Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle sounds off on why she wants to raise the sales tax 1 percent. Will she have support from the board to do it?

Chicago's Botanic Garden celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. Author Cathy Jean Maloney joins us to share her new book about the Horticultural Society's illustrious history.

It's finally summer! Geoffrey's headed for the lakefront with three questions about the area around Chicago's most popular tourist destination.

The Field Museum of Natural History unveils its newest permanent exhibition, the Cyrus Tang Hall of China.

The Illinois House failed to approve a bill that would have delayed CPS’ massive pension payment due at the end of the month. Chicago Tonight Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky has the latest on that and why the Governor’s office skipped a House and Revenue Finance Committee meeting.

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.

Pope Francis' recent views on climate change are sparking debates within the Catholic community. Joining us are Mark Potosnak, a member of the Catholic Climate Covenant and assistant professor of environmental science at DePaul University, and Mary Anne Hackett, president and CEO of Catholic Citizens of Illinois.

The 90 year-old-artist is perhaps best known as the original art director at Playboy and a champion of young artists. Now his own work is in the spotlight for a new show at a Ukrainian Village gallery.

Chicago Tonight Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky talks with us about where state budget negotiations stand as the beginning of fiscal year 2016 approaches quickly. 

A panel of local religious leaders joins us to talk about the racially motivated shooting at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina and how they are addressing safety concerns from their congregations.

In the first of a four-part series, Daily Herald reporter Melissa Silverberg and WBEZ's Linda Lutton take a look at poverty and education in Illinois. Their studies of state testing over the last decade revealed that the schools with the most low-income students performed the worst. Silverberg and Tim Broderick, data analyst and graphic designer for the project, join us tonight to share their results of the state Poverty-Achievement gap.