Stories by Michael Lipkin

President Obama's State of the Union called for universal preschool. Nobel Prize-winning professor James Heckman shares his research on the benefit of preschool decades after graduation.

We dig into a deeply rooted exhibition that showcases artists who found inspiration in the common experience of migration.

Chef and author Rick Bayless shows us how to make an American classic with a twist.

The Chicago Water Department is hiring; 160 jobs have opened to install 75 miles of new water main and 57 miles of new sewers in 2013. 

An excerpt from Wool by Hugh Howey.

The former prosecutor in Gov. George Ryan's corruption trial will likely be the next U.S. Attorney in Illinois. Sources say Zachary Fardon, now in private practice, is the top candidate to replace former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Elizabeth Brackett has the latest.

The Chicago Public Schools denies it banned the award-winning graphic novel Persepolis from classrooms and libraries for its depiction of torture. We have the latest on the controversy.

As tax day looms, the numbers show that filings are down 13 percent from where they were this time last year. This means late filers will be aplenty — but sequester will slow their lines down even more. Tax officer Mark Steber joins us to talk all things unique about filing in 2013.

Changing the way medicine targets cancer. Could doctors one day kill cancer cells without the use of drugs or chemotherapy? Ash-har Quraishi spotlights some promising research in tonight's edition of Scientific Chicago.

Author Hugh Howey got a writer's dream: multiple publishers offering him million-dollar deals to publish his work. Then he did something most authors wouldn't even consider -- he turned them all down. Howey joins us.  

We continue our conversation with "Wool" author Hugh Howey, including how he would reform the publishing industry.

Should religious nonprofits get free water from the city of Chicago? We have your thoughts in tonight's Viewer Feedback.

Dyeing the Chicago River green for St. Patrick’s Day has been a city tradition since 1962. And it’s been a family tradition since its inception. Meet the men who turn the river bright green each year as we revisit our March 17, 2004 story. 

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists delve further into the papal conclave, Pope Francis’ reputation as a man of the people who serves the poor, and America’s reputation within the Catholic Church.

Ruth Ann Steinhagen, the Chicago woman who shot and nearly killed former Chicago Cub Eddie Waitkus in 1949, has died.

Green parades, rivers and livers; Chicago Tonight knows what's going on this weekend.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett released a school safety plan today. It's part of an overall transition plan she says every school that will be closed or receive students will get when she announces her final schools closing list on March 31. Elizabeth Brackett reports.

Now is the time to snag great home deals in Chicago -- but where are the best places to look? We give you the inside scoop.

Residents pay for water, but religious leaders say their organizations should not. Paris Schutz has more on why the issue has brought all faiths together.

We have your thoughts about school closures and our interview with Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis when we read some of your viewer feedback.

Pope Francis, formerly Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, was revealed today as the newly elected pope. We have the latest news and analysis on the first Jesuit and South American pope in the history of the church.

For the second day in a row, a group of Chicago aldermen have formed a so-called reform caucus. We hear from members of the “Paul Douglas Alliance” and the “Progressive Reform Coalition.”

As the conclave begins, what’s at stake for the Catholic Church? We break down the process of electing a new pope.

Australian pop star Helen Reddy is back on the road after a 10-year hiatus. She joins us to talk about her storied career and her latest projects.

The trial of Cook County Commissioner William Beavers is underway. Paris Schutz has more on what to expect as the trial goes forward.