Stories by WTTW News
September 18, 2019 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Watch the Sept. 18, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”
Number of Abortions in US Falls to Lowest Since 1973
| Associated Press
The new report illustrates that abortions are decreasing in all parts of the country, whether in Republican-controlled states seeking to restrict abortion access or in Democratic-run states protecting abortion rights.
States Split by Party on Accepting Purdue Pharma Settlement
| Associated Press
The nation’s Republican state attorneys general have, for the most part, lined up in support of a tentative multibillion-dollar settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, while their Democratic counterparts have mostly come out against it, decrying it as woefully inadequate.
Dillinger Family Members Apply Again to Exhume His Grave
| Associated Press
Dillinger’s family first applied to exhume the remains in July as part of a planned History Channel documentary. The deadline to exhume and return the remains was Sept. 16, and the exhumation did not occur.
A Shipping Container Gets New Life as Lawndale Pop-Up Spot
| Angel Idowu
How some West Side residents are hoping to change the narrative of their community with a new safe space in the form of a museum.
Chicago Band Big Sadie Weighs in on Ken Burns’ Documentary ‘Country Music’
| Marc Vitali
As Ken Burns’ latest series “Country Music” airs on PBS, a look at Chicago’s role in the history of country music with local band Big Sadie.
New Technique for Repairing Old Water Lines Could Save Neighborhood Trees
| Andrea Guthmann
Water line repairs can be a costly mess. But what if there was a way to fix old water mains without tearing up streets, and old trees? There actually is, and Chicago is dipping into the waters of this technology with a pilot program.
Crain’s Headlines: Lightfoot Administration Rolls Out Pot Plan
| WTTW News
The Lightfoot administration makes its first moves to regulate the recreational marijuana industry, releasing guidelines on where the new businesses can locate. And here’s the catch: they’re all outside the city’s central business district.
Should Chicago Increase Its Minimum Wage to $15 by 2021?
| Evan Garcia
At a City Council hearing on Tuesday, committee members discussed a proposal to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021. Activists say it’s long overdue. But could it hurt small businesses? We debate the issue.
Kim Foxx Hopes to ‘Right Wrongs of the Past’ With Pot Expungements
| Matt Masterson
A new partnership between the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and a nonprofit could help clear tens of thousands of low-level marijuana convictions from Cook County records. State’s Attorney Kim Foxx explains.
An Advice Columnist Taps into the Pain, Poetry and ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ of Life
| Hedy Weiss
In 2010, Cheryl Strayed rather reluctantly agreed to write an unpaid online advice column under the name of “Dear Sugar.” Those columns come to life in this beauty of a show, artfully adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”).
Lawyer: Chicago Archdiocese Has Paid Out $80M to Law Firm
| Associated Press
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has paid $80 million to victims of sexual abuse by clergy represented by a single law firm alone since 2000, the Minnesota-based attorney who heads the firm told reporters.
Lifelong Dollhouse Maker Dreams of Creating a Museum
| Jay Shefsky
Pat Lohenry has loved miniatures for as long as she can remember. And as a teenager, she went from playing with them to making them. Today, her basement is full of her creations.
September 17, 2019 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Watch the Sept. 17, 2019 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”
Cokie Roberts, Longtime Political Journalist, Dies at 75
| Associated Press
Cokie Roberts, the daughter of politicians who grew up to cover the family business in Washington for ABC News and NPR over several decades, died Tuesday in Washington of complications from breast cancer. She was 75.
Ocasio-Cortez Backs Liberal Challenger to Dem Congressman
| Associated Press
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is making her first endorsement of a liberal challenger to an incumbent House Democrat, backing Marie Newman in the primary against eight-term Rep. Daniel Lipinski in Illinois.
Many US Women Say 1st Sexual Experience Was Forced in Teens
| Associated Press
The first sexual experience for 1 in 16 U.S. women was forced or coerced intercourse in their early teens, encounters that for some may have had lasting health repercussions, a study suggests.
Indiana, Illinois AGs Investigate After Fetal Remains Found
| Associated Press
Indiana’s attorney general said Monday that he will work with his Illinois counterpart to investigate what he called the “grisly discovery” of more than 2,000 medically preserved fetal remains at the Illinois home of a late doctor who performed abortions in Indiana.
General Iron Deal Spurs Debate About Land Use, Air Quality
| Paris Schutz
A longtime scrap metal recycler reaches a deal with the city to close up shop at its location next to the Lincoln Yards site and move operations to the Southeast Side. But not everyone is happy about it.
In Joliet, Commercial Fishers Join the Fight Against Asian Carp
| Alex Ruppenthal
If Asian carp invade the Great Lakes, experts say the fish would have a devastating effect on the marine food chain and the region’s $7 billion fishing industry. We get a look at efforts to keep them out of Illinois waterways.
The Reparations Debate is Heading to City Council
| Alexandra Silets
A new resolution on reparations is scheduled to be introduced in City Council this week. Alds. Roderick Sawyer (6th Ward) and Nick Sposato (38th Ward) weigh in on the topic.
Basketball Diplomacy Takes a Great Theatrical Leap Forward at Steppenwolf
| Hedy Weiss
Playwright Lauren Yee possesses a special gift for animating and personalizing history, and for penning exceptionally dynamic dialogue. And although not a single basketball is dropped into a hoop during “The Great Leap,” the sport comes to life.
Crain’s Headlines: Amazon Adds 400 Jobs to Chicago Office
| WTTW News
The retail giant is roughly doubling the number of employees in its Loop office. But these aren’t warehouse jobs – the new hires that will work in fields including cloud computing, advertising and business development.
Author Paul Tough on ‘How College Makes or Breaks Us’
| Nick Blumberg
College admissions have been major news in recent months after a bribery scam came to light. A new book explores how the higher education system is failing many low-income students and students of color.
New Book Pegs Trump’s Rise to Evolution of Modern Television
| Quinn Myers
A conversation with “Audience of One” author James Poniewozik, the chief television critic for the New York Times.
Business is Buzzing This Summer for a Chicago Beekeeper on Wheels
| Alexandra Silets
It’s a job as old as time, but one Chicagoan is beekeeping in her own unique way. Meet graphic designer-turned-beekeeper Jana Kinsman.
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