The fiscal cracks may be turning into floodgates as the state government approaches a fifth month without a budget. A major ratings agency on Monday dealt a blow to the state as a result of the inaction in Springfield. Has it emboldened either side to get off the sidelines and work together on a solution? Paris Schutz has the latest.

In a game both thrilling and frustrating the Bears and Lions traded the lead five times, needed overtime to decide the outcome and left fans of each team scratching their heads. The previously winless Lions looked more capable than their record indicated, while the Bears offense seesawed between potent and ineffective. Former Bear James "Big Cat" Williams joins us for his take on the game.

The two biggest stories in sports news lately have been the Chicago Cubs and the controversy over online fantasy sports. What are your chances of getting a ticket to a playoff game at Wrigley Field and what will it cost you? And what exactly is fantasy sports—is it gambling and should it be banned or regulated? Join us for a discussion on these topics and more.

She's been feeding Chicagoans her signature brand of breakfast since opening her first restaurant in 1991. And despite closing up shop two years ago, Ina Pinkney wanted to share some of her favorite recipes in a book, along with stories from her life. Pinkney joins "Chicago Tonight" to talk about "Ina's Kitchen."

The fifth of six planned east-west runways at O'Hare International Airport is officially open today. Will this development help to quiet residents' noise complaints or make the problem worse? Paris Schutz has the story.

Thursday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets face off to determine which team will meet the Chicago Cubs in this year's National League Championship Series. ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers and WBEZ's Cheryl Raye-Stout join "Chicago Tonight" with a look ahead.

Former New York Times Moscow bureau chief Steven Lee Myers spent seven years covering one of the most controversial leaders on the world stage. Myers now has written a comprehensive new biography, "The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin." Myers joins us to discuss the book.

A new baseball statistic that could help the Chicago Cubs win, a new tool that could revolutionize the surgical removal of cancerous tumors and new images of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon. Museum of Science and Industry director of science and integrated strategies Rabiah Mayas joins us with these stories and more.

Temperatures are starting to drop but that doesn’t signal the end of the gardening season. The Organic Gardener Jeanne Nolan visits the WTTW organic garden to do some planting. She also shares tips on how gardeners can extend the season a little longer.

He's a composer, conductor, poet and instrumentalist. And he's already being compared to Mozart. We revisit the 25 year old whose children's opera–written for Chicago–is getting another hearing. 

We share what you had to say about some of our recent stories when we read viewer feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.