Deep freeze lifts a little as the Chicago area continues to cope with the cold weather. Elizabeth Brackett has the details. Send us your severe weather photos here.

A major federal report was released Monday giving options for dealing with Asian carp, ranging from maintaining status quo to installing a permanent barrier to separate the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River Basin. Elizabeth Brackett has the story. Read the full report.

Community protest brings results as one company removes its petcoke from a Calumet River storage site. But thousands of tons remain on other sites. Elizabeth Brackett has the story.

After a scandal that resulted in the resignation of its CEO, Metra is looking for a new leader. Elizabeth Brackett sits down with new Metra board members to talk about leadership and the company’s vision going forward.

A huge lake freighter pulls up to storage facility along the Calumet River, poised to haul away piles of the controversial petroleum byproduct called "petcoke."  Elizabeth Brackett has the latest details.

Prosecutors respond to Rod Blagojevich's appeal, asking that he serves his entire 14-year sentence. Elizabeth Brackett has the story.

Piles of petcoke, a byproduct from oil refineries, building up along the Calumet River have southeast side residents worried about their health. Elizabeth Brackett has the story. Read an article.

Catholic school enrollment rises for the first time in years. The rise comes as Chicago Public Schools lose 3,000 students. Elizabeth Brackett has the story. Read an article.

Chicago was recently named as the host city for the 27th edition of the 2015 World Triathlon Grand Final. Elizabeth Brackett has won four World Championship titles and placed second in this year’s London World Championships. Watch a web extra video about what Chicago can expect when it hosts the World Championships in 2015.

Best-selling author Tom Clancy died at age 66. Back in 2002, Elizabeth Brackett interviewed Clancy on an episode of Chicago Tonight. Watch the web extra video from our archives.

Chicago Tonight Correspondent Elizabeth Brackett is currently in Nairobi, not far from Westgate Shopping Mall, the site of a terrorist attack launched by Islamic radicals that killed dozens of shoppers and injured more than 170 people. Watch web extra interviews.

Chicago’s newest harbor is only one-third full. Critics say it's the Park District's high fees that are keeping boaters away. Elizabeth Brackett has the story. Read an article.

Chicago Public Schools officials are calling for new charter schools despite massive neighborhood school closings and deep budget cuts. Elizabeth Brackett has the details. Read CPS's full proposal.

According to Chicago Public Schools, safe passage routes are ready for the first day of the school year, Aug. 26, but some parents disagree. Elizabeth Brackett has the details. View safe passage maps.

Sen. Dick Durbin says the U.S. House of Representatives' bill to cut funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 80 percent would severely impact programs created to address ecological problems facing the Great Lakes. Programs to keep Asian carp out of the lakes would be slashed, among others. Elizabeth Brackett has the details. Read a fact sheet.

Chicago Public Schools introduced its 2014 school budget on Wednesday amid protesting parents and teachers. Officials say they will fill the $1 billion budget gap with $68 million in classroom cuts and the use of $700 million from reserve funds. Elizabeth Brackett has the details.