Stories by Marc Vitali

We get a behind-the-scenes peek at “‘Twas the Night Before …,” the new holiday production from Cirque du Soleil that’s making its debut in Chicago.

For years, beatboxer Nicole Paris and her dad Ed Cage have awed audiences with their beatboxing battles as Nicole and Popz. Paris recently broke from that duet to take on a feat of her own: beatboxing in an opera.

The Chicago-based maker of social media management software announced Monday that it aims to raise $156 million in an initial public offering of stock.

In “The Three Queens,” the trilogy of semi-staged excerpts about the lives of Anne Boleyn, Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I now in a brief run at Lyric Opera, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky captures their essence to sublime vocal and dramatic effect.

Watch the Dec. 2, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Chicago comic artist Ed Siemienkowicz died before he could complete his nearly 250-page graphic novel. For the last two years, more than 150 artists and friends have donated their time and skills to finish what he started.

The House impeachment report on President Donald Trump will be unveiled Monday behind closed doors for key lawmakers as Democrats push ahead with the inquiry despite the White House’s declaration it will not participate in the first Judiciary Committee hearing.

Climate change, gun violence, the very nature of democracy and an angsty little movie star called Forky helped propel “existential” to Dictionary.com’s word of the year.

While a Senate trial of President Donald Trump now appears inevitable, details of how it will unfold remain unknown. How long will proceedings last? Can either party summon witnesses to make its points? Senators will have to decide these and other, potentially thorny questions.

The coming weeks will be the first test of whether they can make that happen during the busy holiday shopping season, when onslaughts of orders and bad weather can lay waste to even the best delivery plans.

Starting Jan. 1, parking meter rates will increase across Chicago, peaking at $7 per hour in the Loop. While the city doesn’t collect that revenue, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration estimates it will save $7.9 million with the plan. Here’s how.

This year’s list highlights 30 items that have been recalled over the past year because they pose safety hazards to children, including two infant sleepers linked to more than 30 deaths. 

President Donald Trump paid a surprise Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan, where he announced the U.S. and the Taliban have been engaged in ongoing peace talks and said he believes the Taliban want a cease-fire.

Mitchell Trubisky started and closed strong to overcome some shaky decisions and plays in between to keep the Chicago Bears in the NFC playoff picture.

Fifteen-year-old Rylan Wilder remains hospitalized after he was shot last week as police trailed a bank robbery suspect in the Old Irving Park neighborhood.

The charity’s leaders hope adding Apple and Google payment options will boost giving to the red kettle campaign, which makes up 10% of its annual fundraising. Those donations fund programs providing housing, food and other support to people in poverty.

Television traditions on Thanksgiving have usually involved the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and then hours of football, but in recent years, another has emerged: The National Dog Show.

State Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, hasn’t made a public appearance since the FBI raided his home and offices in September. He will step down on Jan. 1, 2020.

President Donald Trump was briefed on the whistleblower complaint about his dealings with Ukraine before the White House released nearly $400 million in military aid to Kyiv, officials say, shedding new light on events that triggered the impeachment inquiry.

The city’s annual winter overnight parking ban goes into effect early Sunday and continues through April 1, 2020. Here’s what you need to know.

Vintage holiday decor, helium balloons and a holiday train usher in the holiday weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke is being held in a facility in Baltimore, Maryland, as he awaits placement inside another prison. He was moved out of federal custody this week. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said it told Boeing on Tuesday that the agency will retain all authority to issue safety certificates for newly manufactured Max planes.

Watch the Nov. 26, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The City Council on Tuesday approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $11.6 billion budget plan by a vote of 39 to 11. Four Chicago aldermen join us to discuss their support and opposition to that spending plan.

Earlier this month, the Illinois legislature voted to consolidate almost 650 suburban and downstate police and fire pension funds into just two. How exactly will it impact the state’s beleaguered finances?