Stories by WTTW News

What are the odds that pension reform, same-sex marriage, and gambling will be passed in the coming months? WUIS Statehouse Bureau Chief Amanda Vinicky looks ahead to the Springfield veto session.

Piles of petcoke, a byproduct from oil refineries, building up along the Calumet River have southeast side residents worried about their health. Elizabeth Brackett has the story. Read an article.

For 35 years, Judith Martin has answered etiquette questions as Miss Manners in her syndicated column, and in more than a dozen books. Now, she has taken on etiquette in the workplace in a new book called Miss Manners' Minds Your Business. We talk with Judith Martin, along with her son and co-author, Nicholas Ivor Martin. Read a book excerpt.

A new season of “Check, Please!” kicks off on Friday, Oct. 18 with new host Catherine De Orio. She joins us with a preview. 

We share what you had to say about the new runway at O'Hare airport in tonight’s viewer feedback.

Mike Scott and The Waterboys end drought with a rare local appearance.

The first speed cameras are officially in action. But is the program different than what Mayor Rahm Emanuel sold it as? Paris Schutz has the story. View a map of speed camera locations.

Senate leaders announce they've reached a deal to end the government shutdown. Carol Marin and her guests have analysis.

The president and CEO of the mutual fund association, Investment Company Institute (ICI), talks with us about retirement savings and how to plan for the future. View graphics of his research.

The days may be getting shorter, but Geoffrey Baer finds it’s always sunny inside these elevators. Find out more in tonight’s Ask Geoffrey.

The movie Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, has become a runaway box office hit and critical success. And while it’s been hailed for its groundbreaking technical accomplishments, how realistic is it? We hear from some Adler Planetarium astronomers about what they thought of the scientific aspects of the film. Read an Q & A.

The clown princes of classical music, Igudesman and Joo, join us in advance of their performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Watch web extra performance clips from the duo.

Remembering the great newspaper columnist Irv “Kup” Kupcinet 10 years after his death – and finding the ideal Chicago actor to portray him on stage.

We take a look at the current state of fiscal talks in the U.S. House and Senate. Will Congress beat the debt limit clock? Or is the United States facing default? Our panel has analysis.

Chicago Housing Authority CEO Charles Woodyard's resignation was announced at a CHA board meeting on Tuesday. Natalie Moore, WBEZ's South Side reporter, joins us with the details. Read Woodyard's resignation letter.

17-year-old criminal offenders in Illinois will go to juvenile detention instead of jail beginning next year. We have the details about why that has some concerned. Read an article.

The O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP) is one of the largest construction projects in the country at one of the world’s busiest airports. The airport currently has intersecting runways, which will be modernized to parallel runways, and in return reduce flight delays and increase capacity. However, the new runway, which is set to open on October 17, is not being welcomed by area residents. We find out why. Read an interview with Congressman Mike Quigley.

Paddy Woodworth is an Irish journalist who has traveled the globe looking at ecological restoration projects, including right here in Chicago. He joins us to discuss his new book, Our Once and Future Planet: Restoring the World in the Climate Change Century. Read an excerpt.

On Friday, Grammy Award-winning vocalist Sting introduced his new musical, The Last Ship, at Broadway Playhouse in Chicago. The musical, which will open on Broadway in 2014, is a story inspired by Sting’s own childhood experience in a shipyard town in England. Watch Sting perform a song from the musical, view a slideshow, and read a blog about the event.

The University of Chicago has added two more Nobel Prize winners to its already long list of laureates. Professors Eugene Fama and Lars Peter Hansen, along with Yale University professor Robert Shiller were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics today. Watch web extra videos.

Congressman Luis Gutierrez joins us to talk about the government shutdown, his recent arrest, and his new book, Still Dreaming: My Journey from the Barrio to Capitol Hill.

Researchers in the fight against Alzheimer’s may have found a way to detect the disease early on. They discovered small toxins related to Alzheimer’s, which builds up in the brain, attacking the brain’s memory centers. Collaborators  are trying to discover a way to protect the brain from these toxins, or even better, prevent them from building up in the first place. Dr. William Klein, an Alzheimer’s disease researcher at Northwestern University, joins us with details. Read facts and figures about Alzheimer's disease and watch a video.

Catholic school enrollment rises for the first time in years. The rise comes as Chicago Public Schools lose 3,000 students. Elizabeth Brackett has the story. Read an article.

Bruce Springsteen’s right-hand man Steven Van Zandt joins us for a wide-ranging discussion about the Boss, The Sopranos, and why he thinks The Rascals is one of the greatest American bands ever. View a behind-the-scenes slideshow of Van Zandt's visit to our studio and watch a web extra conversation.

Guitarist for the E Street Band, Little Steven Van Zandt, visited us in studio to talk about being an underboss to the Boss, James Gandolfini and The Sopranos, and reviving one of his favorite bands, The Rascals.

Delve into an epic 33-pound book by the artist and naturalist, John Audubon. Birds of America is getting its first complete reproduction by a Chicago gallery owner more than 150 years after its first printing. View a slideshow.