Stories by WTTW News
What Route Will Illinois Take on Infrastructure Funding?
| Amanda Vinicky
In a little more than a month, Illinois will have a new governor. J.B. Pritzker’s plans for his administration – including infrastructure funding – are beginning to take shape.
Pension Plan: How Mayor Emanuel Hopes to Confront Pension Obligations
| Nicole Cardos
Mayor Rahm Emanuel makes a major announcement on addressing the city’s pension crisis. What the plan calls for – and what it means moving forward.
Ask Geoffrey: What Became of Artist Behind These 1970s Murals?
| Erica Gunderson
A viewer remembers helping an artist paint vivid rainbow stripes on the walls of Lower Wacker Drive as a teenager, but she can’t recall the artist’s name.
EPA Finds High Levels of Manganese at Another Southeast Side Facility
| Alex Ruppenthal
As regulators continue to monitor manganese emissions at S.H. Bell Co., new air monitoring data shows alarming levels of the brain-damaging heavy metal near another industrial facility in the area.
10 Things to Do This Weekend: Dec. 13-16
| Kristen Thometz
Circus acts, break dancing mice, brightly lit trees and Christmas carols usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.
Uptown Medical Clinic Owner Illegally Sold Hundreds of Thousands of Opioid Pills
| Matt Masterson
In just over a year, Mohammed Shariff says he illegally dispensed more than two kilograms of oxycodone and hundreds of thousands of other opioid pills to patients who planned to resell them.
Illinois Resident Among 5 Dead in Warplanes Crash Off Japan
| Associated Press
The U.S. military has identified five Marines who were declared dead after their refueling plane collided with a fighter jet last week off Japan's southern coast.
Cubs’ Maddon Studying ‘Managing Millennials for Dummies’
| Associated Press
Joe Maddon will be managing by the book next year, and the book is “Managing Millennials for Dummies.” Maddon has spent more than four decades as a baseball manager, coach and scout. He hopes to remain as Cubs manager beyond 2019.
Public Transit Outlook: Leaders Talk Infrastructure, Funding Needs
| Evan Garcia
Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants a hike in the state gas tax to fund transportation infrastructure. The area’s transit heads give us their reaction and an update on the status of the region’s public transportation.
Year-End Tax Tips as Trump Tax Code Changes Take Effect
| Paul Caine
As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to get your tax affairs in order. Two local tax experts offer their advice.
National Safety Council Leader Deborah Hersman Heading to Waymo
| Alexandra Silets
For the last four years, Deborah Hersman has led the National Safety Council. Next month, she’ll join Google’s self-driving technology development company, Waymo. Why she’s making the move.
Teaching the Little Rock Nine to Students in Chicago
| Nick Blumberg
We speak with Terrence Roberts, a surviving member of the Little Rock Nine, about teaching students to promote equality in their communities.
Theo Ubique Inaugurates New Home With ‘The Full Monty’
| Hedy Weiss
The theater company’s new home in Evanston marks a grand, and grandly deserved step upward. Its opening production looks at what happens when men lose their well-paying factory jobs and self-respect.
Mayor Emanuel: Change State Constitution on Pensions
| Paris Schutz
He may be leaving office soon, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel is about to put forward a proposal that’s likely to generate controversy as the race for his successor heats up.
Illinois Schools Must Improve Support for Student Sex Abuse Victims: Report
| Matt Masterson
There’s been a renewed focus on student sexual abuse after hundreds of cases within Chicago Public Schools came to light. But a new report finds that schools across the state aren’t doing enough to support abuse survivors.
McDonald’s to Cut Use of Antibiotics in Beef Products
| Alex Ruppenthal
After years of pressure from public health advocates, the Chicago-based burger chain announces a plan to reduce the use of antibiotics in its beef products.
Former Chicago Cubs, White Sox Players Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
| Associated Press
Lee Smith and Harold Baines both debuted in Chicago during the 1980 season. Smith began with the Cubs and went on to record 478 saves while Baines started out with the White Sox and had 2,866 hits.
Overly Similar Pieces Undercut Impact of Hubbard Street’s New Works Festival
| Hedy Weiss
If you are in search of fresh choreographic talent, why not turn to the dancers who are right under foot in your own studio? Sometimes, this makes perfect sense. But as revealed in “dance(e)volve New Works Festival,” there can be drawbacks to this effort.
Charter Strike Over, But Does it Signal Changing Time in Chicago?
| Brandis Friedman
About 500 Chicago charter school teachers and 8,000 students were back in the classroom after a historic, nearly weeklong strike came to an end Sunday.
Trump’s Troubles: Prosecutors Detail Illegal Activities in Sentencing Memos
| Alexandra Silets
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti joins us with insight into the latest legal revelations implicating President Donald Trump of directing criminal activity.
Madigan-Connected Alderman Responds to Election Fraud Allegations
A ‘Chicago Tonight’ Exclusive
| Paris Schutz
David Krupa, a 19-year-old aldermanic candidate, alleges election fraud as he tries to take on Ald. Marty Quinn, a top ally of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, in the 13th Ward.
Model Railroad Club Chugs Along in Chicago for More Than 70 Years
| Evan Garcia
At Clarendon Park in the Uptown neighborhood, a fleet of model trains from multiple places and time periods are chugging through coal country.
City Animal Shelter Waives Fees for Holiday Adoptions
| Alex Ruppenthal
With its building “full to the brim” with cats and dogs, Chicago’s municipal-run animal shelter is waiving adoption fees for those looking to bring home a new pet this holiday season.
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Police Brass Agrees to Suspend Officers for Violating Rights of Black Driver During Downtown Traffic Stop
‘This is Only the Beginning’: Illinois Accountability Commission Hears First Testimony on Federal Agents’ Use of Force in Chicago
Roseland Hospital Failed to Monitor a Patient During a Mental Health Crisis, Regulators Say. Now He’s Charged With Killing His Wife
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss Confronts Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino as Immigration Enforcement Continues
Chicago Bears’ Threat to Move to Indiana a ‘Slap in the Face,’ Gov. Pritzker’s Office Says
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