Stories by Kristen Thometz

The new website answers common questions about the census, offers a timeline, resources and more in an effort to ensure a complete count of Chicago residents next spring.

A new report analyzes the prosecution practices and case settlements under Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Among the findings: The number of sentences involving prison time fell “significantly” in 2018.

A security breach at Capital One Financial, one of the nation’s largest issuers of credit cards, compromised the personal information of about 106 million people, and in some cases the hacker obtained Social Security and bank account numbers.

For the eighth consecutive year, Northwestern Memorial Hospital has been named the best hospital in both the Chicago metro area and the state by U.S. News & World Report.

A Chicago youth orchestra is playing tribute to some of the greats in a summer music concert series. We catch up with the Chicago West Community Music Center.

Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois, discusses the impact of new federal restrictions on reproductive health care.

This week, 20 Democratic hopefuls again take the stage to debate the issues currently at the forefront of the 2020 presidential election. Jason DeSanto of Northwestern University previews the event.

Last week, former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi was there to question Mueller, and now he joins us in conversation.

Jeanne Nolan shows us how to harvest red onions, garlic, scallions and edible weeds from our organic garden at WTTW.

Chicago’s pilot program to allow electric scooters on city streets is proving popular – at least with scooter users. We check in on the four-month program.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and four of his counterparts in the region are urging candidates in the 2020 presidential election to back a new plan aimed at protecting the Great Lakes.

The widely celebrated 100th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein is now in the midst of a grand-scale finale as the Ravinia Festival moves through its second summer of programs devoted to all aspects of his legacy.

The individuals were both patients at Rush Oak Park Hospital within the past three months, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Watch the July 29, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The Fed under Chairman Jerome Powell has signaled that rising economic pressures — notably from President Donald Trump’s trade wars and from a global slowdown — have become cause for concern. So has an inflation rate that remains chronically below the Fed’s target level.

At issue is a federal policy that allows people who receive benefits through other government programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, to automatically qualify for the food aid program known as SNAP. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s hot mic controversy. An ethics reforms package targets Ald. Ed Burke. Federal agents edge closer to House Speaker Michael Madigan. And the Bears report to training camp.

A sweeping expansion of deportation powers unveiled this week by the Trump administration has sent chills through immigrant communities and prompted some lawyers to advise migrants to gather up as much documentation as possible to prove they’ve been in the U.S.

Researchers have received $1.2 million in grants to study police-involved shootings in the U.S. and to develop a police training program designed to improve officer decision-making in high-stakes situations.

Tens of billions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater runoff end up in the Great Lakes each year, polluting the water and prompting beach closings and swimming advisories. How new legislation aims to help.

Prosecutor Angel Krull said a more far-ranging indictment could replace the charging document that led to R. Kelly’s arrest as he walked his dog in Chicago in mid-July. 

As part of a wide-ranging discussion on “Chicago Tonight,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she will be seeking public input on possible locations for a Chicago casino.

A Chicago couple is part of an international team bringing a flashy new take on “dinner and a show” to local audiences. Meet the stars of Teatro ZinZanni.

A two-year budget impasse had many college students fleeing Illinois. Will a boost in funding now help persuade them to stay?

Midwesterners could be forgiven for thinking that Wisconsin has a lock on all things cheese. But in Chicago, we’ve managed to one-up our neighbors to the north: we set it on fire.

The 1915 tragedy that left more than 800 people dead in downtown Chicago is the subject of a new documentary. Meet the producers of “Eastland: Chicago’s Deadliest Day.”