The Chicago Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously today to pass a much-criticized $5.6 billion budget that includes almost $480 million from the state, $1 billion dollars in borrowing, and what teachers and parents are calling massive cuts to special education. Brandis Friedman joins us tonight with the latest from downtown.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is on death watch. Officials there say the famed titan arum plant, more popularly known as the "corpse flower," could bloom in a matter of hours and emit its notorious foul odor. Chicago Tonight was on the scene on Wednesday. Also, watch a livestream of the famous plant called Spike.

The radioactive mushroom cloud of marital unhappiness set off by the hacking of adultery website Ashley Madison keeps growing. But what does the website and its popularity say about modern marriages? And how do Ashley Madison, dating websites, and smartphone apps affect how we build relationships? Tonight, we’ll hear from Eli Finkel, a professor of social psychology at Northwestern University.

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.

Boats fly by at speeds up to 150 miles per hour on an 800-foot course. There is drag boat racing every Thursday night all summer long at Blarney Island on Grass Lake. Chicago Tonight's Jay Shefsky goes to the races and takes a 94 mph ride on a race boat.

In this edition of Ask Geoffrey, viewers ask our local history expert about the Marshall Field’s clock, a World War II memorial in Lincoln Park and the Chicago Federal Building’s dome. 

Still no budget in Springfield and now the state's comptroller says Illinois is starting to fall far behind in paying its bills. We have the latest on this and other news out of Springfield on Chicago Tonight with Amanda Vinicky.

The death of the 14-year-old Chicago boy, brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955, became far more than just another lynching during the Jim Crow era. His mother's decision to display the mutilated body of Emmett Till during his funeral altered the course of history by invigorating a movement. Till's family remembers his life and his death, and compares his story to those we hear today.

Let’s be honest: At the end of the day, who doesn’t like complaining about work? That’s probably one reason a recent New York Times story on the intense workplace culture at online retailer Amazon is so fascinating. Tonight, we’ll discuss Amazon’s performance review methods with Howard Tullman, CEO of tech incubator 1871; and John Challenger, CEO of outplacement and career transitioning firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

Struggling artist Frank Dudley visited the Indiana Dunes 100 years ago and discovered his life's work – painting the fragile and constantly evolving landscape and promoting and preserving the dunes. We look at the enduring impact of Dudley's dramatic oil paintings.

A jury last week thought Michael Jordan's lawsuit against the now defunct Dominick's grocery chain was a slam dunk. But did his multimillion-dollar brand score points with the public? We’ll discuss the situation with Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn, and attorney Eldon Ham, who’s represented numerous athletes in endorsement contracts.