Stories by Hedy Weiss

What Maestro Riccardo Muti and the orchestra have made continually clear throughout this year of celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth is how thrillingly modern the composer’s work can feel. 

Fresh out of prison thanks to a commutation this week from President Donald Trump, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is in the hunt for a post-prison career. 

This marks the latest incident at a school that has already seen multiple administrators removed and several investigations launched in recent weeks.

One particular issue keeps rising to the top of voters’ concerns this primary season. Medicare for All took center stage at the democratic debate in Las Vegas this week – and the candidates pulled no punches.

Poverty was front and center at a summit Thursday at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where local policymakers, union leaders, employers and academics focused on how to end poverty in Chicago within a generation.

Chicago artists talk about the long-term impact of the museum’s annual Black Creativity exhibit.

A one-on-one with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who spent part of the week in Springfield lobbying lawmakers to approve a bill that would ease some of the casino taxes and fees. We discuss that and more with the mayor.

Every year, millions of people visit State Street in the heart of Chicago’s Loop. But is the street working the way it should? That’s the question the Chicago Loop Alliance is asking as it considers what State Street could be.

A Trump administration policy is expected to all but shut down family based immigration from Myanmar, also known as Burma, as well as Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan and Eritrea. The policy also restricts visas from Sudan and Tanzania.

This year, the U.S. marks the 400th year since the Pilgrims arrived. But the year before that, a much darker period began with the sailing of the White Lion. We speak with New York Times Magazine journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones about The 1619 Project.

Fulton Market in Chicago’s West Loop is home to some of the city’s trendiest restaurants – and its highest rents. But the area’s history as an economic powerhouse is anything but new. Geoffrey Baer takes us back.

The feds say Outcome Health founder Rishi Shah has more money than he claims.

Three CTA Red Line stations in Edgewater will be closed from Friday night through Monday morning for the fifth consecutive weekend. The Grand Blue Line station will also be closed.

Watch the Feb. 20, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones was also honored with a resolution acknowledging her groundbreaking 1619 Project, prompting moving comments from several council members.

Christopher Puente, 34, was charged Thursday with one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13, and an unrelated misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing.

Six Democratic presidential hopefuls met on the debate stage in Las Vegas, but it was the newcomer, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who received the most attention, and none of it positive. 

Lost in the hoopla of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s homecoming speech Wednesday was a nod he gave to the mild-mannered man standing nearby. So, who is Mark A. Vargas? Our politics team digs into that and more.

The days of watching the Cubs on TV for free are long gone. Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Danny Ecker tells us about the Marquee Sports Network – and what it means for Cubs fans in Chicago.

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich celebrated his homecoming Wednesday with a media spectacle at his North Side home. But public sentiment about his early release from prison is divided.

A free public event Friday will focus on food inequality across Chicago’s 77 community areas. We discuss the event with Rodger Cooley, executive director of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council.

Chicagoans have long taken pride in the city’s history and architecture, but as areas of the city are redeveloped, some of that is lost. Jimmy Nuter is doing all he can to rescue treasures from the city’s earliest days.

City Council approved a climate emergency resolution Wednesday, but no specific actions are on the horizon.

Boeing is inspecting more than 400 stored 737 Max jets after discovering tools, rags and other debris left in the fuel tanks of newly built planes.

A Carnivale celebration, late-night art show, chocolate and bicycles usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Watch the Feb. 19, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”