Stories by WTTW News

Feathers are flying at Chicago Animal Care and Control. We meet some of the unusual animals workers there encounter every day.

Two firefighters died and seventeen others were injured after an abandoned South Side building went up in flames this morning. Elizabeth Brackett has the latest.

Gourmet food trucks have taken to Chicago streets in the last year and the public has responded favorably, but some restaurant owners have a beef with them. Eddie Arruza and his panel look at a proposal that's not to everyone's taste.

We learn the amazing story of Vivian Maier, a Chicago nanny who took more than 100,000 photos during her lifetime but never showed them to anyone. Now that she's gone and her photos have been discovered, some say she may rank among the top street photographers of the 20th century. More Vivian Maier photos and information

We revisit our recent conversation with Sir Gilbert Levine about his relationship with Pope John Paul II.

What's the process moving forward as the Chicago Board of Elections gets set to rule on Rahm Emanuel's residency? Ash-har Quraishi tells us what could happen after a decision is handed down.

Illinois will lose one of its congressional seats. What does this mean for the state as it prepares to redraw its maps? Elizabeth Brackett and her panel discuss this and much more. Proposed redistricting legislation in the Illinois General Assembly

The Bears are headed to the playoffs as the NFC Northern Division Champions. Emery Moorehead joins us on our Bears Alumni Club.

Comedian Paula Poundstone was recently in Chicago, and she talked with Eddie Arruza about her life, career and her appearances on the Chicago-based radio quiz Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

What does it mean when wine has legs? (No, it doesn't mean it's planning to run away.) Check, Please! host and Master Sommelier Alpana Singh has the real answer in tonight's edition of Ask Alpana. Bernardus Chardonnay, Monterey $20 Joseph Drouhin Meursault, France $30 General Wine and Cheese Pairing Tips:

What to buy the wife? Stand-up comic Pat McGann hits the streets for holiday shopping advice.

Illinois' newest U.S. Senator, Republican Mark Kirk, votes to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Chicago Sun-Times Washington D.C. bureau chief Lynn Sweet joins us to talk about this and other congressional actions.

The Renaissance Schools Fund wants to raise $40 million in the next five years for more charter schools, but proposals for four new charter schools were withdrawn at last week's contentious Chicago Public Schools Board meeting. Elizabeth Brackett and her panel take a look at the debate over charter schools.

We learn about the newest holiday party trend -- ugly sweaters. WBBM Newsradio 780's Kris Kridel joins us with that story and a recap of the year in Chicago business.

We talk with the director of the new and provocative PBS documentary The Calling, which looks at lives of people who become spiritual leaders.

We enter the humorous world of Chicagoan Nicole Hollander, creator of the comic strip Sylvia. Bad Girl Chats with Sylvia and Nicole

Enjoy a special holiday performance from members of the acclaimed Chicago Symphony Chorus.

On this week's edition of Chicago Tonight: The Week In Review hosted by Phil Ponce: Mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel spent almost 12 hours testifying at a hearing to determine whether he can stay on the February ballot, and the questioning ranged from the serious to the comical. His tenant contradicted some of Emanuel's testimony about the possessions the family left behind. And in a strange twist, Emanuel's real estate broker testified that the tenants demanded $100,000 to vacate the house.

Eddie Arruza has the latest from the final day of the hearing on Rahm Emanuel's residency.

We talk with actress Amy Morton about her starring role in the Steppenwolf Theatre's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Chicagoans drive on Lake Shore Drive every day without realizing the history beneath them. A new book recounts the long tale of Lake Shore Drive -- we talk with the authors. Chicago's Lake Shore Drive: Urban America's Most Beautiful Roadway

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists look back at the year in a special year-end edition of Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review.

Eddie Arruza has the latest from day two of the hearing concerning Rahm Emanuel's residency.

The $858 billion tax cut proposal has cleared the Senate and is on its way to the House. Carol Marin and her panel have more on what an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts would mean for the economy, the deficit, and your pocketbook.

The threat from Asian carp has prompted a re-examination of the Chicago-area waterway system. One proposal involves permanently separating the Great Lakes watershed from the Mississippi River watershed, but not by closing the locks. Elizabeth Brackett has the story.

Sparks fly at Steppenwolf Theater. Hedy Weiss reviews Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and three more shows on the Chicago stage.