Stories by WTTW News

Watch the February 9, 2016 full episode of Chicago Tonight.

Nothing says Valentine's Day like a bunch of bodies twined together. You'll get that and more at this weekend with "Thank You for Coming: Attendance," an interactive dance show that explores the "conflict and comedy" that comes with interacting with other human beings.

The head of the state's largest social service organization says the state's ongoing budget impasse has now reached a crisis level that could impact the lives of hundreds of thousands vulnerable citizens. Paris Schutz has the exclusive story.

Today, Chicago Public Schools principals are learning just how deep their budgets will be cut after last week's announcement that the district was slashing more than $100 million from annual school budgets.

Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin joins us to discuss the Lucas Museum's latest setback, the Lathrop Homes redevelopment, possible new building guidelines for South Michigan Avenue and more.

Afternoon tea in the parlor and dressing in black tie just to have dinner at home: that was everyday life for the fictional, aristocratic Crawley family. Starting today, Downton fans can get an up-close look at those fashions in a new exhibit at the Driehaus Museum. Brandis Friedman takes us inside.

A marathon last month in Antarctica was the first of seven on seven continents ... in seven days. Two of the competitors are back in Chicago to tell the story–including the winner.    

With the city's finances in a dire state and Mayor Rahm Emanuel looking to borrow billions, “Chicago Tonight” sits down with the head of the City Council's independent budget office, Ben Winick.

Watch the February 8, 2016 full episode of Chicago Tonight.

On Monday, the state of Illinois announced the reopening of the Illinois State Museum, a 138-year-old institution closed by Gov. Bruce Rauner last September. But it's not exactly that easy. 

In a surprising setback, City Council aldermen came out against the mayor’s proposed ordinance for a $6 million tax on tobacco products. Why did City Council go against him?

The City Council is expected to vote this week on whether to extend the powers of city Inspector General Joe Ferguson to cover the activities of the City Council itself. More than 30 aldermen are said to be supportive of the measure, but key alderman are trying to dilute the powers that Ferguson may be given. A panel of aldermen tells us what they think will happen.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated one in 68 American children has Autism Spectrum Disorder. A new book tells the story of some of those parents as it takes a look back at autism’s dark history of institutionalization, questionable therapies and plain bad science. 

Hear what viewers had to say about our talk last week with Chicago Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans and Friday's "The Week in Review" when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

From Jean Baptiste DuSable to Black Lives Matter, the new exhibit "Civil War to Civil Rights" traces the history of struggles and triumphs of Chicago's African-American community.

Our puzzle pro Sandy Weisz returns with a new video puzzle and photo puzzles. Submit your answer by 10 a.m. Monday for a chance to win our puzzle prize package!

A new exhibition featuring dizzyingly complex kinetic creations opens Saturday at the Chicago Cultural Center. Meet Theo Jansen, the Dutch engineer-slash-artist whose been behind these "beach animals" since the early 1990s.

Tucked into a new ordinance that would tax smokeless and other non-cigarette tobacco products is a provision that would set a minimum price on cigarettes, cigars and chew tobacco.

Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union are at virtual war over the teachers' contract. Distrust of police runs high. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's job approval tanks. And Gov. Bruce Rauner wants a toll lane on the Stevenson Expressway. Joel Weisman and our panel discusses these stories and more in this edition of "The Week In Review."

A viewer's video, shared with "Chicago Tonight," shows his encounter with a coyote in Columbus Park while walking his two dogs. Coyote mating season has begun, which means the urban animals may behave aggressively.

The expansion of O'Hare Airport will move forward with a new runway in an agreement announced by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. But noise issues and no new terminals leave critics of the plan confounded. The City's Aviation Commissioner is here to explain.

Watch the February 4, 2016 full episode of Chicago Tonight.

Scientists at the University of Chicago are hoping a new, highly sensitive camera they're developing for the South Pole Telescope will reveal new information about the early universe. The camera measures something that's nearly 14 billion years old: radiation left over from the Big Bang.

Chicago teachers took to the streets Thursday to protest $100 million in new cuts being made by the financially troubled Chicago Public Schools that is struggling to close a $480 million budget gap.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday visited a U.S. mosque for the first time during his presidency. We speak with a Chicagoan who was one of 10 Muslim-Americans invited to sit down and talk with the president before he delivered a speech on religious tolerance.

Find out what a "Strandbeest" is, see Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform and celebrate the Super Bowl with a bowl of chili.