Stories by Matt Masterson

The lead attorney for Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke says it’s too early to decide whether he will opt for a jury or bench trial. Meanwhile, day two of jury selection brought the total number to 10.

A viewer spots a Blue Island building with an image of three chain links on its facade. Geoffrey Baer has the scoop on the odd fellows behind that insignia in this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.

If successful, the portable, smartphone-sized sensor will measure human exposure to toxic metals like lead and manganese using a single finger prick of blood  – and deliver results in minutes.

Despite the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers, caregivers and advocates are optimistic about the future. “I see a treatment, it’s going to happen,” said William Klein, a professor at Northwestern University.  

Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago found that Chicago police officers with the highest number of complaints are responsible for a significantly higher share of civil litigation payouts.

Watch the Sept. 11, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

News of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision not to run again caught the senator by surprise. “I think it’s a wide-open contest at this moment,” Sen. Dick Durbin said on Chicago Tonight.

She won back-to-back Olympic medals in the seven-event heptathlon and still holds the world record of 7,291 points in the event. We talk sexism in women’s sports and more with Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

A new book tells the story of how a showman saved thousands of premature babies in the early 20th century.

As Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle presided over a regularly scheduled board meeting Tuesday, loyalists were beginning to circulate petitions to nominate Preckwinkle for Chicago mayor. 

The zoo began with a gift of two pairs of swans from New York's Central Park, and has evolved into a world-class facility that now puts science and conservation at the heart of its mission.

The haunting dramatization of “Crime and Punishment” now on stage attacks the work with the same fire and attention to moral argument as the master writer, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, himself. 

One of the oldest forms of art is still practiced throughout the world, but there is only one school in the United States where it’s taught. We go for a visit.

After a 70-year run that has resulted in multiple NCAA championship titles, the gymnastics program at the University of Illinois at Chicago will cease to exist once its current season wraps up.

It’s been nearly a week since Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made the shocking announcement that he won’t run for a third term. We survey the political landscape.

Watch the Sept. 10, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has floated the idea of selling more than $10 billion in pension obligation bonds. We dig into the idea.

With five jurors now seated on the Jason Van Dyke trial, there are another seven spots to fill. A look at the strategy behind jury selection with the founder of a jury consulting firm.

Several potential jurors were excused Monday, but attorneys did select five jurors – three women and two men – in the high-profile murder case. Jury selection could last more than a week.

A conversation with “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James, who tackles an ambitious series about racial disparity in a Chicago-area high school.

A revelatory, brilliantly acted revival of August Wilson’s play is currently on stage at Court Theatre, under the direction of Ron OJ Parson.

The completely blind amphibians, found in Texas, are a translucent white color with bright red gills. Brookfield Zoo is one of just three North American institutions to host the rare creatures.

Chicago has become the seventh city in the world to receive top-level certification for its sustainability efforts focused on green buildings.

Attorneys for the Chicago police officer charged with murder have asked for the entire 200-person jury pool to be stricken due to their exposure to protesters carrying signs urging them to “convict Jason Van Dyke.”

East meets West in an art show that began with a collection of photos found at an estate sale 27 years ago.

The Wall Street Journal recently examined email and text anxiety caused by the “tyranny of the exclamation point.” We discuss the punctuation phenomenon.