Stories by Hedy Weiss

The true magnificence of Mascagni’s 1890 opera – now focused entirely on the beauty of the music and the truthfulness of the singers, and stripped of the distractions of scenery, melodramatic acting and all the rest – was a great revelation.

Sen. Dick Durbin and Mayor Lori Lightfoot held a joint news conference Friday to call for federal funding to manage and protect the region’s vulnerable shoreline.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker to issue a state proclamation that would free up additional funds and resources for recovery from January’s severe storms.

Brad Pitt is expecting to grab his first Oscar ever this Sunday night. Two local film critics share their predictions for this year’s awards.

A little more than a month after Illinois legalized marijuana, questions remain about whether the program is as equitable as promised. The popularity of pot is also affecting medical users.

A proposed new landmark district aims to protect historic Chicago homes from demolition, but some owners worry it will tie their hands.

The proposed 20-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park is raising new concerns about property values and lower-income residents getting pushed out of the area.

Chicago could become the largest city in the nation to decriminalize natural psychedelics like mushrooms and peyote.

What does a song about a mythical creature have to do with one of Chicago’s most prolific – and unusual – artists? Geoffrey Baer explains.

No departure date has yet been set for Stuart Strahl, who announced to his board of trustees that he is heading for the exit after 17 years at the helm.

Watch the Feb. 6, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

As global health agencies grapple with the spread of the coronavirus, filming is underway in Chicago for “Station Eleven,” the story of a swine flu pandemic that wipes out most of the world’s population. Welcome to the apocalypse.

Bridge maintenance, CTA station upgrades and a massive modernization project will impact travel on portions of the Red, Blue, Green and Pink lines this weekend. Get the full details.

The arrest came in large part, police said, due to surveillance footage captured by the CTA and witnesses who identified the suspect in photo arrays.

Chicago Public Schools has opened an investigation into Judith Gibbs after a video shared with students allegedly shows her grabbing a student’s face inside the school.

There are more reports of alleged bad behavior involving former state lawmakers. Our politics team digs into that and more in our weekly roundtable.

As a candidate, Lori Lightfoot pledged to overhaul the tax increment financing system. On Wednesday, her administration unveiled how it's beginning to make good on that promise. 

A full accounting of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, stemming in large part from the foreign policy entanglements pursued by personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, remains unfinished despite Trump’s acquittal Wednesday in the Senate.

Ravinia Festival just announced a major new hire, and she comes with an amazing pedigree: conductor Marin Alsop was mentored by Leonard Bernstein. 

Last month, Lake Michigan was about 3 inches higher than the previous January record in 1987, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. How the record-setting levels can affect Chicagoans.

A West Side native is lifting kids out of poverty and into better school zones. We meet Terrance Wallace, whose InZone Project is the subject of a 2018 documentary premiering in Chicago this week.

President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House.

CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler said allegations that he made sexist or racist comments are “totally baseless.” But he admitted that he was a “frequently impatient boss” who drove his employees “sometimes excessively hard.”

From clothing to digital art to painting, Chicago artist Edo sees color in all forms. “Color is my thing,” he says. “I want it to light up a room.”

The Chicago-based airline says it’s purchasing Westwind School of Aeronautics in Phoenix to tackle a talent pipeline problem that it will face for at least a decade.

Watch the Feb. 5, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”