Stories by Kristen Thometz

Prehistoric creatures, a costumed shopping cart race, thousands of flowers, and an environmental film festival usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Abortion rights activists rally downtown as the Supreme Court considers a restrictive abortion law in Louisiana.

Chicagoans may never agree about sports teams or local politics, but if there’s one thing that unites the city, it’s our elevated train lines — known, of course, as the “L.” Geoffrey Baer has this preview of the highly anticipated show.

United Airlines aims to trim flights, freeze hiring and halt merit pay raises as it grapples with a swift drop in travel demand because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Watch the March 4, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Taxidermy – the process of preserving animals – isn’t usually classified as fine art. But the Field Museum is challenging that idea by shining a light on the artist behind many of the museum’s own examples. 

The long-awaited expansion of Chicago’s Divvy bike-share program on the Far South and Southwest sides is set to kick off this spring — and some new bike lanes and pedal-assist bikes are on the way too, according to city officials.

There have been four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois, but health officials expect that number to rise as the state expands its capacity to test for the virus. Still, the immediate risk to the general public remains low, they say.

A seemingly divided Supreme Court struggled Wednesday with its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote.

New Trump administration rules taking effect April 1 put hundreds of thousands of people at risk of losing their food stamp benefits. They hit particularly hard in places like Illinois, where roughly 90,000 will be affected statewide.

A person suspected of having the novel coronavirus who was admitted to the University of Chicago Medical Center earlier this week has tested negative for the illness.

Super Tuesday is the biggest day on the primary calendar, and the results seem very likely to reshape the Democratic presidential race in ways few people could have predicted a couple of weeks ago. Here are some takeaways from the results.

Chicago was incorporated as a city March 4, 1837, the same day Martin Van Buren was inaugurated president. What else happened in 1837? Turns out, a lot.

Whom to believe on the coronavirus threat — the president saying one thing or the public health officials standing beside him and saying something a little different?

Five Republican candidates are vying to take on Illinois’ long-serving and well-funded incumbent senior senator, Dick Durbin, who is running for a fifth term this fall. All five join “Chicago Tonight” for a candidate forum.

Small actions can add up to meaningful change in the race to avert a climate crisis. But Chicago is lagging when it comes to some of the simplest solutions.

Chicago native Solomon Dumas is one of 32 dancers in the national touring company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This week, he performs at the Auditorium Theatre, where he first saw the company nearly 20 years ago.

An annual trade show that brings close to 60,000 visitors to McCormick Place each year has canceled its plans to meet in Chicago this month, citing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

Fear of the coronavirus has led people to stock up on the germ-killing gel, leaving store shelves empty and online retailers with sky-high prices set by those trying to profit on the rush. 

Move over, federal government: cities and mayors are where it’s at when it comes to actually getting things done. That’s the premise of “The Nation City,” a new book by former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

For generations, a small family business has relied on predictable weather patterns to produce thousands of gallons of maple syrup each year. But climate change is now threatening the industry – and filling the family with uncertainty about the future.

Watch the March 3, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Watch “Chicago Tonight” candidate forums for some of the most high-profile primary election races.

A person suspected of having the novel coronavirus has been admitted to the University of Chicago Medical Center, which is awaiting test results to confirm whether the patient has the virus. If confirmed, the patient would mark Illinois’ fifth case of COVID-19.

The Democratic presidential candidates are racing toward the biggest day on the primary calendar, when 14 states vote on Super Tuesday.

There’s backlash from Italian American groups following a decision by the Chicago Board of Education to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day at Chicago Public Schools instead of Columbus Day. Is there a future for the holiday?