Stories by Rhyan Zuercher

Mike Leonard enjoyed a 32-year career as the features correspondent for the TODAY show. His work focused on the stories of everyday people told with "incredible heart," as Matt Lauer once put it. Now, Leonard is working on a new series called inCommon. We discuss the project and what we can expect in the pilot episode.

Col. (Ret.) Jill Morgenthaler shares her lessons for leadership in her new book, The Courage to Take Command. We revisit the conversation.

Chicagoans are bracing for a wintry week to start off the first full week of the New Year. Send us your severe weather photos here.

Governor-elect Bruce Rauner is facing a dire fiscal reality when he takes the oath of office on Jan. 12, including some state agencies running out of money.

Chicago’s been in the grip of an especially bad flu season this year, sending people to the hospital and keeping children home from school. We look at why influenza has been so difficult to fight.

After a sixth straight year of gains for U.S. stocks, we take a look at the prospects for 2015. How will low oil prices and a likely rate hike by the Federal Reserve impact the investing environment?

We share what you had to say about recent stories when we read some of our viewer feedback.

From the election of a new governor to the installation of a new archbishop to Nik Wallenda’s tightrope walk and many other stories besides, our roundtable of Chicago Tonight correspondents looks back at the biggest Chicago stories of 2014.

The team behind Wild Chicago's unusual take on the Windy City takes its act on the road in a show called Wild Travels, debuting on WTTW11 in January. We'll talk with producer Harvey Moshman and host Will Clinger about the hangover doctor, the neon boneyard, the pinball museum, and much more.

Chicago Printmakers Collaborative marks its 25th anniversary.

We learn about a New Year's Eve celebration that's bringing a community together.

The city's annual Christmas tree recycling program begins Jan. 3. 

The Bears announce a dramatic house cleaning after a disastrous 5-11 season. We hear from Chairman George McCaskey about what went wrong and what the future holds.

The Chicago Bears fire General Manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman after a disastrous 5-11 season.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk expands efforts to fight heroin overdoses in Cook and surrounding counties.

Renowned Chicago jazz trumpeter Orbert Davis and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Producing Director Mark Ingram join us to talk about what they experienced on their latest visit to Cuba.

As a longtime photographer for LIFE magazine, Steve Schapiro traveled with Martin Luther King Jr. and photographed everything from "presidents to poodles." We revisit a conversation with him about his show at the Ed Paschke Art Center.

At 30, Monifa Thomas was a health and medicine reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times. Not long after she passed a complete physical, Monifa had a stroke and was paralyzed on her right side and had great difficulty speaking. We revisit the story of her recovery and return to her medical beat.

We share what you had to say about the city's red light camera program in tonight's viewer feedback.

Early Monday morning, longtime Chicago Ald. Bernie Stone died. Watch John Callaway's 2007 Friday Night Show conversation with Stone.

A critical state program that provides day care to more than 100,000 low-income children is in jeopardy because lawmakers failed to enact a balanced budget.

The Dow surges through 18,000, as the economy grows at its fastest pace in more than a decade.

Despite a gradually improving economy, the Greater Chicago Food Depository has seen an increase in low-income individuals needing food assistance. Among those in need are military veterans. We hear from veterans and the executive director of the Food Depository about why servicemen and women are among those seeking help with their food needs.

We revisit our conversation with the scientists behind the discovery of Spinosaurus, the largest predatory dinosaur ever found.

We revisit our conversation with Chicago native actor and comedian Jane Lynch. 

Jay Shefsky takes a road trip to see 15,000 Sandhill Cranes in Indiana. Jay and his Field Museum guide, Josh Engel, get a surprise along the way.