Stories by Kristen Thometz

The clock hands didn’t move this year, but that’s no “sign of stability,” says Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Instead, she calls it a “stark warning.”

History, beauty and pleasure are on display in the first public showing of a standout collection of Japanese art. 

Newly released documents shed light on recent FBI raids of Ald. Ed Burke’s City Hall office and the broader investigation surrounding the longtime 14th Ward alderman.

Productions of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades” and the Chicago debut of “Dead Man Walking” are among the highlights of Lyric Opera’s 2019-2020 season.

Orland Park Police say Jakharr Williams of University Park was arrested Wednesday without incident. He was wanted in connection with Monday's fatal shooting of Javon Britten of Richton Park.

How do stunning new developments in an FBI corruption case impact the race for mayor? Political reporters Carol Marin and Paris Schutz dive into that story and more in this week’s roundtable.

Embattled Ald. Ed Burke faces lawyer Jaime Guzman and civil engineer Tanya Patiño in the first public forum of their contest for the 14th Ward seat Burke first won in 1969.

Watch the Jan. 23, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

A bombshell report about secret recordings of embattled Ald. Ed Burke. We discuss the latest developments in the corruption probe.

Why should summer get all the love? We explore the wonderland of winter adventure to be had in Chicago – both indoors and out.

The city treasurer teams up with a national nonprofit to expand financial empowerment centers in Chicago neighborhoods.

City Council reacts to a stunning report that longtime Ald. Danny Solis secretly recorded Ald. Ed Burke as part of a federal corruption investigation. 

A decadeslong public housing lawsuit has nearly come to an end, marking “a seminal moment in Chicago’s history,” according to a joint statement from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CHA CEO Eugene Jones Jr.

Nearly three dozen Chicago Public Schools staffers, including 12 teachers, have been removed from schools due to sexual abuse allegations in recent months, according to the district’s watchdog.

Special menus, an icy plunge in the lake, winter brews and Mexican sweet bread usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in Chicago.

The move by Illinois’ new governor marks a sharp departure from his predecessor, former Gov. Bruce Rauner, who made little to no mention of the state’s role in curbing carbon emissions that most scientists agree contribute to global warming.

Cold and snow sends many of us indoors this time of year, but some adventurous souls welcome nasty weather so they can hit the waves.

In a joint production by Shattered Globe Theatre and Theater Wit, director Jeremy Wechsler and his cast have tapped into the deftly conjured, fragmented, offbeat rhythms of Will Eno’s characters with impressive skill.

The flu can keep kids out of school and parents out of work. So why do some parents chose not to get their children vaccinated against it? A new citywide survey offers some insight.

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that 25th Ward Ald. Danny Solis secretly recorded Ald. Ed Burke on multiple occasions to assist an FBI investigation. 

The field of candidates running for Chicago mayor is narrowed again. A look at who’s out and who’s in for the Feb. 26 election.

Watch the Jan. 22, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The chief judge of the Northern District of Illinois speaks out on the effect the shutdown is having on the federal courts.

In a 1967 speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said the Underground Railroad “symbolized hope when freedom was almost an impossible dream.” Chicago photographer Dawoud Bey talks about his new exhibition, “Night Coming Tenderly, Black.” 

The next U.S. census will take place April 1, 2020. How the data is collected, what it’s used for and the latest on the controversial citizenship question.

Yamiche Alcindor of the “PBS NewsHour” brings us the latest on the longest partial federal government shutdown in U.S. history, now in its second month.