Stories by Patty Wetli

Members of Chicago’s Native American community were surprised in the best kind of way on Wednesday when the Chicago Board of Education approved the change of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in its school calendar.

Lee Phillip Bell, who co-created “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” and hosted her own daytime talk show in Chicago for 33 years, has died. She was 91.

President Donald Trump declared that a widespread U.S. outbreak of the new respiratory virus sweeping the globe isn’t inevitable even as top health authorities at his side warned Americans that more infections are coming.

Global stock markets lost more than $3 trillion in value this week as investors fled amid growing concerns of a coronavirus pandemic. So what’s the outlook for the U.S. economy?

In less than three weeks, Illinois voters will go to the polls. Will the state have a big role in weeding out the Democratic presidential field? And how will the contentious race for Cook County state’s attorney shake out?

We meet an immigrant teen seeking asylum, and the suburban community that’s lending a hand.

Are we really alone in the universe? A new effort to search for extraterrestrial life is underway.

Whether or not Chicago Public Schools students are gaming a standardized test system was the topic of debate during Wednesday’s CPS board meeting.

Spectacular artwork from China fills not one, but two Chicago museums. We visit the Smart Museum of Art and Wrightwood 659 for a look at “The Allure of Matter.”

At a hearing Wednesday, Chicago aldermen voiced their concerns and hopes for the city’s second round of electric scooter testing that’s expected to kick off this summer.

Superheroes and villains, an icy dip in the lake, backyard chickens and winter ales usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Sixty-five years after 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi, the House has approved legislation designating lynching as a hate crime under federal law.

In 90 uninterrupted minutes of altogether irresistible satire, Robert Dubac – an actor, writer, comedian and grand master of sleight-of-hand (and mind) – ingeniously nails the current regrettable state of the nation and the world at large.

The Chicago firms that built a prominent West Loop skyscraper three years ago are shopping for a new investor to recapitalize the property or even buy it.

Watch the Feb. 26, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The novel coronavirus is not spreading across Illinois communities or the U.S., but state health officials say they’re taking preventative actions to limit that from happening.

President Donald Trump pushed back Wednesday against criticism that his administration isn’t doing enough to meet the coronavirus threat, as lawmakers called for giving disease fighters much more money than the $2.5 billion the White House has requested.

The preservation organization has released its annual list of “most endangered” historic places for 2020. The Thompson Center and Jackson Park are both making their fourth appearance, which is either a good or bad sign.

Former interim principal John Thuet and assistant principal Michelle Brumfield claim CPS disseminated “unfounded, false statements” about them after they were fired last month.

Democrats held their final debate before the South Carolina presidential primary and the critical Super Tuesday contests that follow three days later. 

A conversation with with the Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times opinion columnist about his new book, “Arguing With Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future.”

Chicago’s FBI office is in the midst of several high-profile political corruption cases that appear to be targeting politicians. Since last fall, those investigations have been overseen by Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr.

Supporters argue a new tax structure proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker will even the playing field between the wealthy and everyone else. But opponents say it could drive more residents and businesses out of Illinois.

A new rock musical from the House Theatre of Chicago tells the incredible story of a teenage punk band from Evanston. We meet the cast of “Verboten” and an original member of the band.

What was started almost 20 years ago by a small group of friends with a passion for art collecting is now 80 members strong. We visit the art-filled home of Patric McCoy of Diasporal Rhythms.

United Airlines has withdrawn its guidance to Wall Street on full-year 2020 revenue and earnings. The Chicago-based airline cited heightened uncertainty over duration and spread of the coronavirus and its potential effect on overall air travel demand.