Stories by Alexandra Silets

The former head of the Chicago Historical Society, who created the Smithsonian’s African American history museum, is now running the Smithsonian itself – and is here to talk about it.

On Tuesday, Facebook formally announced plans for Libra – a cryptocurrency the social network plans to release in 2020. How it’s different, and why some are calling for a halt to its development.

Brendt Christensen appeared “excited” and laughed when talking about killing Yingying Zhang, his former girlfriend testified Thursday at Christensen’s death-penalty trial.

Recreational marijuana is all but a done deal in Illinois. Late last month, Illinois became the first state in the nation to approve such a measure via a legislative body. On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to make it final.

Lake Michigan water levels are expected to top the record for June, and there’s a chance they could surpass the all-time record set in 1986. We head to the lakefront, and speak with experts.

The Stonewall riots in New York City started the modern gay rights movement (at least, they did in the popular imagination). A new exhibition at Wrightwood 659 challenges how we think of Stonewall’s place in history.

Fireworks will light up the skies all over the Chicago area in celebration of Independence Day on Thursday, July 4. Here’s where you can watch.

Watch the June 20, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Public officials and environmental advocates are speaking out against the Trump administration’s rollback of an Obama-era effort to shift the U.S. away from coal-fired power plants. 

Attorneys for R. Kelly have one week to respond to a lawsuit alleging sex abuse or face losing the case. Associate Judge Moira Johnson gave Kelly’s lawyers until June 26 to respond.

Airline union leaders and famed former airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger say that Boeing made mistakes while developing the 737 Max, and the biggest was not telling anybody about new flight-control software so that pilots could train for it.

Assessing the political fallout from the federal raid of another longtime alderman’s office. Our politics team tackles that and more in our weekly roundtable.

Federal agents have executed a search warrant at the South Side ward office of Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin. A source close to the matter says Austin has been under federal investigation for several years.

Much of Illinois’ farmland is too wet to seed. Assessing the fallout from excessive rain – and what Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to do about it.

Does Illinois really have a balanced budget? Local analysts weigh in.

During testimony Wednesday, Terra Bullis described her past relationship with Brendt Christensen and how she came to wear a wire for FBI investigators who believe he is responsible for the disappearance of Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang.

The Trump administration on Wednesday completed one of its biggest rollbacks of environmental rules, replacing the landmark Obama-era Clean Power Plan with a replacement rule.

Artist Rob Pruitt created a painting for each of the 2,922 days of Barack Obama’s presidency. His project is now on display in Chicago. 

Celebrations of pride, music fests, pop-up theater, craft beers and dragon boats usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

“Our new rhino calf is thriving. He is exceeding all of our expectations,” said Mike Murray of Lincoln Park Zoo. “He’s a pretty incredible little guy that, just behaviorally, is doing everything a rhino calf should.”

Watch the June 19, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The Chicago White Sox plan to extend the protective netting to the foul poles at Guaranteed Rate Field, becoming the first major league team to take that step.

 A holiday that is spreading across the U.S. and beyond, Juneteenth is considered the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Here’s a look at the holiday and its history.

Arriving at Theo Ubique as the final show of the theater’s first season in its spacious new Evanston home, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” serves as definitive proof that this company can finesse anything and everything in the musical theater repertory.

Investigators have largely cleared Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for how it dealt with a Chicago woman accused of cutting a baby from his mother’s womb and claiming him as her own.

In recent years, Bob Connors found a new passion and expertise. Now, he’s offering it to the world.