Stories by WTTW News
Web Extra: The Week In Review: 6/13
Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss weekly headlines.
Weekend Events Around Town: 6/13 - 6/15
A blues festival, a food truck rally and a Father's Day cookout; Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on this weekend.
Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review: 6/13
Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.
Blues for the Taking
City’s Largest Free Music Festival Brings the Blues (and the Soul and the Funk and the Folk and the…)
This weekend the 31st annual Chicago Blues Festival electrifies Grant Park with a diverse line-up that expands the definition of the blues.
Rauner Outlines Budget Plans
Bruce Rauner says he has ideas to cut $1 billion from state government, and one of them involves chickens. But the governor calls it a budget "prank."
Techweek Cancels Controversial Event
There's controversy over a sexist Techweek event. We'll hear how sponsors have turned the outrage into a learning opportunity in the male-dominated world of tech.
Cook County Jail Faces Another Lawsuit
A former jail inmate alleges he was denied food and access to a bed or shower for days at a time in this latest complaint.
BGA Exclusive: Behind the Scenes of BP Oil Spill
Investigation Raises Questions About Oversight, More
The Indiana refinery responsible for the oil spill in Lake Michigan in March wasn't penalized by regulators. The Better Government Association raises questions about oversight and the safety of drinking water.
Ask Geoffrey: 6/12
Geoffrey Baer explores how postal workers almost foiled the plans for D-Day, Chicago's sweet history of candymakers, and a grisly Lakeview murder legend.
Remarkable Tower Restored
It was a center of innovation and commerce for 32 years. And then it went dark, unused for another 32 years. The SC Johnson Research Tower recently opened to the public for the first time ever following a major restoration. We revisit Eddie Arruza’s story.
Viewer Feedback: 6/12
Funding Chicago's Pensions & Rare Plant Painter
We share what you had to say about Chicago's newly-signed pension reform bill and Jay Shefsky's profile on a local prairie painter when read some of our viewer feedback.
Judge to Rule on Fair Maps, Term Limits Amendments
Will a judge throw out the voter-led efforts to institute term limits on lawmakers and to change the state's redistricting process? Paris Schutz has latest.
Richard Pryor, John Belushi and… Maya Angelou?
A Little-Remembered TV Moment from 1977 Blends Comedy and Tragedy
This skit is a reminder of how progressive Richard Pryor could be in pushing the boundaries of storytelling. It's also somewhat shocking by today's standards because of the provocative language used on network TV in the ‘70s.
Hillary Clinton Visits Chicago
Hillary Clinton comes to Chicago, and the former secretary of state sits down for an interview with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Paris Schutz has the latest.
A.J. Baime on ‘The Arsenal of Democracy’
Chicago author A.J. Baime tells the story of the original Rosie the Riveter aircraft plant built by Ford to build the B-24 Liberator bomber.
Drew Sidora: The South Side's Rising Star
We sit down with Chicago native Drew Sidora about her journey to becoming a leading lady and what’s next in her career.
Rare Plant Painter
Meet a Chicago artist on a personal crusade to paint and preserve 200 rare native plants. Jay Shefsky has her story.
Abstract Painter Morris Barazani
We revisit a story about a Chicago artist who has been painting since the 1940s and is just now getting his due.
Chicago Pension Law Exposes Rift in Public Unions
The public employees union AFSCME says it will sue to stop Chicago’s recently signed pension reform law. But not all unions agree with that stance. Paris Schutz has more on what’s behind the rift, and on how the city plans to pay for the new law.
Funding Chicago's Pensions
Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Chicago pension reform bill, but left it up to the city to decide how the deficit will be funded. We talk with city aldermen about their plans to find the funds.
State of Chicago Waterways
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Friends of the Chicago River are releasing 30,000 channel catfish into the Chicago River.
Who is Julia Collins?
Julia Collins is a 31-year-old business consultant from Wilmette, Ill. and won 20 games straight on the game show Jeopardy. This makes her the top female player in the game's 50-year history. We sit down with Collins to chat about the Jeopardy experience, her winnings, and her example of female achievement.
'Making the American Body' Author Talks Fitness History
Making the American Body author Jonathan Black gives us a look into the fitness industry and its impact on the American body consciousness.
Chicago Pension Reform
Quinn Signs Chicago Pension Law; Property Taxe Hike Off-table
After a long wait, the Governor today finally signed the bill into law that reforms two of the city's underfunded pension systems. The governor urged City Council to avoid using property tax hikes to fund the new law, and the mayor responded by taking property tax hikes off the table in the first year of the new law.
Chicago's Inspector General Joe Ferguson
The city's top watchdog has decided to stay in his office for the duration of his appointment by Mayor Emanuel. We'll hear what's changed with his relationship with City Hall.
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2026 Chicago Summer Festival Guide
Wildfire Smoke Blankets Chicago as Air Quality Alert Issued With ‘Hazardous’ Levels of Pollution Expected
Take a Look Inside the 1903 Frank Lloyd Wright House a Chicago Nonprofit Is Working to Restore
Chicago’s Air Quality Remains Unhealthy Friday, But No Longer at ‘Hazardous’ Levels
Wildfire Smoke Kills Tens of Thousands of People a Year. Here’s How It Attacks the Body
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