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Joel and his panel discuss the week's top headlines: Chicago on a Denver booting blitz; financing for the Midway Airport privatization deal falls through; the number of year-round Chicago Public Schools is tripling; Crestwood officials allowed citizens to use polluted water for more than two decades; Rod Blagojevich's reality show request denied; Cook County Board President Todd Stroger embroiled in a hiring scandal; the Blackhawks and Flames series all knotted up; and the Bulls hope to rebound from a lopsided loss against the Celtics. Guests:

25 years ago today Chicago Tonight debuted on Channel 11, tonight we take a look back at our very first program with Mayor Harold Washington and founding host John Callaway.

Christian Farr has the latest on the county's troubled finances, and the hiring scandal surrounding Todd Stroger.

The Chicago Tribune is just the latest organization feeling the heat for seeking to reward its employees with bonuses after a series of layoffs. So why are companies doing this during these economic times? Eddie Arruza and his panel will explore this question, and more.

We take a look back at the very first broadcast of Chicago Tonight from 1984, which featured Mayor Harold Washington. Be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 7:30 PM to watch the entire episode.

Her upscale fashions have, famously, been seen on the First Lady. Now designer Maria Pinto is being honored for her stylish contributions to the Chicago fashion scene. We visit her creative headquarters.

For more than 35 years, community organizers from around the country have come to Chicago to train at the Midwest Academy. We take you inside this school for progressive activists. Midwest Academy's 35th anniversary celebration

Check, Please! host and master sommelier Alpana Singh joins us tonight to share her favorite movies for wine lovers. Alpana's Top Movies for Wine Lovers

This weekend's forecast calls for warm weather, and the list of weekend events does not disappoint. Laura Baginski of Time Out Chicago tells us what is in store.

We hear what you had to say about some of our recent stories when we read our viewer mail.

Chicago's first lady Maggie Daley underwent a bone lesion biopsy today. Rich Samuels tells us what her doctor had to say, and Carol Marin and her panel discuss the latest breast cancer treatments.

A Northwestern University graduate working as a freelance journalist in Iran has been jailed and sentenced to eight years in prison after being accused of being a spy. We hear about local efforts to get her released.

We go inside a fascinating new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art that looks at the lasting legacy of the multi-faceted architect, author, inventor and visionary Buckminster Fuller.

If your 401(k) has plummeted along with the economy, you have plenty of company. Now many are questioning whether 401(k)s should have become the primary retirement account for so many Americans. It's a question we tackle on tonight's edition of The Bottom Line.

What is the state of the American Dream? To answer that question, Chicago playwright Regina Taylor is inviting Chicago students to submit their own homemade movies. The only catch: the movies have to be shot with cell phones. We meet some of these young filmmakers. Watch David Kaplinsky's movie

We have a live performance from Tammy McCann, a vocalist the Chicago Tribune calls "the best jazz singer you've never heard of."

The former governor's request for permission to leave the country to participate in a reality show in Costa Rica was denied today in federal court. Rich Samuels has the latest on Rod Blagojevich's legal troubles.

The firing of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's cousin, the county's chief financial officer, has created a firestorm. Elizabeth Brackett gets some reaction from Cook County commissioners.

The Illinois Holocaust Museum that opened last weekend was conceived 20 years ago after neo-Nazis threatened to march in Skokie. We meet two survivors that vowed to tell their stories to help prevent future genocides. Archival video of Neo-nazi Frank Collin and efforts to keep him out of Skokie is part of an extensive Skokie Video Archive

We learn how to explore the ocean floor with the man who created Google Earth. He also introduces us to some other new Google products. Google Earth Google Latitude Google Voice

Another Chicago play wins the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Chicago Sun-Times theater critic Hedy Weiss has more on that news, and reviews of three new productions on area stages. Ghostwritten Collaboraction's 9th Annual Sketchbook Festival A Chorus Line

We hear what you had to say about Carol Marin's interview with Todd Stroger when we read some of our viewer mail.

Mayor Daley's plan to lease Midway Airport fell apart as the company seeking to lease the airport could not secure the necessary financing. Rich Samuels has the latest details on the failed deal and tells us what this means for the city's finances.

Is Cook County Board President Todd Stroger a lame duck? The latest scandal involving his cousin, whom he recently fired as chief financial officer, and a county worker with a history of criminal charges who is currently in Cook County jail, has Stroger on the hot seat. Todd Stroger sits down with Carol Marin and tells his side of the story.

The state gained federal approval to use stimulus money for a number of projects that would fix roads and bridges. Elizabeth Brackett tells us what projects have been approved and how much of the funding they are receiving.

Illinois' unemployment rate is now more than nine percent, the highest since 1985. Kris Kridel of WBBM Newsradio 780 has the inside scoop on the very latest business news.