Stories by Amanda Vinicky

Two years after Cook County implemented and hastily repealed a notorious tax on sugary drinks, Board President Toni Preckwinkle proposed a $6.18 billion budget that’s balanced.

This week, a number of dead monarch butterflies were found along the lakefront. The sight alarmed some members of the public who spotted the insects. But one local expert says it’s par for the course as the butterflies retreat south for the winter.

On Sunday, the Chicago Marathon will host around 45,000 participants and an estimated 1.7 million spectators across the city. For 30 years, Carey Pinkowski has been at the helm of the massive event.

Commonwealth Edison and its parent Exelon have received a grand jury subpoena requiring records of communications with state Sen. Martin Sandoval, among others.  

For years, the U.S. saw a steep decline in the number of deaths from heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension – known collectively as cardiometabolic disease. But that downturn has mostly leveled off since 2011, according to researchers.

Two Florida businessmen tied to President Donald Trump’s lawyer and the Ukraine investigation were charged Thursday with federal campaign finance violations. 

Watch the Oct. 10, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Hundreds of bird species in North America are at risk of extinction from climate change, according to an alarming new report from the National Audubon Society.

Autumn is upon us, and soon Illinois will be awash in fall foliage. Here’s your guide to when – and where – you can spot those red, orange, yellow and purple leaves during their peak throughout the Land of Lincoln.

A group of Democratic Illinois lawmakers believes the group behind the SAT and Advanced Placement exams may be violating state law by selling student data to colleges, universities and scholarship providers.

Investigators for the Will County Sheriff’s Department found the fetal remains in the car at a parking lot, adding to the sets of remains connected to Dr. Ulrich Klopfer that were found on Sept. 12 at his garage.

Jack-o’-lanterns, historic homes, cured meats and elite runners usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

The Chicago Teachers Union has insisted that its next contract with the city include not just raises for teachers, but a host of other commitments. But with a possible strike looming, will those demands hold up?

The Chicago Teachers Union has set a strike date of Oct. 17, but the deadline for the city to come to a deal with the 25,000-member union may be sooner.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday again accused the Chicago Teachers Union of ignoring the city’s contract proposals – but said a strike isn’t a foregone conclusion. Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson join “Chicago Tonight” in conversation.

Earlier this year, for the first time ever a small team of scientists was able to forecast a severe tornado outbreak almost one month in advance. We speak with Victor Gensini, a key member of that team.

There is new insight into the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald and whether or not there was a large-scale cover-up of the initial incident to protect the Chicago police officer who shot him.

The no-kill animal shelter will expand services that have reached 13,000 pets and 6,600 families in Englewood since 2014 as it strives to be an “animal welfare anchor in a community where there are no other pet resources.”

American Airlines is pushing back the expected return of its Boeing 737 Max jets into next year. The airline says it expects to slowly bring the plane back into its schedule starting Jan. 16.

As real estate development booms in pockets of the city, it feels like a new neighborhood is introduced every few months. This may seem like a relatively recent phenomenon, but in Chicago, the practice goes back decades. Geoffrey Baer explains.

The City of Chicago and the League of Chicago Theaters declared 2019 “The Year of Chicago Theatre.” But anyone who has been following dance in Chicago in recent years will attest to the fact that it is now time to declare a “Year of Chicago Dance.”

Watch the Oct. 9, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Chicago police officers used department-issued parking placards to park illegally at sporting events and allowed friends and family to use those placards as well, according to a new report from the city’s inspector general.

Twenty-eight defense attorneys were interviewed for a new report, which claims Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has reversed some of the “tough-on-crime” policies that previously existed in her office.

Turkey launched its offensive Wednesday, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announcing on his official Twitter account that the operation had begun. President Trump defended his decision to pull back U.S. troops from northeastern Syria.

A 9-year-old child accused of causing a mobile home fire that killed three children and two adults in central Illinois has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder.