Stories by Kristen Thometz

The Chicago Teachers Union blasts district plans, but Chicago Public Schools says it has turned around other schools under the nonprofit management firm Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL).

We sit down with Jason Blumberg, CEO of the Energy Foundry, a venture capital fund established as part of the $3.2 billion smart grid law that aims to invest in technology companies that will transform the energy landscape. Read an interview with Samir Mayekar, Co-Founder and CEO of SiNode Systems.

A new book, Victura: The Kennedys, a Sailboat, and the Sea, shows what a small sailboat meant to a famous first family. Author James Graham joins us. Read an interview, a book excerpt, and view a slideshow of photos.

Legendary actor Mickey Rooney died at age 93. We look back at a clip featuring Rooney from our archives. Watch the full 1989 program about child stars called When We Were Young: Growing up on the Silver Screen.

Eddie Arruza and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Eddie Arruza’s panel of journalists reveal a few pages out of their reporter notebooks, and share what piqued their interest on their respective beats this week. Topics include Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, insurance companies, and PED use in Major League Baseball. Watch the web extra video.

A festival of colors, a spring craft show, and a canine carnival; Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on this weekend.

How big a hit will homeowners and commercial property owners take if Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s pension reform proposal goes through? Read an article and view a chart.

The prospects of passing Mayor Rahm Emanuel's pension reform bill in Springfield this week are getting dimmer. We have the latest details from Chicago Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief Dave McKinney.

Amnesty International is directing its attention to gun violence in Chicago and its human rights impact, while the Better Government Association investigates the cost of alleged police misconduct in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Brandis Friedman has the details. Read Amnesty International's 10-Point Human Rights Agenda, the BGA story, and watch a web extra video.

More than 7 million Americans signed up for the Affordable Care Act. But who exactly signed up for ObamaCare? How many are paying into the health insurance system? And what happens to the people who missed Monday’s sign-up deadline? We go in-depth with Forbes health care and policy reporter, and author, Bruce Japsen. Read an article and a book excerpt.

Jerry Goldner is crazy about owls. Illinois has nine species and Goldner has photographed them all, along with more than 200 other types of birds. Jay Shefsky tagged along with him recently as he photographed what may turn out to be Chicago’s last Snowy Owl sighting of the season. View an interactive graphic about the various owl species in Illinois.

When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon's surface on July 20, 1969, it was one of the biggest news stories of all time about an event that forever changed mankind. But how was our understanding of that event shaped? A new book, Marketing the Moon, tells the behind-the-scenes story of how those missions were marketed to Americans and the world. One of the book's authors Richard Jurek joins us. Read an interview, view a slideshow of images, and watch web extra video of the Apollo 11 mission.

In town for standup shows at Zanies Comedy Club, Chicago native Jeff Garlin stops by to chat about his show “The Goldbergs” and his production work on the documentary “Finding Vivian Maier.”

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan files an amendment that would enact Mayor Rahm Emanuel's new pension reduction plan. The proposal includes a hefty property tax increase while also shrinking pension benefits. Who wins and who loses? 

Chicago aldermen react to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposed pension plan as they will have to take the tough vote to raise property taxes. Paris Schutz has the details. Read an article.

We talk with Charisse Conanan Johnson of Smarteys and Martin Dasko of Studenomics to find out the financial woes that are facing today’s young people. View a graphic of data on credit card debt, student loans and unemployment for millennials in Illinois.

Geoffrey Baer tells us what's at the end of the line for old "L" cars and more in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey. Read an article and view a slideshow.

Seth Goldberg has profound hearing loss and is developmentally disabled. When he was a baby, doctors said he might never speak or even sit up. But he performed with Josh Groban this summer at Ravinia. We revisit Jay Shefsky's inspiring profile. Watch video performances.

We share what you had to say about the mayor's proposed pension plan, the passing of Chicago house DJ Frankie Knuckles, the technology behind Star Trek, and our story about Puerto Rican soldiers in tonight's viewer feedback.

Is Chicago pension reform primed for passage? And will unions try to scuttle it? Paris Schutz has the details from Mayor Rahm Emanuel's news conference where teachers union officials attempted to disrupt the presser to state their opposition to pension reform. Watch a web extra video and read the city's proposed solution to pension funds.

Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband joins us to discuss his life in politics and his new job as chief of the International Rescue Committee. View a timeline of Miliband's political career.

Frankie Knuckles, Chicago's "godfather" of house music, died at age 59. Brandis Friedman has the story of his impact on Chicago's music culture. Watch a 2004 Artbeat special about Knuckles, and read thoughts and reflections from Chicagoans about the legendary DJ.

Howard Brown President and CEO David Ernesto Munar joins us. Read his bio.

An innovative training program in suburban Chicago helps individuals with developmental disabilities enter the workforce. We visit Aspire of Illinois to get a firsthand look at its Career Link program. Read an interview with an Aspire candidate's mother about how the program has changed her son's life.

For the last 50 years, Star Trek has captivated audiences as the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explored the galaxy using technological advances – warp drive, wormholes, beaming technology, holodecks – in order to do so. Dirk K. Morr, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins us to discuss the scientific ideas behind Star Trek technologies. View a graphic and read an interview.