Stories by Paul Caine

Near-record rainfall has left many farms and gardens underwater, but some area gardens – including our WTTW organic garden – appear to be thriving. Organic gardener Jeanne Nolan explains why.

As Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, Chicago Public Schools is looking to rewrite portions of its student bylaws on pot and other controlled substances.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that calls for upfront disclosure by hospitals of actual prices for common tests and procedures to help keep costs down.

The two pharmaceutical companies have little in common, save for a desire to reinvigorate growth that has sputtered. 

Watch the June 25, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Chicago police on Monday released hundreds of files from the investigation into Jussie Smollett’s claim he was attacked by two men, including releasing video footage for the first time of the “Empire” actor wearing a thin white rope wrapped around his neck.

Blackhawks top draft pick Kirby Dock wants to help bring the Stanley Cup back to Chicago. Hawks executives John McDonough and Stan Bowman tell us how they plan to make that happen.

The head of Chicago’s largest Jewish organization reflects on 40 years of leadership and a renewed rise of anti-Semitism. 

New economic sanctions on Iran: will they prevent a military showdown? Robert Pape, director of the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats, offers his insight.

Responding to increasing public concern over environmental health threats, researchers have published a guide designed to help residents of Great Lakes communities determine if air, water or soil contamination is affecting their health. 

Brendt Christensen has been found guilty in the kidnapping and death of Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang, setting the stage for what could be the first death sentence handed down within Illinois since the state abolished capital punishment in 2011.

Thirty-four teams competed Saturday in the Dragon Boat Race for Literacy in Chinatown’s Ping Tom Park – the most competitors in the event’s 19-year history. 

Watch the June 24, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Salmon produced by AquaBounty are the first genetically modified animals approved for human consumption in the U.S. The company hasn’t sold any fish in the U.S. yet, but it says its salmon may first turn up in places like restaurants or university cafeterias.

From Los Angeles to Atlanta, advocates and attorneys have brought “know-your-rights” workshops to schools, churches, storefronts and consulates, tailoring their efforts on what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows up at home or on the road. 

Chicago and other U.S. cities could provide nearly one-third of the milkweed plant scientists estimate is needed to save monarch butterflies, whose populations have plummeted in recent decades. 

In a ruling that leaves open the possibility that actor Jussie Smollett could be charged again, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin suggested Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx mishandled the case.

Finding time for sit-down family meals and the cost of healthy foods are among the top challenges Chicago parents face in providing healthy meals to their children, a new citywide survey finds.

The body of Yingying Zhang has never been found, but the vehicle she was last seen entering was allegedly driven hundreds of miles in the days before and after her disappearance. More from the high-profile trial of Brendt Christensen.

The Grammy-winning cellist stops in Chicago as part of his Bach Project, an ambitious tour of 36 cities across six continents to explore the common language of culture. See photos from the event.

Rising property taxes are likely to cause sticker shock in parts of Chicago. Paris Schutz and guests discuss property tax hikes coming to the North Side. 

Carrie Austin becomes the latest Chicago alderman to be raided by the feds. Justice Anne Burke comes under fire over judicial appointments. And the Bulls draft Coby White.

The 18-pound volume has a cover of hand-tooled leather and gilt lettering, and is inscribed to the president from “the Ladies of the Citizens Volunteer Hospital of Philadelphia.” Historians believe Lincoln received it on June 16, 1864.

Four Democrats have joined a slowly growing group calling for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, including a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a Democrat who flipped a Republican district.

For our new summer series, we take some of Chicago’s favorite foods and, like the name says, we deep-fry them and deal with the big questions. Today’s sacrifice to the gods of hot oil: brownie batter.

He was fun. He was smart. And he was the best journalist many of us have ever known. John Callaway, the founder of “Chicago Tonight,” died 10 years ago this weekend. We remember the man and his legacy.