Stories by Paris Schutz

A new penny-per-ounce sugary drink tax will not take effect in Cook County on Saturday.

The state will begin a third fiscal year without a budget in place, despite a potential breakthrough Friday morning, when a $36.5 billion spending plan cleared a major hurdle in the Illinois House.

The governor and the state of Illinois claim an amended discrimination lawsuit filed by Chicago Public Schools suffers from the same flaws that got its previous suit tossed from court earlier this year.

A new Illinois program aims to educate the public on how to identify individuals at risk of radicalization, a strategy critics say unfairly targets Muslims. 

Following successful Illinois House and Senate votes on a Democrat-backed education funding reform bill, Republicans are taking a shot at fixing the nation’s least equitable education funding formula.

Try our smoky twist on the classic bloody mary in honor of a crime scene pioneer who trained police detectives with her gruesome dioramas.

President Donald Trump has selected former federal prosecutor John Lausch to be the next U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, according to multiple reports Friday.

A coalition of attorneys general and the city of Chicago is prepared to challenge the Trump administration’s environmental policies in court.

Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno resigns. Three more cops are indicted in the Laquan McDonald case. There’s talk of a high-speed tunnel to O’Hare, and Miguel Montero is out at home.

Two days before a Springfield special legislative session is scheduled to end, Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno announced she will resign Saturday.

Soda fans will find out Friday whether or not they'll start paying more for their sweetened beverages in Cook County this weekend.

Watch the June 29, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Will the mayor cave to pressure to get independent oversight of the Chicago Police Department?

Since 1981, FitzGerald’s in Berwyn has played host to an array of talent as part of its American Music Festival. Meet the club’s owner and a Bay Area singer-songwriter performing at the fest this weekend.

Organic gardener Jeanne Nolan explains how to keep your gardening soil productive and shares tips for succession planting. 

There are plenty of coding classes for teens and young adults in Chicago, and most of them aren’t cheap. But one local nonprofit is shaking up the landscape by offering coding classes to young women—for free.

While it remains to be seen whether legislators will pass a budget by July 1, here are five local and state laws that go into effect on that date.

Empty yogurt cartons, peanut butter jars and pizza boxes: How clean do they need to be in order to toss them in your recycling bin? Chicago’s recycling staff has answers.

An 8-pound Asian carp was discovered last week beyond an electric barrier designed to prevent the invasive fish from reaching Lake Michigan. 

A new book and a Chicago-area survivor recall the infamous internment of Japanese-Americans that took place 75 years ago.

After finding the first known moving images of the 1915 Eastland disaster, a UIC graduate student uncovers a treasure trove of vintage films about a neighborhood church and its congregants.

Fireworks, festivals and plenty of live music usher in the holiday weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios says that he will release the findings of an independent review of the county's property tax assessment system.

Watch the June 28, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

A Cook County special prosecutor has indicted three Chicago police officers on multiple charges in connection with the shooting death of Laquan McDonald in October of 2014. 

After a breach of Illinois voters’ information, a look at how to keep election systems secure from hacks.