Stories by Erica Gunderson

Hear what viewers had to say about Chicago Public Schools’ mariachi music program, Geoffrey Baer’s tour of Chicago’s rapid transit system and Ald. Ed Burke’s workers’ compensation program when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The city on Monday morning confirmed the first case of Zika virus. The patient, who was identified as a woman in her 30s, visited Presence Saint Joseph Hospital after returning from a trip to Columbia with symptoms consistent with the virus.

The doo-wop and soul will be going strong as the theater celebrates its 40th anniversary with some of its hit original shows featuring music from The Spaniels, The Chantels, The Supremes and Otis Redding.

The state of Illinois doesn’t track the number of pharmacies that mix, combine or alter the ingredients of a drug or require those that perform sterile compounding to report serious adverse events, according to a new report by Pew Charitable Trusts.

There's a new way to measure age that might prove helpful in assessing an individual's risk of developing cancer, according to a recent Northwestern University study. Learn about epigenetic age and how it can impact your health.

The race to the March primary is heating up. Chicago Public Schools threatens more cuts. A candidate for the position of city's top cop is identified. Donald Trump taunts the Cubs owners on Twitter, while the Blackhawks search for their mojo. Joel Weisman and guests discuss these stories and more in this week's show.

An estimated 3,000 birds die or get injured from colliding with Chicago buildings each year. A new photography exhibition at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum aims to bring awareness to the issue.  

Why Loyola Medical students are being encouraged to learn Transcendental Meditation – and how it could make them better doctors.

Like a planet drifting into a black hole, the state’s unprecedented political stalemate over the budget is increasingly sucking public education into financial uncertainty. State lawmakers discuss the fight over public education and Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget ultimatum.

Watch the February 25, 2016 full episode of Chicago Tonight.

Should powerful Ald. Ed Burke (14th Ward) be able to run the city's $100 million workers' compensation program? A pair of whistle-blowers say no and want an investigation into alleged patronage abuses. Paris Schutz has the story.

The Chicago River is far from America's cleanest waterway. But a few anglers are trying their luck as its ecosystem improves. Captain Tim Frey took us for a winter fishing trip on the river.

See Yo-Yo Ma perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, rub elbows with chickens at the Urban Livestock Expo and keep warm with homemade soup in Lakeview.

Earlier this month, a judge denied the city of Chicago's motion to let Lucas Museum construction begin on its proposed lakefront site. We speak with the head of Friends of the Parks, the nonprofit which filed the lawsuit.

Hear what viewers had to say about Carol Marin’s conversation with Arne Duncan and the latest developments in the battle over the Lucas Museum when we read feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Not typically known for their brewing prowess, the Field Museum plans to launch a limited-edition beer made with the same ingredients used by the Wari, an empire which flourished in Southern Peru from 600 to 1000 A.D. 

Crain’s Chicago Business managing editor Ann Dwyer takes a closer look at why the Old Main Post Office may be the target of a city of Chicago eminent domain takeover and other business headlines.

Geoffrey Baer tackles three questions about Chicago's beloved rapid transit system, including the various spellings of the system, old downtown entrances between elevated stations and Loop stores and a mysterious tunnel a viewer spotted while riding the Blue Line.

The FBI wants Apple to unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the people behind December's mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. Apple says it's taking a stand for privacy rights, while the FBI says it's merely trying to conduct the most thorough investigation possible.

New discoveries and treatments are transforming the way doctors are fighting cancer. We speak with two specialists about recent developments that may offer hope for many patients.

Watch the February 24, 2016 full episode of Chicago Tonight.

Art and science intersect at an historic – and controversial – look at race. Tour the exhibition "Looking at Ourselves: Rethinking the Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman."

A coalition of homeless service providers who pleaded with Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday to unlock $310 million worth of state funding say they will likely only get a small part of their wish.

Marja Mills, the Chicago-based author of "The Mockingbird Next Door" shares stories of her friendship with the late Pulitzer prize-winning author Harper Lee, who died last Friday in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama.

As the U.S. Department of Justice carries out its investigation of the Chicago Police Department, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon joins us to discuss updates on the probe, the recent spike in gun violence gripping the city, and some of the high-profile cases his office has handled over the last few months.