Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

A dozen states have enacted laws granting criminal immunity to those who enter vehicles to rescue domestic animals that appear to be suffering. Should Illinois be the 13th? 

A 162-year-old Chicago home rumored to have once been a stop on the Underground Railroad is now the site of an excavation. What archaeologists are hoping to unearth.

A man faces charges after confronting a woman at a Cook County forest preserve. The mayor and governor feud on Twitter over a controversial anti-violence march. And Groupon’s biggest offer ever: the company itself.

Eddie Arruza and guests discuss a recent spate of racially charged incidents caught on video.

The U.S. Department of Justice is violating federal law by refusing to distribute millions in funding to Illinois due to a dispute over immigration policies, according to a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general.

More fallout in the wake of a viral video that has resulted in hate crime charges and a police officer’s resignation.

Watch the July 12, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Nearly 30 years ago, artist Keith Haring enlisted the help of 500 Chicago students to paint a 488-foot long mural. Chicago Tonight caught up with a trio of those teens who grew up to be artists themselves. 

City Hall insiders said she was “warehousing” dogs – but the ousted executive director of the city’s animal shelter denies that claim. Susan Russell joins us in discussion.

Illinois ranks sixth in the nation when it comes to the percentage of state legislators who are women. A new panel aims to increase the number of women in Illinois politics.

In what is an extremely rare occurrence, a male weedy sea dragons recently accepted an egg transfer from a female and is now carrying 46 fertile eggs on his tail.

So far this year, nearly a dozen bats have tested positive for rabies in Cook and Will counties alone.

The Chicago-based, bestselling author of “Gone Girl” talks about her newly adapted HBO miniseries and more.

Watch the July 11, 2018 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Many viewers shared their thoughts about the tirade against a Cook County Forest Preserves patron and apparent lack of action by forest preserve police.

Tariffs proposed by the Trump administration could impact everything from soybeans to machinery and equipment.

To help mark its 125th anniversary, the Field Museum is preparing to release a gin made in the spirit of one of the biggest events in Chicago history.

The pop-up is scheduled to open in August and offer Chicago art aficionados and selfie enthusiasts a chance to see one of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s reality-bending “infinity rooms.”

An art exhibition takes you inside the digital domain of the internet and explores how the internet has changed the way we experience the world. 

Often called “the people’s poet,” Martin Espada was recently awarded one of the nation’s top literary awards. 

With its ever-changing demographics, Chicago has seen many churches close in the last 50 years. A viewer wants to know what happens to the art and sculptures inside those churches as they near their last days.

The political fallout caused by the viral video showing a Cook County Forest Preserve officer not helping a woman being harassed.

Later this month, the red planet will be just 35.8 million miles away – the brightest and closest it’s been to Earth since 2003.

CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler is looking to hire a dozen employees to staff a new dedicated unit tasked with investigating sexual abuse allegations made by district students.

Burgers, country music and secret gardens usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

“When parents are incarcerated, children are serving a life sentence as well, and unfortunately, it shows up in their health behaviors,” said Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, a pediatrician and lead author of the study.