Stories by Kristen Thometz

Planning to invite a small number of friends and family to your home this week to celebrate Thanksgiving? Here are a few things to consider — including a plea from public health officials.

The city’s annual winter overnight parking ban goes into effect early Sunday and continues through April 1, 2020. Here’s what you need to know.

Before you dig in and start planting, give your garden some tender, loving care. The team from the Organic Gardener helps us prepare our soil for spring planting.

Health officials in the U.S. and Canada told people Tuesday to stop eating romaine lettuce because of a new E. coli outbreak. Two people in Illinois have tested positive for this same outbreak strain. 

Democratic nominee for governor J.B. Pritzker answers questions from 70 Mikva Challenge high school students – some of whom will be first-time voters in November.

After a five-year break, the master sommelier and restaurateur is set to return as host of the Emmy Award-winning WTTW series. 

During a special edition of Chicago Tonight, all six Democratic candidates for governor join us to answer questions from an audience of 50 high school students and discuss issues facing Illinois’ young people. 

Chicago has made it to the second round of cities for Amazon’s HQ2. The question now: What will it take for the city to make it to the final four?

The last surviving member of the Kennedy administration and former chairman of WTTW received the nation’s highest civilian honor from President Barack Obama on Tuesday.

The Cancer Moonshot initiative being led by Vice President Joe Biden aims to accelerate the pace of cancer research and the development of new treatments. We talk to the University of Chicago professor who is a key player in that effort.

Excitement on Wall Street as a possible interest rate hike approaches. Why some surprises in the U.S. economy have investors and analysts feeling good.

The Zika virus has been shown to cause microcephaly and other fetal brain abnormalities. We talk with a local woman, pregnant with her first child, who has been dealing with the terrifying possibility that she and her unborn child may have been exposed to the virus.

Palatine native Holly Morris talks about her new documentary "The Babushkas of Chernobyl," which profiles three grandmothers who chose to ignore government orders and return home to live out their lives near the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

The disaster in Flint has spotlighted the dangers and adverse health outcomes of lead seeping into communities’ drinking water. Elizabeth Brackett reports on the lead pipes carrying water into Chicago and suburban homes. 

The disaster in Flint has spotlighted the dangers and adverse health outcomes of lead seeping into communities’ drinking water. Elizabeth Brackett reports on the lead pipes carrying water into Chicago and suburban homes. 

One of the most intriguing congressional districts in the country, Illinois' 4th Congressional District includes parts of Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, Melrose Park, Brookfield, Cicero and Brighton Park. Joining "Chicago Tonight" to talk about his vision for the district is Javier Salas. Congressman Luis Gutiérrez declined our invitation.

The Citizens Utility Board and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan have accused Peoples Gas of deliberately misleading regulators about the ballooning cost of a huge program to upgrade gas lines around Chicago. Tonight, we discuss the safety upgrades, the program's estimated cost and the claims about the company's actions with representatives from CUB and Peoples Gas.

It's the weekend for love, but Valentine's Day can leave some feeling awfully lonely. A University of Chicago neuroscientist joins “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the science of loneliness and its potential health hazards.   

On Monday, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus an international public health emergency. Dr. Allison Arwady, chief medical officer of the Chicago Department of Public Health, joins us to discuss the virus and the risk it poses to Chicago jet-setters.

White House hopefuls are getting their first test with voters tonight in Iowa, where caucusing is in full swing. Joining us from Des Moines, Iowa to talk about that and more is "Chicago Tonight's" Carol Marin.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has a week to decide whether to expand the state's medical marijuana pilot program. So far the program only covers a limited number of serious illnesses and has 4,000 registered patients. Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple, the head of the state Medical Cannabis Advisory Board, joins us to talk about the pilot program.

Evidence of a distant ninth planet in our solar system, electronic implants that can monitor brain injury then melt away, and how more sleep may reduce diabetes risk. Rabiah Mayas of the Museum of Science and Industry is back to review some of the hottest stories in the world of science.

The Windy City once again is the top city for bedbugs, according to a recent study by pest control company Orkin. “Chicago Tonight” talks with a pest control expert, doctor and entomologist about what this unflattering ranking means for Chicago.

They are some of the most divisive issues of our time: abortion, affirmative action, contraception, unions and immigration. And they are all under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court this term. Three former clerks join us to outline the cases.

Tuesday the public gets to have its say in the search for the city's new police superintendent. Lori Lightfoot, president of the Chicago Police Board, joins "Chicago Tonight" to talk about the search.

After a decade of volatility, national home prices rose a steady 4 to 5 percent in 2015. Unfortunately, that was not the case in the Chicago market, where single family home prices rose by a meager 1.3 percent. Real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin has more on the state of the local market.