Stories by Kristen Thometz

With a fast-approaching debt payment due to the International Monetary Fund and no deal in sight, the world waits to see whether cash-strapped Greece will remain a part of the Euro currency. And here at home, massive pension debts and political battles are complicating budget deals for the state of Illinois and city of Chicago. We talk with two economists about both local and global economic issues.

With the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage, the last 14 states now must recognize and grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The United States Supreme Court today sided with the Obama administration and upheld a key provision of the Affordable Care Act. In a 6-3 ruling the justices decided that insurance subsidies created by Obamacare can be offered in both state and federal health care exchanges. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins Chicago Tonight to talk about the pension payment owed by CPS next week, the school system and city's budget deficits, and whether he expects any good news from Springfield.

We speak to Mayo Clinic's Dr. Jacqueline Thielen about developments in women's health including some of the best treatment options for menopause.

Multi-Grammy Award winner, singer Dianne Reeves, visits Chicago Tonight to perform and discuss the scholarship Gala that brings her to town.

Its Tevatron particle collider may have been superseded by the Large Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland, but Fermilab remains at the cutting edge of research into the origins of the cosmos.

For the third time in six seasons, the Chicago Blackhawks are Stanley Cup Champions. Duncan Keith is the playoff MVP and scores the game-winning goal in the decisive Game 6. Associated Press National Sportswriter Jim Litke joins us to talk about how they did it, put the team's accomplishments in historical perspective, and look at whether or not they could do it again next year.

For the first time in 30 years, a brand-new factory has opened in the historic Pullman neighborhood. We took an inside look at how the Method soap is made and find out why it’s so important to the neighborhood. 

Named one of Time’s 100 most influential people last year, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, a Ugandan educator, joins us to talk about her advocacy for women and girls who have survived years of kidnappings and violence at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army warlord in Uganda.

The Chicago Blackhawks take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. We break down the first three games of the series and look ahead to Wednesday's Game 4 in Chicago.

As Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-controlled General Assembly continue to battle over the state’s budget, we talk with former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar (1991-1999) about the state’s pension-funding plan he signed into law, how he worked with Democrats in Springfield, and what advice he has for the governor. 

Now that the temperature has warmed up, we’re ready to plant the seeds and transplants for our summer crops. The Organic Gardener Jeanne Nolan visits our garden to help us plant our latest round of viewer selected crops and check in on the crops we planted a month ago.  

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan plans to bring a workers’ compensation reform measure to the floor Thursday when the House returns to session. It’s the latest move in an ongoing fight over workers’ comp reform between Democrats and Gov. Bruce Rauner. We take a look at what Rauner's proposing, whether it has any chance of passage, and how workers’ comp has already been reformed in Illinois.

Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic lawmakers were unable to agree on a budget plan for the state on Sunday, the deadline for the spring legislative session. Powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan said his chamber plans to be in “continuous session” this summer to address the state’s $6 billion budget shortfall. We’ll talk with Chicago Tonight Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky about the public relations battle between the governor and Democratic leaders.

Robert Ryan was an Oscar-nominated actor best known for roles in The Wild Bunch and The Dirty Dozen. The Chicago Reader’s J.R. Jones’ new biography of the Chicago actor looks at the political activism behind the actor’s tough-guy onscreen persona.

We live in a digital world. We communicate with each other through tweets and Facebook posts, upload photos to Instagram, pay our bills online, and more. But what happens to all those digital files and accounts after we die? We discuss planning for your digital afterlife.

We revisit our story about the Swedish National Museum’s Vikings -- an exhibition that challenges stereotypes of the Norsemen who lived, traded, and raided a millennium ago --at The Field Museum. Take our quiz to test your Vikings knowledge!

Chicago Sun-Times Theater Critic Hedy Weiss reviews five shows being staged around Chicago.

One way Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed cutting spending is to repeal the so-called “prevailing wage” law. So what is the prevailing wage and why is it on the books? Our experts debate the pros and cons of eliminating the prevailing wage the state pays for public construction projects. 

Over Memorial Day weekend, a new part of the Chicago Riverwalk opened from State Street to Clark Street. Carol Ross Barney has been leading the Riverwalk design for more than a dozen years. We sit down with her to talk about the project. 

Kids are almost out of school for the summer, but some long days are ahead for Chicago Public Schools as it tries to close a more than $1 billion budget deficit, most of which is tied to a $700 million pension payment that is due. On top of that, district officials are negotiating with the Chicago Teachers Union over a new teacher contract. Chicago Tonight talks with CTU President Karen Lewis.

For the first time in 30 years, a brand-new factory has opened in the historic Pullman neighborhood. We take an inside look at how the Method soap is made and find out why it’s so important to the neighborhood.

A new special exhibit opens on Saturday with 40 species of amphibians. We talk with the Shedd Aquarium's Special Exhibits manager about the "ribbiting experience."

The Chicago Teachers Union is digging in its heels over contract negotiations with the school district. Find out how far they're willing to go over what the union calls a 7 percent pay cut proposal from the city. Brandis Friedman has the details.

Chicago Tonight staff digs into the first planting of the season with The Organic Gardner Jeanne Nolan.