Stories by Erica Gunderson

Geoffrey Baer solves the mystery of a viewer’s “vague memory” from the 1940s, revisits an exhibit at the Century of Progress and opens the door to the Evanston History Center.

The decadeslong fight to clean up the Chicago River took a step forward last week with the resolution of two lawsuits targeting phosphorous discharge that has polluted waters from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico.

Wednesday morning officials from the Chicago Department of Public Health and UIC signed an agreement to strengthen and formalize their yearslong partnership. 

Gov. Bruce Rauner is poised to deliver a State of the State address Wednesday expressing optimism about Illinois’ future, but his one-time compatriot Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants him to apologize.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel slams the governor for not having proposed a balanced budget, and suggests Gov. Bruce Rauner begin his State of the State address Wednesday with an apology to taxpayers.

Watch the Jan. 24, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Is CPS denying support services for children with special needs in order to save money? We speak with the author of a new report from the Better Government Association.

A team of Illinois legislators has spent the past six months looking for some way to fix the state’s broken education funding model. But with only a week left before its final report is due, concerns have surfaced about how soon any changes will be made.

From Ukraine to Syria, a former foreign policy adviser to President George H. W. Bush sees a “World in Disarray.”

Illinois residents would pay a personal income tax rate of 4.99 percent under the latest incarnation of a bipartisan proposal proffered by Senate leaders. 

Reem Asaad led the “lingerie campaign” that helped get women into the workforce in Saudi Arabia, and is now using her platform to highlight the ways social media has impacted the changing Saudi culture.

Dozens of Chicago activists met last week to plan a defense of environmental policies that appear vulnerable under the administration of President Donald Trump.

Watch the Jan. 23, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

How do you pronounce “Chicago”? Meet the author of a new book about how to speak Midwestern.

Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills exceeds $11 billion. Does Comptroller Susana Mendoza think the state can ever catch up?

Just hours after taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump delivered on a campaign promise. What are the implications of his executive order?

The two-time Chicago Bulls champion talks about his new book, and the price of being outspoken.

On Wednesday, the Chicago Board of Education will vote on a vendor contract between CPS and SchoolMint, a San Francisco-based tech company specializing in digital student enrollment and registration platforms.

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

Thousands of people moved out of the city and state over the past three years. Two former Illinois residents weigh in on their decisions, while another wrestles with the idea of packing his bags for good.

Signs displaying personal messages on issues such as women’s rights, democracy, health care and LGBTQ rights were carried by many in the crowd of thousands Saturday at the Women’s March on Chicago. Take a look at what we spotted.

Chants of “this is what democracy looks like” echoed Saturday through the streets of downtown Chicago as an estimated 250,000 individuals flooded the area to take part in the Women’s March on Chicago.

The ink has barely dried on the labor contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union, but with a wave of upcoming furlough days announced, one side has made the claim that deal may have been violated already.

Alligator snapping turtle Patsy McNasty moved into a new 300-gallon tank this week at Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, where visitors attended a “housewarming” event for the 14-pound turtle. 

Illinois lawmakers join scores of others in sitting out Donald Trump’s inauguration as protests abound. More fallout from the Laquan McDonald shooting. And the Cubs visit the biggest Sox fan at the White House. These stories and more with Eddie Arruza and guests.

Students at the University of Illinois at Chicago walked out of classrooms Friday morning to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump.