Stories by Kristen Thometz

The Iran Nuclear Deal: To its proponents it's a comprehensive agreement that will keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, to its detractors it's a naive and flawed deal that undermines the United States' closest ally in the region. Tonight, Israeli Consul General Roey Gilad and Loyola University professor of political science and national security specialist John Allen Williams debate the merits of the deal.

Since news leaked last week that Mayor Rahm Emanuel is considering a record high property tax increase of $500 million, the mayor says he’s confident the City Council will stand with him and his plan to overcome the city’s massive financial hurdles. Tonight we’ll ask aldermen to sound off on the property tax increase and other tax proposals.

Comic actors George Wendt and Tim Kazurinsky appear together in Bruce Graham's new play Funnyman, opening this week at Northlight Theatre in Skokie. The duo joins Chicago Tonight to talk about the world premiere play, recall their days at Second City, and fact-check a couple of Internet rumors about their long careers.

A proposed penny-per-ounce tax on sugary beverages is meant primarily as a way to address skyrocketing obesity and diabetes rates. But some of that revenue could go toward funding the city’s big cash crunch.

Congress reconvenes next Tuesday after a five-week recess, and there are some weighty and urgent matters to attend to, including yet another debt ceiling fiscal cliff. Joining us to share their thoughts on these and other issues are Congressman Bill Foster (D-11th); and Congressman Peter Roskam (R-6th).

Patents recently issued to Northbrook-based insurance giant Allstate could allow the company to monitor your car for sources of distraction, collect health data on drivers, and even monitor what's going on around your vehicle. The company says any new technology will improve driver safety, but some are worried it could violate the privacy of drivers, passengers and passers-by. 

Meet two storm survivors who moved to Chicago after the destructive storm ripped through the New Orleans area.

A horrifying incident unfolded on live television this morning when a reporter and her cameraman were shot and killed by a man reported to be a former colleague. On Chicago Tonight, we'll look at what businesses can and should do to look for and address the potential dangers of a disgruntled employee.

This month in Nature, an international team of researchers released some of their key findings after a first-of-its-kind study of the genome of the California two-spot octopus. The team found a massive and unusually arranged genome, with many genes unique to the octopus that could provide clues to the unusual animals. One of the researchers, University of Chicago neurobiologist Cliff Ragsdale, joins Chicago Tonight to discuss the ongoing project.

The FDA has approved the first drug designed to boost libido in pre-menopausal women. Is it really effective and safe? We look at the so-called female Viagra and the massive marketing campaign behind Addyi.

The Dow Jones took a nosedive this morning, dropping more than 1,000 points when trading opened. The markets recovered some of their losses, but investors still appear rattled by disappointing economic news from China. We'll hear what to expect in the days to come and how it might affect your day-to-day life from three economic experts.

The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments over Chicago's pension reforms in November. Attorney John Schmidt says the city's pension reforms are fundamentally different than the state's reforms that were struck down earlier this year. Schmidt joins us on Chicago Tonight.

A new proposal before the City Council aims to prevent another controversial privatization deal like the infamous parking meter lease of 2008, but some critics say the plan doesn’t go far enough. Joining Chicago Tonight to discuss the proposed ordinance is Judy Stevens, policy coordinator at the Better Government Association, which consulted the Emanuel administration when crafting the ordinance. 

Former Mayor Richard J. Daley redefined almost every aspect of Chicago during his 21 years in office. And his impact on the city is still felt today in politics, the city's skyline, and neighborhoods. A new website from the UIC's Richard J. Daley Library examines the late mayor's life through archival footage and dozens of interviews with his family and colleagues. 

CPS on Monday unveiled a $5.7 billion operating budget that calls for more than 400 teacher layoffs and banks on $480 million in state aid. Tonight, we'll discuss the district's budget proposal and ongoing teacher contract negotiations with Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis.

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday said his administration would be willing to help Chicago Public Schools and the city’s pensions, provided the city helps Rauner give local municipalities the ability to limit collective bargaining with public employees. On Chicago Tonight Mayor Rahm Emanuel responds to Rauner’s challenge.

Alds. Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) and Ed Burke (14th Ward) have proposed an ordinance that would tighten restrictions on the use of drones in the city, including limits on how close they can fly to O'Hare and Midway airports. Ald. Waguespack joins Chicago Tonight to talk about his proposal, along with Aerial Vision Chicago co-founder Anthony LaRosa.

Some advocates and law enforcement officials say heroin use is rising in Illinois and that Chicago has one of the largest open drug markets in the country.

Many of Illinois' most vulnerable residents could be the hardest hit by the budget stalemate in Springfield. But last Thursday, a U.S. District Judge ensured that Cook County Medicaid recipients will not become victims of the political impasse. 

This month Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he plans to wind down seven Tax Increment Financing Districts located near downtown. Critics of the move say he’s hanging downtown out to dry, but others say this is a first step toward taxing transparency. We’ll hear from Crain’s Chicago Business columnist Greg Hinz and Tom Tresser of the TIF Illumination Project.

Filming for Spike Lee’s new film Chi-Raq has wrapped up, but the debate over the film’s working title rages on. Next week, the City Council is expected to hold hearings on the film's controversial moniker.

In a city that has 50 aldermen, it might not come as a surprise that Illinois has the most units of government in the country, nudging out the competition with 6,964 governmental bodies, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This fact isn’t lost on Gov. Bruce Rauner, who created the Local Government and Unfunded Mandates Task Force to come up with recommendations on how to trim down that number. We discuss the task force’s recommendations.

The WTTW organic vegetable garden is thriving this summer despite all the rain and fluctuations in temperature. The Organic Gardener Jeanne Nolan joins us to harvest mid-summer crops. She’ll also give us some tips on what vegetables can still be planted at this point in the season.

Construction gets underway this week on the Argyle Streetscape project in Uptown, which will create a first-of-its-kind Chicago street that's shared among bikes, cars, and pedestrians.

Last summer, Sean Graney, founder of The Hypocrites, debuted All Our Tragic, his lengthy adaptation of every extant Greek tragedy. As the performance returns to the stage, we revisit our story on the 12-hour play.

Facing a budget crunch, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is proposing a 1 percent hike to the county sales tax. She'll likely face a tough time finding the nine board member votes she needs to get the tax passed. Preckwinkle joins Chicago Tonight to talk about the budget.