Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

Proposed legislation would require the federal government to examine potential health risks from exposure to petroleum coke, a solid byproduct of the oil refining process that had for years been stored in uncontained piles on the Southeast Side. 

A new South Side facility has increased access to trauma care in Chicago, where in 2015, 73 percent of majority black communities were located at least 5 miles from a trauma center, according to a new study.

“Operation Road Rage,” as the investigation was known, led to the seizure of 1 kilogram of heroin, as well as approximately $100,000 in cash, five firearms and four vehicles.

She is the latest pop star to throw her fedora onto the stage. The show “Once Upon a One More Time” will have its world premiere this fall in Chicago, with previews beginning in October.

An attorney for Jussie Smollett says she wants cameras in the courtroom throughout the “Empire” actor’s trial so that the public “can see the evidence and the lack thereof.”

The second deadly crash of a prized new airplane in five months has renewed safety concerns about the 737 Max that could shape Boeing's fortunes for many years.

Floyd E. Brown of Springfield is charged with first-degree murder in the death of McHenry County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Keltner. 

While saying their negotiations have been “respectful and cordial,” the musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and their management dug in Monday in what could be a prolonged strike. 

Watch the March 11, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

For the first time in 30 years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for depression.

We launch our aldermanic runoff forums with a reprise of the 2015 matchup in the 16th Ward between Stephanie Coleman and incumbent Ald. Toni Foulkes.

The complex and relatively advanced cultures of chimpanzees are disappearing as human beings encroach on previously undisturbed areas of African forest, according to a new study involving researchers from Lincoln Park Zoo.

Chance the Rapper tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend in a star-studded ceremony. Reports say the couple married in Newport Beach, California on Saturday.

From the performers’ dazzling technical skill and emotional conviction to the sophistication and complexity of each choreographer’s work, this program of four world premiere works was remarkable on many levels.

Even if discontinued, binge drinking at an early age increases the risk of developing anxiety later in life, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is warning residents about a sophisticated phone scam in which an unsolicited caller claims to be a representative from Apple, Inc.

An April 2 runoff election will determine Chicago’s next mayor, city treasurer and aldermen in more than a dozen wards across the city. Find out when and where you can cast your ballot.

Chicago-based Boeing’s stock plunged 8 percent Monday morning as aviation authorities in China, Indonesia and Ethiopia ordered airlines to ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes the day after one crashed in Ethiopia.

A man who said he was cleaning out an old videotape collection found a tape that showed a man who appeared to be R. Kelly sexually abusing girls, he and his attorney said Sunday.

R. Kelly walked out of a Chicago jail on Saturday after someone who officials say did not want to be publicly identified paid $161,633 that the R&B singer owed in back child support.

On average, people in the U.S. generate 220 pounds of plastic waste each year, even though much of those materials could be recycled. Here’s the lowdown on the types of plastic that can and can’t be recycled. 

A grand jury has returned 16 additional disorderly conduct charges against the actor following an alleged attack hoax, according to the Cook County State’s Attoorney’s Office.

Businessman Willie Wilson, who finished fourth in his bid for Chicago mayor in the Feb. 26 election, announces his endorsement of former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot.

Timothy Williams was shot three times during the Feb. 15 attack at a manufacturing facility in Aurora. He believes that attack would have been prevented if state police had “followed their internal protocols.”

Brandis Friedman and guests discuss the details of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated income tax plan, as businesses and Republicans cry foul at higher taxes for millionaires.

Sparks fly in the first mayoral runoff forum. Courts deliver bad news for politicians and R. Kelly. Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock beats his charges. And the Lincoln Yards development nears a full City Council vote.