Stories by Matt Masterson

Chicago Public Schools is creating a chief position to oversee equity, diversity and inclusion. “Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson told staff.

The writer and educator returns to Chicago to discuss her new book “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness.” We catch up with Austin Channing Brown.

The public art exhibit Statue Stories Chicago was slated to end this August. But Abe Lincoln, Leif Erikson and Cloud Gate won’t fall silent anytime soon.

Your thoughts about a pilot program that lets some state workers bring their newborns to the office.

Watch the May 17, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Opponents and allies alike came together for a big vote Thursday on the future of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.

Meet Cook County’s award-winning chief information officer who is trying to bring 21st century IT solutions to county government.

Meghan Markle will become royalty this weekend when she weds Prince Harry. What you should pay attention to while you watch the festivities Saturday morning.

Illinois farmers are hoping for progress in Washington, where the U.S. and China have begun a second round of trade talks.

Chicagoans may soon find drinking fountains at their local parks have been shut off, removed or simply won’t stop flushing water. WBEZ reporter Monica Eng is covering the story and joins us with details.

Meet the authors of a new tell-all book that reveals the incredible story behind the little spacecraft that was the first to explore Pluto.

Fewer than 2 percent of people arrested in Chicago last year met with an attorney while in police custody. Local advocates are looking to boost those numbers with a day of service Saturday.

Treating the progressive degenerative disease can be difficult. Researchers are hoping a wearable device can provide clinicians with more objective data to inform their treatment decisions.

“From Swans to Science: 150 Years of Lincoln Park Zoo” takes visitors on a journey through the zoo’s 150-year history, which started with a gift of four swans in 1868.

A bill that would require mammogram providers to notify women whose test results show they have dense breast tissue, a risk factor for breast cancer, unanimously passed the Illinois House and Senate. 

Polish President Andrzej Duda is scheduled to have meetings with Gov. Bruce Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel during his two-day visit to Illinois.

Watch the May 16, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Richard Gray, a longtime member of the WTTW and WFMT board, died Wednesday morning at his home in Chicago, surrounded by family. He was 89 years old.

A weekly tech event at the Merchandise Mart celebrated a milestone last week. We take a look at the standout projects and people from its six-year history.

A trio of aldermen push for the city to develop a riverfront park along the North Branch of the Chicago River – but the mayor has other plans.

What the state says is needed to correct violations in Chicago Public Schools’ special education program.

Theater critic Hedy Weiss gives us her take on shows from American Blues Theater, Shattered Globe, Porchlight, the Paramount Theatre and more.

For 45 year, Studs Terkel took WFMT radio listeners along for an amazing and crazy ride. Now, thousands of hours of his radio show are being digitized and posted online for free.

Despite regularly placing on “best schools” lists, New Trier High School did not earn a nod last week from U.S. News & World Report. How those rankings are determined – and why some high-performing schools get left out.

A viewer spots a Blue Island building with an image of three chain links on its facade. Geoffrey Baer has the scoop on the odd fellows behind that insignia in this week’s Ask Geoffrey.

Following a historic diagnostic procedure last month, Layla, a 2,300-pound eastern black rhinoceros, underwent life-saving surgery last week to relieve an infection.