Stories by WTTW News

Navy Pier attracts between 8-9 million visitors each year, but traffic drops as temperatures do in the winter. The non-profit that runs Navy Pier wants to add a hotel to attract visitors year-round. 

Chaz Ebert and Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") join us to talk about "Life Itself," the new documentary on the life of film critic Roger Ebert.

We revisit a profile Jay Shefsky did on a Chicago artist on a personal crusade to paint and preserve 200 rare native plants.

Geoffrey Baer talks plotters and spotters, is a boulder beholder, and beats feet on School Street.

Chicago native Ed Paschke’s neon and surreal paintings, which have been displayed publicly and privately around the world, made their debut on the city’s northwest side. A decade ago, Paschke died at the age of 65 a day after he gave an interview to Artbeat Chicago.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel supports a recommendation from his task force that the city’s minimum wage be raised to $13. Some City Council members believe that’s not high enough and business owners are against the hike altogether.

Lakeview residents angrily react to the latest Wrigley renovation proposal set for approval this week. Paris Schutz has the latest.

It was his 75th birthday. Hundreds attended a VIP event featuring music, belly dancers, and speakers honoring Ed Paschke's life’s work. The public opening of the Ed Paschke Art Center in Jefferson Park drew thousands from the neighborhood. Ed Paschke was celebrated in style. The only thing was, he wasn’t there. Paschke died suddenly about a decade earlier. 

After years of decline, water levels in Lake Michigan are on the upswing. However, the recent surge in water levels has environmental experts warning that extreme weather requires improved infrastructure and a new long-term view of how we manage our water systems.

The American Institute of Architecture releases its third edition of the “AIA Guide to Chicago.” We explore how the city's architecture has evolved and whether Chicago remains as one of the leading cities in architecture.

We share what you had to say about recent stories when we read some of our viewer feedback.

Now that school is out, and summer has officially begun, children can be seen running, playing, and riding their bikes down their blocks; the same blocks where you can hear gunshots, cries, and whispers of retaliation. As the temperature outside rises, it often appears that the violence that plagues some of Chicago’s neighborhoods does too. Learn about a boxing gym that helps rehabilitate Englewood’s youth.

Police Supt. Garry McCarthy says his force "lost it" this weekend, and he’s trying to figure out why. Paris Schutz has the reaction from a deadly Fourth of July weekend.

On Thursday, July 3, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that subsidized health care benefits of retired state employees are protected by the state. We discuss the decision and its implications with a panel of experts.

We take a look at a new book that sheds light on one of the most horrific plane crashes, 25 years after the accident. 

In four years since Illinois passed an adoption law, more than 10,000 adult adoptees have received their original birth certificates.

Illinois leaders are reacting today to a state Supreme Court ruling that could spell doom for state and city pension fixes. In a 6-1 decision, the court in a separate case deemed cuts to public retiree health benefits unconstitutional. 

Happy Independence Day! Need ideas for the Fourth of July weekend? Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on. 

Chicago chefs are rallying against the use of antibiotics in livestock. We revisit the discussion we had with our panel about what this means for city consumers and diners.

No more pencils, but plenty of books. With summer underway and the holiday weekend ahead, we revisit our discussion of hot reads for the season with our literary panel.

July 1 was V-Day in Chicago. Ventra is the only pre-paid fare system for all CTA buses and trains. We'll tell you what riders think of Ventra more than six months after its botched rollout.

CPS officials say they will close a massive budget gap this year with an accounting change that will result in a $650 million windfall. Paris Schutz has more on how that works and reaction from the teacher’s union.

We talk with the attorney representing the group fighting to change Illinois’ self-serving remapping process. 

Data-collecting sensors in the "Array of Things" project are set to go up on city lamp posts by mid-July. But some tech insiders are questioning the amount of data to be stored and whether or not personal privacy is a concern.

The Goodman Theatre stages a beloved American musical that hasn't had a major revival in more than 30 years.