Stories by Paris Schutz

Beyond Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s State of the State address, the guilty plea of yet another former public official is the talk of Springfield and Chicago. Our politics team digs into that story and more in our weekly roundtable.

If you want to become a professional violin-maker, there are three places in the U.S. where you can learn how to do it: Boston, Salt Lake City and the Chicago suburb of Skokie.

In 2015, Pullman was designated Illinois’ first national monument. The Far South Side neighborhood scored another victory with the Amateur Athletic Union. And a 40-acre Amazon warehouse may be on the horizon.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pointedly used his State of the State address Wednesday to frame Illinois in a positive light thanks to the burst of laws passed during the first year of his administration.

This knockout revival could easily be airlifted onto a New York stage without a single alteration. Come and see it if you can.

The city’s four-month pilot program saw more than 820,000 electric scooter trips and reports of nearly 200 scooter-related injuries. What else the data tells us as the city gears up for a new scooter program.

Violence in Chicago sometimes leads to descriptions of the city as a “battleground” or “war zone.” But author Dexter Voisin says those narratives ignore the structural issues behind the violence in many communities.

The Archdiocese of Chicago has struck a deal with a nonprofit backed by some of the city’s wealthiest donors to help address its financial challenges.

Watch the Jan. 29, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Bite-sized dishes, Oscar-nominated films, hot cocoa and Lunar New Year parades usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Attorneys for the former “Empire” actor subpoenaed Chicago’s inspector general, requesting documents tied to an October 2019 incident in which the city’s top cop was found asleep behind the wheel of his car. 

The winter theater season is upon us, with a blizzard of good shows to see. Chicago theater critic Hedy Weiss gives her take on “Roe,” “Top Girls,” “The Mousetrap,” “Juliet” and “Verboten.”

Instead of spending Tuesday in Springfield for the start of Illinois’ 2020 legislative session, former state Sen. Martin Sandoval spent it in federal court in Chicago, where he admitted to taking a quarter of a million dollars in bribes.

The president’s legal team has wrapped up its impeachment defense. What’s next? And what to make of the trial so far? We ask law professor and former Supreme Court clerk Carolyn Shapiro and journalist Chris Bury.

It’s the biggest sports betting event of the year, but if you want to bet on the Super Bowl legally in Illinois this weekend, you’re out of luck. 

Journalism, we often hear, is a “first draft of history.” That makes old newspaper photos an excellent window into the past. We get a peek.

For decades, the Ramova Theatre has languished in neglect. But after years of neighborhood activism and a new redevelopment proposal, the old movie house could soon be transformed into an updated version of its former self. 

Health Care Service Corporation is shedding about 400 workers as it positions itself for growth in a rapidly changing industry.

A baby outfit made by a nun in the Philippines in 1945 has now been shared by three generations and 60 newborns. We meet the latest member of the family to wear it.

Watch the Jan. 28, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Red Line riders have several years of North Side station closures, construction work and delays ahead of them as the CTA and contractor Walsh-Fluor work to rebuild a miles-long section of the century-old “L.”

Super Bowl Sunday is a massive day for sports fans – and high-calorie foods. Get tips for trimming the fat off some game-day favorites without punting on flavor.

Wednesday marks one year since Jussie Smollett reported to police he’d been the victim of a bigoted attack near his Streeterville home. The case continues to make regular headlines, particularly as Cook County’s state’s attorney seeks re-election. We review the case.

On Jan. 29, 2019, Jussie Smollett reported to Chicago police that he’d been the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. We review the turning points in the case.

The all-female cast of Caryl Churchill’s play made a statement from the very start, and now, the eight bravura actresses in the current cast turn in a collection of blistering performances that suggest the intentional irony of using the word “girls” (rather than “women”) in the title.

Is it time to hit the reset button on Chicago’s beleaguered Blue Cart recycling program? The city is preparing to conduct a study of the nation’s waste management best practices as it looks for ways to improve.