors to help protect a key habitat for “one of the world’s most misunderstood species.”

In the feverish intensity of its emotions alone, this Tennessee Williams revival directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge is grand opera from start to finish. 

The district says it will spend $26 million to add 160 social workers and 94 special education case managers in schools across the city. 

Police officials waited less than 24 hours after a fatal shooting in the South Shore neighborhood to publish video footage of the incident involving 37-year-old Harith Augustus.

A dozen states have enacted laws granting criminal immunity to those who enter vehicles to rescue domestic animals that appear to be suffering. Should Illinois be the 13th? 

A 162-year-old Chicago home rumored to have once been a stop on the Underground Railroad is now the site of an excavation. What archaeologists are hoping to unearth.

A man faces charges after confronting a woman at a Cook County forest preserve. The mayor and governor feud on Twitter over a controversial anti-violence march. And Groupon’s biggest offer ever: the company itself.

Eddie Arruza and guests discuss a recent spate of racially charged incidents caught on video.

The U.S. Department of Justice is violating federal law by refusing to distribute millions in funding to Illinois due to a dispute over immigration policies, according to a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general.

More fallout in the wake of a viral video that has resulted in hate crime charges and a police officer’s resignation.

Watch the July 12, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Nearly 30 years ago, artist Keith Haring enlisted the help of 500 Chicago students to paint a 488-foot long mural. Chicago Tonight caught up with a trio of those teens who grew up to be artists themselves. 

City Hall insiders said she was “warehousing” dogs – but the ousted executive director of the city’s animal shelter denies that claim. Susan Russell joins us in discussion.

Illinois ranks sixth in the nation when it comes to the percentage of state legislators who are women. A new panel aims to increase the number of women in Illinois politics.

In what is an extremely rare occurrence, a male weedy sea dragons recently accepted an egg transfer from a female and is now carrying 46 fertile eggs on his tail.

So far this year, nearly a dozen bats have tested positive for rabies in Cook and Will counties alone.

The Chicago-based, bestselling author of “Gone Girl” talks about her newly adapted HBO miniseries and more.

Watch the July 11, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Many viewers shared their thoughts about the tirade against a Cook County Forest Preserves patron and apparent lack of action by forest preserve police.

Tariffs proposed by the Trump administration could impact everything from soybeans to machinery and equipment.

To help mark its 125th anniversary, the Field Museum is preparing to release a gin made in the spirit of one of the biggest events in Chicago history.

The pop-up is scheduled to open in August and offer Chicago art aficionados and selfie enthusiasts a chance to see one of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s reality-bending “infinity rooms.”

An art exhibition takes you inside the digital domain of the internet and explores how the internet has changed the way we experience the world. 

Often called “the people’s poet,” Martin Espada was recently awarded one of the nation’s top literary awards.