Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

Poet Eric Elshtain is one of the museum’s newest additions, and he represents the institution’s latest effort at using art to change the way visitors interact with nature.

Chicago parents say gun violence, bullying and poverty are among the top 10 social issues affecting the city’s youth, according to a citywide survey.

A Cook County judge on Saturday ordered R. Kelly held on $1 million bond, a day after the R&B star was indicted by a grand jury on 10 charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. 

Eddie Arruza and guests take a dive deep into the broader impact of the Jussie Smollett case.

Charges for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. Accusations, missteps and big money in the run-up to election day. A disturbing revelation about the Aurora mass shooter. And Manny Machado disses Chicago.

Controversial Chicago R&B singer R. Kelly is facing a slew of sexual abuse charges after a video purporting to show him sexually assaulting an underage girl was turned over to Cook County investigators.

Navigating cancer treatment can be overwhelming. A new pilot seeks to improve the process for patients by consolidating all aspects of treatment into one all-encompassing care plan.

Watco Transloading says it will no longer handle materials with high concentrations of manganese, a heavy metal used in steelmaking that can cause brain damage at high exposure levels. 

The CSO’s current program features two radically different pieces: American composer William Schuman’s haunting “Symphony No. 9” and Mozart’s glorious “Requiem in D Minor.”

“Twilight Bowl” is a telling depiction of a crucial transitional period in the lives of a cross-section of young women who are at once lost and found in the American heartland.

The tiny African antelope born on Valentine’s Day was euthanized Tuesday, according to zoo officials, who identified a birth defect that affected the animal’s ability to swallow normally.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, considered a front-runner in the race for Chicago mayor, has cut ties with Scott Cisek after he made a controversial post on Facebook.

Former Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez this week blasted her successor Kim Foxx for not “doing her job” after Foxx recused herself from the investigation into claims made by “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.

WTTW captures a family reunion between two cousins. Both from central Illinois, one now calls Chicago home and identifies as “trans-feminine.” The other, an evangelical Christian, stayed downstate and has no experience with the LGBTQ community.

Police say that of the people who received gun license revocations last year in Illinois, more than 75 percent ignored the notices.

The producers of the TV show “Empire” say Jussie Smollett’s character will be removed from the final two episodes of this season.

Watch the Feb. 21, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The 91st Academy Awards ceremony takes place Sunday night. We check in with two Chicago film critics ahead of the big night. 

The fight over Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax is already being influenced by nonprofit groups that are not required to disclose their donors. 

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined his counterparts in 15 other states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for declaring a national emergency to build a wall on the southern U.S. border. 

In just a few years, Ron Wilson reintroduced Bowen High School’s wrestling program and turned it into a city and regional powerhouse. Now, Wilson, a special education teacher turned firefighter, continues to lead the Boilermakers. 

Gary Sinise spoke with Chicago Tonight about his new book, “Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service,” his work advocating for veterans and the history of Steppenwolf Theatre. 

“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett walked out of the Cook County jail on Thursday about two hours after a hearing in which the judge set his bond at $100,000.

Researchers estimate that more than one million pangolins have been taken from the wild over the past decade as demand has soared for their meat and scales. What one local institution is doing to save these scaly anteaters.

“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the “pain and anger and racism” in Chicago in order to promote his own career, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Thursday.

R&B singer R. Kelly is moving out of his Chicago recording studio because a judge has stymied his creativity by barring him from working there overnight due to building-code violations, his lawyer said Wednesday.