Stories by Michael Lipkin

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The University of Illinois Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting to discuss recent questions that have arisen about the job performance of Michael Hogan, president of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Elizabeth Brackett reports.

We asked what you thought about William Beavers' pension deal. We read what some of you had to say in tonight's Viewer Mail.

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

Need some ideas for what to do this weekend? Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on!

Former President Bill Clinton says a new Chicago initiative to improve the city's crumbling infrastructure is the first of its kind in the nation. Paris Schutz has more on Clinton's Chicago visit.

We take a closer look at Mayor Emanuel’s plan for economic growth with the man behind the World Business Chicago report and a top labor official.

If there is extraterrestrial intelligence out there, the Adler Planetarium wants your help in finding it. Astrophysicist Chirs Lintott tells us how you can search for E.T. on your computer.

There's a controversial new proposal to charge strip club patrons a tax to aid victims of sexual assault. Lieutenant Governor Shelia Simon is here to talk about it.

After 12 years in prison for his role in a murder, a Chicago man works to rebuild his life and his community. Jay Shefsky has the story.

Young poets and storytellers compete this week at the Louder Than a Bomb festival. We talk to the co-founder of the fest and one of its stars.

Calling the last 10 years a "lost decade" for Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel -- along with many of the city's powerbrokers -- unveils a sweeping new economic plan for Chicago.

Gas prices are soaring and so is outrage at the pump. What's the problem and are there any solutions? Carol Marin and her panel break it down.

A coal-free Chicago future. After more than a decade of legal battles, the city's two remaining coal power plants will be closed. Kris Kridel of WBBM Newsradio 780 and 105.9FM has that story, and more top business headlines.

She is the president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. Kennedy's daughter -- Kerry Kennedy -- joins us to talk about Chicago's upcoming World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, and much more.

It's not often you can see a letter written by George Washington, a limited edition Barbie doll and Groucho Marx's autograph -- all in one place. Eddie Arruza visits a new exhibit at the Northwestern University library.

News stories written from tweets? We look at new technology that uses social media to report the news.

We hear how Cook County Commissioner William Beavers defends himself against federal charges of tax fraud and obstructing the IRS.

Diplomacy is being put to the test in Iran. Tightened sanctions and threats of war are making the situation even more tense. We explore the details of the standoff.

Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has an opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary. And political newcomer Michele Piszczor is putting up a fight. Elizabeth Brackett reports.

A new magazine called The Chicagoan is striving to be The New Yorker for the Midwest. We ask the editor and others whether this might be the dawn of a new era in Chicago's literary scene.

Find out about a long-awaited announcement from Lyric Opera of Chicago and its creative consultant, Renée Fleming. Eddie Arruza talks with the opera superstar, as well as a noted author about a new opera to be written for Chicago.

Artist Matt Lamb died earlier this month. We revisit our profile of the one-time funeral director who talked about his greatest undertaking -- giving life to paintings of a spiritual world.

Debbie Halvorson is facing incumbent Jesse Jackson, Jr. in the race for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 2nd District. It’s widely considered one of the most hotly contested races of this primary season. Halvorson has been outspoken against Jackson, Jr., citing an Ethics Committee investigation and his efforts to build the long-awaited Peotone Airport. But the numbers speak for themselves—Jackson, Jr.’s has spent 17 years in Congress compared with Halvorson’s two—and she was ousted after only one term by Republican Adam Kinzinger.

Among the most hotly contested races in the congressional primary season is between Jesse Jackson, Jr. and former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, both vying for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 2nd District. Jackson, Jr. has served the South Side and south suburbs for nearly two decades, but recently has encountered “distractions,” as Halvorson likes to call them. There’s his alleged involvement in the Blagojevich scandal, among others, but Jackson, Jr. says he has never been afforded the presumption of innocence.  

Today is the first day of early voting for the March 20th primaries in Cook County. County Clerk David Orr is here to talk about that, and much more.