Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joins us to discuss the huge budget gap facing the county – and how she wants to tackle the problem.

After an extensive and highly competitive search, The Obama Foundation chose a New York-based architectural firm to design the Obama Presidential Center. Blair Kamin gives us some insights into the work of the architects and what Chicago might expect to see from them.

Arts journalist Victoria Lautman shares the mystery and beauty of India's stepwells, stunning architectural structures hundreds of years old that can be up to 10 stories deep.

Proposed legislation could open the door to more invasive species in the Great Lakes, say environmentalists. But shippers say it puts a patchwork quilt of conflicting regulations under one federal agency that allows them to do business while still keeping invasive species out.

On the South Side of Chicago some local entrepreneurs are repurposing an old meatpacking plant in an effort to create something very unusual – a way of doing business that creates no trash.

The former Illinois governor is back in the spotlight and campaigning, but not for a political office – or so he says.

Juno is set to uncover what Jupiter has been hiding. After a five-year, 1.75 billion mile voyage, NASA's spacecraft named after a Roman goddess successfully entered into orbit around the largest planet in our solar system Monday night. 

The state's six-month stopgap budget sailed through the Illinois General Assembly by a huge vote margin last week, just before the fiscal year deadline. Only four lawmakers voted against the plan. They join “Chicago Tonight” to explain their decision.

Watch the July 5, 2016 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

For the first time in a year, there is a state budget, albeit a temporary one. There is also relief for Chicago Public Schools, but with some caveats. Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky joins us with the latest.

Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis talks about what may be happening in Springfield to help CPS and what it could mean for contract negotiations.

A day of special session for the Illinois House and Senate ended with no significant action on a budget agreement. Amanda Vinicky shares details of what’s been happening behind the scenes.