Stories by Yasmin Rammohan

Vaccinations for children have recently come up in the news with some celebrity moms opting out of vaccinating their kids and pointing to a potential relationship between additives in certain vaccines and autism. We talk with Dr. Adannia Enyioha of Rush University's Medical Center and Dr. Melanie Brown of Comer Children’s Hospital about vaccinations and the controversy surrounding the headlines. Read an article featuring voices from moms on both sides of the vaccination spectrum, and view a graphic of the CDC's recommended immunization schedule.

People who have been out of work for more than six months have a harder time getting hired again. Brandis Friedman has the story of a Chicago-based nonprofit ahead of the curve in helping those workers get back to work, and the support it’s getting from the White House. Read an article.

Read an interview with Darryl Lane, Senior Talent Acquisition Lead at Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, about employment tips, and view a graph of Chicago’s unemployment rate compared with state and national levels.

We preview the surprisingly varied work of American artist John Singer Sargent through The Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent collection. Known as the great American portrait artist, Sargent was a prodigy whose many talents extended beyond his reputation. View a slideshow of Sargent's artwork.

We share what you had to say about the recent lawsuit filed by the mother of David Koschman and our discussion on the implications of some hospital over-prescribing antibiotics to their patients when we read some of our viewer feedback. 

Seventeen-year-olds in Illinois had the ability to vote in the March Primary Election. Neli Farahmandpour helped to get the law passed that gave 17-year-olds this opportunity. Read an article.

A blue line train derailed early this morning at O'Hare Airport, sending 32 people to the hospital. Paris Schutz has the details. Did you witness the derailment? Take any photos? E-mail us here if you'd like to share your photos and story with Chicago Tonight.

The Illinois Supreme Court is appointing an administrator for the Circuit Court of Cook County to overhaul pretrial services and the adult probation department, and to reverse the backlog of inmates awaiting trial—some for years. Carol Marin and her guests have analysis. Read the full report and Chief Judge Timothy Evans' response.

The mother of David Koschman files a federal lawsuit over a violation of civil rights. Nanci Koschman cites a cover-up by police and prosecutors in the death of her son David in 2004. Last month, Richard "RJ" Vanecko, the nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with David's death. Carol Marin has the latest details. Watch the full news conference and read the lawsuit.

As Russia moves swiftly to annex Crimea, we talk with former NATO Ambassador Ivo Daalder about the crisis in Ukraine and what he thinks the West’s response should be. View a timeline of key events in Ukraine's political crisis and read an article about the local Ukrainian population’s reaction to the current state of affairs.

As Russia continues to assert its influence in Crimea, concern grows among the Chicago Ukrainian community. Read an article.

The Chicago River has long been thought of as Chicago’s second shoreline, overlooked by Lake Michigan. In Chicago’s River At Work And At Play, author Neal Samors and photographer Steven Dahlman explore the history and future of the Chicago River. Read an interview with Samors, view a slideshow, and read the preface of the book, written by former Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Vietnam veteran Lon Hodge struggled for years with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder until he got a PTSD service dog named Gander. Lon says that Gander has saved his life. Now, Lon and Gander help other vets and work to raise awareness about PTSD, veteran suicide and service dogs. We revisit Jay Shefsky's profile. Read an interview with Fran Menley, Service Dog Trainer at Freedom Service Dogs of America, about how they rescue, train and pair dogs with veterans and people with disabilities.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s proposed constitutional amendment that would raise income taxes on people making more than $1 million a year. They also talk about the soaring cost of the Illinois race for governor, as well as the media’s coverage of the candidates. Watch the web extra video.

A magic show, an art exhibit and a spring food tasting event; Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on this weekend.

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan throws a curveball, asking voters to approve a possible 3 percent surcharge on millionaires to help pay for education. How does that play into a governor’s race that has already become about class warfare? Paris Schutz has the details on that, and how high-profile Democrats and Independents are coming out in support of Bruce Rauner. Read Newt Minow's endorsement of Rauner.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the Fed may start  raising rates around six months after quantitative easing—ahead of what experts were expecting. We take a closer look at how the markets react to her comments at her first live press conference, and how her first policy meeting may affect the economy. Read an article, watch Yellen’s full press conference, and read a transcript of her remarks.

The Illinois Supreme Court struck down the state’s strict eavesdropping law that made audio recording anyone in public illegal without consent. The court ruled that the law "criminalizes a wide range of innocent conduct." We have analysis from Harvey Grossman, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. Read the court's opinion and watch Paris Schutz's 2011 story on the Eavesdropping Law.

Are hospitals over-prescribing antibiotics to their patients? A recent report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that some clinicians prescribe three times as many antibiotics than clinicians in other hospitals, which can sometimes result in a patient taking an antibiotic for too long, potentially causing super-resistant infections. We discuss the effects of overdosing on antibiotics and how hospitals can improve antibiotic-prescribing. Read an interview and view a graphic of antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. by state.

The antibiotic stewardship program is offered in a health care facility or hospital that is designed to help improve the way antibiotics are used and prescribed. Read an article.

Brutal winter conditions this year devastated the bird population in the Midwest region. The Field Museum has collected roughly 60 specimens but many more have perished as a result of starvation from limited open water on Lake Michigan. We speak with Field Museum research assistant and ornithologist Josh Engel about the phenomenon. Read an article and view a slideshow.

Hollywood photographer Peter Sorel was born in Hungary, but now calls Chicago home. From One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to Frida and Life of Pi, Sorel has documented and created poster images for more than 120 memorable movies. Read an article and view a slideshow of Sorel's work.

We share what you had to say about our discussion on the pros and cons of legislative term limits and how they work and our conversation with Illinois House of Representatives' 39th District challenger Will Guzzardi when we read some of our viewer feedback.

Voter turnout in Chicago is expected to be around 16 percent for the March Primary Election, according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. The low turnout benefited the debut of electronic poll books in Chicago's precincts. Read an article.

The March Primary is over and the parties are coalescing around their respective candidates for governor. Paris Schutz has more on what is shaping up as a bruising battle. Read an article and view a map of Republican gubernatorial votes by county.