Mayor Rahm Emanuel's record $588 million property tax hike sailed through the City Council today with only 15 aldermen voting against it. The hike is the centerpiece of Emanuel's bad news budget that imposes additional taxes and fees. We speak with a panel of aldermen about the budget and how they voted.

After weeks of public debate, rallies and demonstrations, the Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday approved two new charter schools out of 13 that applied.

The Bears and City Hall strike a deal on the Lucas Museum, Chicago-based Walgreens wants to buy a rival and the Bulls go international for sponsorship deals. We’ll discuss these stories and other top business headlines of the week with Crain’s Chicago Business deputy managing editor Ann Dwyer.

The hit Netflix show "House of Cards" has a devoted following, but did you know that one of the people responsible for it is an Evanston native and Northwestern alum? Laura Eason, executive story editor of "House of Cards," takes us behind the scenes of the popular drama.

Geoffrey Baer cruises by with the history of the Illinois Tollway oases, a Chicago lass on Irish cash and O'Hare's sleek new air traffic control towers in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey.

President Barack Obama talks guns, crime and policing in Chicago at a gathering of police chiefs from around the country. But he acknowledges the growing the violence in his hometown and being a victim of racial profiling. 

"I'm not going to allow Springfield's dysfunction to become Chicago's dysfunction," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said during an extended interview before Wednesday's City Council vote on his proposed budget that includes a nearly $600 million property tax hike.

In honor of its 150th anniversary, the School of the Art Institute has teamed up with the Art Institute of Chicago for a new exhibition called “Homegrown." The show highlights the many influential American artists who received instruction at the school and later became part of the permanent collection of what has been called “the world’s best museum.”

There's a new book for kids detailing the historical contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to the LBGT movement, which also benefited society, science, the arts and the civil rights movement. The book's author, Jerome Pohlen, joins us.

Rob Zombie made a name for himself as a purveyor of monstrous rock ‘n’ roll and scary movies. He also helps create haunted houses around the country. We speak with Zombie on location in west suburban Villa Park, the site of his "Great American Nightmare." 

In advance of President Obama's visit to Chicago to address gun violence, a group of the nation's top law enforcement personnel send a message to Congress about gun control.