Stories by Paul Caine

For the first time since 2015 Illinois may actually have a budget in place before the start of the new fiscal year. And the governor says he will sign it.

What does race mean to you? An exhibit at the Chicago History Museum asks visitors to consider how much we focus on race every day, whether we realize it or not.

Lawmakers recently approved a bill that would help state agencies donate leftover food in an effort to reduce waste and feed hungry residents.

UChicago Medicine began offering level-one adult trauma care on May 1—something it hadn’t offered since 1988. 

Illinois will become the sixth state in the country to raise the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21, if legislation is signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Illinois lawmakers are expected to make a clean break from the paralyzing dysfunction of recent years, and are on the precipice of passing a bipartisan budget. 

Nearly a half-century after it was first approved by Congress, Illinois on Wednesday night became the 37th state to vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

Chicago parents should have more early learning options for their 4-year-olds starting next year. 

A growing number of states are taking up bans on the sale of ivory in an effort to curb elephant and rhinoceros poaching and undermine the $20 billion-per-year enterprise of wildlife trafficking. Illinois could be next.

Watch the May 30, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

There are at least 10 candidates eyeing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s job. One of them is Bridgeport native John Kozlar, who ran for alderman of the 11th Ward in 2011 and 2015. Why he now says he wants to be mayor.

The outgoing Cook County clerk has some ideas to boost democracy and to avoid a repeat of the March primary debacle that surrounded the Cook County assessor’s race. David Orr joins us in discussion.

To call last week in Chicago City Council “eventful” might be an understatement. We discuss the latest with a panel of Chicago aldermen.

In response to Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet, the former senior advisor to President Barack Obama said, “We need to turn it into a teaching moment.”

Global fare, gospel choirs, craft beer and outdoor art fairs usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in Chicago.

It’s a good bet that no one seeing “The Originalist” will undergo a major shift in their opinions, but they certainly will be reminded of how the Supreme Court’s polarization reflects the temper of the current moment in politics.

With only two more days before the Illinois legislature’s budget deadline, insiders say a bipartisan deal is within reach.

After a five-year break, the master sommelier and restaurateur is set to return as host of the Emmy Award-winning WTTW series. 

Meet the South Side native whose line dance became a worldwide phenomenon.

Watch the May 29, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

RVs and camper culture hit the highway in a book that celebrates the “moveable American dream.” 

A new European Union data privacy law is causing headaches for many American businesses. How General Data Protection could impact U.S. policies.

Supreme Court justices on Tuesday refused to rule on an Arkansas law regulating abortions. We discuss that and other hot-button cases.

Get a close-up look at 100 live eight-legged critters – aka arachnids – including spiders, scorpions, tarantulas and more at Brookfield Zoo.

Opioid withdrawal symptoms have typically been treated with another narcotic, but a newly approved drug offers what a local doctor calls a “clean break” for patients.

Legislation that could help break up food deserts in Chicago and other cities across the state passed the Illinois Senate last week and now awaits the signature of Gov. Bruce Rauner.