Stories by Paul Caine

Is he playing turkey — or serious? The potential local impact of Trump’s gambit on tariffs. And what has to happen before the year ends.

Matt Eberflus was fired by the Chicago Bears on Friday, one day after botching a timeout in a loss to Detroit. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will serve as interim coach, the Bears said in a statement.

Despite the attorney general’s declaration that Illinois schools should stop using police to discipline students, officers statewide continue to ticket kids with costly fines. One lawmaker will again pursue legislation to end the practice.

As you prepare your shopping list this holiday season — don’t forget about the city’s vibrant local business scene. Four business owners joined “Chicago Tonight” to share their work.

The government wrapped up 14 hours of questions for ex-Ald. Danny Solis on the witness stand halfway through a trial in which former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is accused of bribery, racketeering and extortion.

The holiday shopping season is here — we visit some small businesses you can add to your next trip. And how local Native Americans are celebrating their heritage.

Chicago is home to one of the largest urban Native American populations in the United States. More than 65,000 Native Americans live in the greater metropolitan area, representing about 175 different tribes.

Brighten your Black Friday – and Saturday and Sunday – by taking part in a communal experience in the arts. Here are five picks. 

Researchers aren’t sure whether dinosaurs’ rise over the course of 30 million years happened because of luck, skill, climate or some combination. But they came away knowing this: “It was not a sudden thing,” said study co-author Martin Qvarnström from Uppsala University.

Some shoppers may remember lining up to score Black Friday deals and discounts on Thanksgiving evening. However, this changed in 2020, when many stores opted to stay closed to limit crowding during the pandemic and spread out the holiday shopping season.

“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

It’s an annual tradition even non-birders have come to enjoy as huge flocks of sandhill cranes head from their northern breeding grounds to their winter home in Florida.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

Conditions for a potential winter storm never materialized, which should make for largely pleasant travel conditions this Thanksgiving.

Misconduct allegations against one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s former top staffers. And what’s on the menu this holiday season — the co-hosts of “America’s Test Kitchen” on that and their new cookbook.

With more than 600 episodes and 2 million weekly viewers, “America’s Test Kitchen” has become a household staple. The show has been on public television since 2001 with the aim of putting home cooks at ease by focusing on their needs.

Former Ald. Danny Solis (25th Ward) marks the most substantial witness in the government’s case against former House Speaker Michael Madigan. Solis began his testimony last week, and he is expected to be on the witness stand for several days.

“Letters Beyond Form: Chicago Types” is a modestly scaled but ambitious exhibition currently occupying the Design Museum of Chicago on Randolph Street across from the Chicago Cultural Center.

Employees from 13 different state agencies are involved in the fraud and have illegally taken these federal public funds, according to the OEIG, which is charged with investigating allegations of misconduct within state government. As of April, more than 60% of those implicated to date worked for the Illinois Department of Human Services, which operates mental health hospitals and developmental centers across the state.

In a federal courtroom on Monday, Solis testified that his call back to the speaker two minutes later opened a whole new avenue of focus for the feds’ still-unfolding corruption investigation, and added Madigan to the list of people he would surreptitiously record and lure into the FBI’s trap.

Israel’s security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Nearly 1.5 million travelers are expected to pass through O’Hare — an 11% increase in passenger traffic compared to last year, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Sunday is expected to be the busiest travel day for the city’s airports.

Officials suspect the plant — hydrilla — which is banned in Illinois may have been dumped from an individual's aquarium.

Hundreds gather to remember slain CPD Officer Enrique Martinez. Many after-school programs say they’re at risk of losing funding. And meet some of the members of Chicago’s first elected school board.

Trump's choices don't have experience running large bureaucratic agencies, but they know how to talk about health on TV.

With transit advocates hopeful they’ll see shovels in the ground next year to kick off the long-awaited Red Line Extension, the Chicago Transit Authority is racing to finalize the $1.9 billion in federal funding needed to complete the 5.6-mile project before the Biden administration leaves office.