A credit rating agency warns of trouble ahead for Illinois because of its failure to extend the income tax hike.

Friday marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the massive Allied invasion of Nazi occupied Europe that turned the tide of World War II.  Everyday the number of veterans who took part in that historic event are diminishing. But we hear from one Chicago-area veteran who was among the first to storm the beaches of Normandy.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle went to Springfield to make a personal pitch for Cook County pension reform. The bill passed in the Senate, but hit a road block in the House this session. Preckwinkle joins host Phil Ponce to discuss the next steps, more. 

Cardinal Francis George is questioned under oath today in a civil case involving defrocked priest and convicted sex offender Daniel McCormack. 

After decades of scientists basically using male laboratory animals for medical research, the National Institutes of Health is ending the gender bias practice in research. The shift, as published in the journal Nature, should help minimize side effects and dosage miscalculations not discovered until after products hit the market. 

When Deborah Hersman was appointed to chair the National Transportation Safety Board by President Obama she became, at 39, the youngest person to ever fill that position. She recently left her job at the NTSB to head the Chicago-based National Safety Council. 

Chicago's Divvy bike-sharing program may be peddling to success on the streets and lakefront of the city - but it's losing money. The company recorded an operating loss for 2013. 

Tarell Alvin McCraney, an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre, was the recipient of a $625,000 “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation this year. We revisit our conversation with him. Read an interview.

At 30, Monifa Thomas was a health and medicine reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times. Not long after she passed a complete physical, Monifa had a stroke and was paralyzed on her right side and had great difficulty speaking. We have the story of her recovery, return to her medical beat. 

We share what you had to say about recent stories when we read some of our viewer feedback. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago City Council tackle minimum wage, Wrigley Field renovations and more at today's meeting.