Stories by Alexandra Silets

With the high-profile deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain last week, suicide awareness and prevention is front and center. We discuss what can be done to reduce the numbers and help those in crisis.

The Chicago Crime Commission on Tuesday published its first new Gang Book in six years. In it, they examine the new and changing trends and issues within gang culture.

Illinois’ Republican members of Congress have an ask for the president: Don’t commute the sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Should immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. be separated from their children? That question is at the heart of a dispute between immigration groups and the Trump administration.

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

Chicago teens joined Parkland shooting survivors and the family of a man shot and killed last week in a confrontation with Chicago police to “demand justice” for victims of gun violence.

Among the winners for “The Band’s Visit” – justly rewarded Sunday night with 10 Tony Awards – were two artists with Chicago connections: David Cromer and Katrina Lenk. Laurie Metcalf, of Steppenwolf (and “Roseanne”) fame, picked up her second Tony.

When it comes to picking a place to live, many Chicago-area mice tend to be city dwellers rather than suburbanites, according to initial results from an ongoing study by Lincoln Park Zoo.

A local institution holds handwritten lyric sheets belonging to the biggest-selling music artists of all time. We get a peek at this collection of cultural artifacts.

A Chicago nonprofit co-founded in 2012 by Che “Rhymefest” Smith and Kanye West has been rebranded. Rhymefest tells us what’s next for the organization formerly known as Donda’s House.

In the one-man show “Broadway & The Bard,” Len Cariou – an actor of exceptional breadth and experience – brings both a youthful enthusiasm and worldly wise sensibility to what is clearly a labor of love. 

A recently completed boathouse along the South Branch of the Chicago River got top honors this week from the nonprofit group Friends of the Chicago River.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention details a rise in suicides across the U.S. as news of celebrity suicides takes the headlines.

Paris Schutz and guests discuss former Gov. Pat Quinn’s binding referendum for a two-term limit for Chicago mayors.

The #MeToo movement hits Springfield hard. A massive sex abuse scandal rocks CPS. Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is front and center this election season. And could term limits be coming to the Chicago mayor’s office?

Gov. Bruce Rauner quietly appointed former Democratic state Rep. Ken Dunkin to Chicago’s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board last month. Why he’s now calling on Dunkin to resign.

Watch the June 7, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

An investigation published this month outlines a disturbing pattern when it comes to the care of children in Illinois psychiatric hospitals. Reporter Duaa Eldeib joins us with details.

The legendary Broadway actor brings his one-man show “Broadway and the Bard” to Chicago. Len Cariou joins us in discussion.

We stop by Delmark Records, where a blues summit took place this week in preparation for the 35th annual Chicago Blues Festival in Millennium Park.

A tiny black speck contained within fossilized resin turned out to be the remains of an insect so ancient that it lived among dinosaurs.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis reportedly told friends “the cancer is back” before undergoing surgery Wednesday.

Watch the June 6, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Monroe Harbor looks very different this boating season: it’s only half full. What the Chicago Park District is doing with the extra space.

President Donald Trump has issued a string of unusual commutations and pardons, including one championed by reality star Kim Kardashian West. Will Rod Blagojevich be next? 

A study of rock minerals from northern Canada provides evidence that the Earth might have supported life hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought, according to research led by UChicago scientists.