Stories by Brandis Friedman

A debate over reproductive health care and a $5 million TIF grant the city recently awarded to a Catholic hospital raises questions about where medical responsibility ends and religious freedom begins.

A controversial article about a sexual encounter: some say it was just a bad date. Others describe it as sexual assault. In the era of #MeToo, is there a gray area relating to sexual conduct and consent?

A lack of drug stores in poor communities on the South and West Sides is creating so-called “pharmacy deserts.” What this means for some Chicago residents, and how researchers are looking for solutions.

New Year’s resolutions may already be broken, but there’s still time to make smart financial moves in 2018. We get money tips from Sean Sebold of Sebold Capital Management.

Marilynn Gardner took the reins of Navy Pier in 2011 and has overseen its $300 million transformation as the pier’s president and CEO. She joins us in discussion.

We climb to the top of the Leaning Tower of Niles, where centuries-old bronze bells lay quiet – for now.

The president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools is again speaking out against a proposed merger between the CTU and the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, which could be finalized next week.

The group Crate Free Illinois is calling on Trader Joe’s to stop purchasing pork from suppliers that use gestation crates, tight metal stalls that keep pigs in one position for the majority of their lives.

Legionalla bacteria – a waterborne pathogen that can cause a type of pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease – is present in the water systems at the Illinois state capitol complex in Springfield.

Watch the Jan. 22, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

The Illinois primary is just eight weeks away. Will state lawmakers dodge controversial issues before the March 20 election?

Beverly Walker, acting director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, talks about running the controversial agency charged with protecting Illinois’ children. 

Protests erupt in South Korea as a delegation from North Korea arrives ahead of the Winter Olympics. Can Olympic diplomacy defuse the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula?

Away from the courtroom, local artist Tom Gianni employs his talents in far different and impressive ways. We explore his solo show, “Art that Works for a Living.”

The latest social media craze of matching your face with faces in works of art left Chicagoans out in the cold, thanks to Illinois’ strict laws on biometric data. Do these rules keep us safe or leave us behind?

If you’re looking to shed pounds, you’ve likely done some Googling. But beware: Not everything you read online will help you reach your beach bod goals. Local dietitians debunk diet and exercise myths and share tips.

Ramar, one of the oldest gorillas in the country, celebrated a milestone birthday this month with a frozen “cake” filled with fruit and raisins. 

On the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration—and as a federal government shutdown commenced—an estimated 300,000 people in Chicago gathered to express their dissatisfaction with his leadership as part of the Chicago Women’s March to the Polls.

In a five-page filing Friday afternoon, U.S. Attorney John Childress says a “sentence of death is justified” against Brendt Christiansen if he is convicted in the death of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang.

Nearly 230 Chicago Public Schools are underutilized, according to new district data. That’s nearly equal to the number of schools the district says are operating efficiently.

A special hourlong presentation celebrates Joel Weisman’s 40th anniversary as host – and his final appearance at the helm of the show he helped create. “For four decades, Fridays have always been my favorite day of the week,” he says.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told representatives of a children’s health group last week that he wants to eliminate lead from drinking water within 10 years, but he has yet to offer a strategy to meet the goal.

How would Illinois residents be notified of a nuclear threat – and where should they seek shelter if an alert was issued? We speak with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. 

Watch the Jan. 18, 2018 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Chicago has made it to the second round of cities for Amazon’s HQ2. The question now: What will it take for the city to make it to the final four?

Vivid colors bring to life messages of hope, and resistance. A pair of new art shows on the campus of DePaul University look at the power of the people through the power of printmaking.