Stories by paris schutz

Clock Ticking on Probe of Cook County Assessments

Is an independent review of the Cook County assessment process just a political cover for embattled Assessor Joe Berrios?

Jackson Park Community Tees Off on Tiger Woods Golf Course

Chicago Park District officials presented new details Wednesday on a plan to build a Tiger Woods-designed golf course next to the proposed Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. Will it benefit the surrounding community?

(Meagan Davis / Wikimedia Commons)

$107 Billion Borrowing Plan Could Save State Pensions

Lawmakers consider a radical new proposal to solve the state’s massive pension crisis. Why they think it’s the best way to go.

City Council in a Tiff Over Abortion

Tensions flared Wednesday at a City Council meeting over a government subsidy to a Catholic hospital that opposes abortion and contraception, causing a rift along social and racial lines before a close vote. 

Chicago Teacher Pension Payday: Top Earners in 2017

As Chicago property owners pay more money toward teacher pensions, a look at where exactly the money is going.

“I stick with my original interpretation,” Sen. Dick Durbin said Monday. “I am stunned that this is their defense.”

Durbin, Trump Spar Over Vulgar Language Used to Describe Immigrants

Two GOP senators say it didn't happen, Sen. Dick Durbin says it did. More on the fallout from the president’s reported comments about Haitian and African immigrants.

Obama Presidential Center rendering (Image by DBOX)

Revised Obama Presidential Center Plans Submitted to City Hall

The Obama Foundation says it revised plans for the Obama Presidential Center after extensive community input. But are they enough to silence critics of the center, and will city officials OK the plans?

Massive Peoples Gas Pipeline Upgrade to Result in Higher Prices

State regulators are set to approve a pipe modernization project that could double your natural gas bill over the next 20 years.

Matt Nagy (Courtesy Chicago Bears)

Chicago Bears Name Matt Nagy Head Coach

Just who is Matt Nagy, why did the Bears act so swiftly, and what is the future of their lauded defensive coordinator Vic Fangio? We have the latest.

Illinois Health Officials: State Facing ‘Unprecedented’ Opioid Epidemic

Opioid overdoses in Illinois claim more lives than homicides and car accidents. State health officials tell us what’s behind the crisis.  

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace (Courtesy Chicago Bears)

Chicago Bears Begin Coaching Search

The Bears are in the market for a new head coach for the third time in six years. We take a look at the top candidates.

Chicago Cracks Down on Party Buses

New Year’s revelers may want to take note: The city plans an extra crackdown on party buses that shuttle people from bar to bar. Here’s the latest on that and what to expect in 2018.

Retired Illinois Educators Taking Home Millions in Pensions

Retirement can be lucrative for some former Illinois educators who are taking home pensions from the state’s Teachers Retirement System. A records request submitted by Chicago Tonight reveals the top 200 pension earners receive well into the six figures. 

Cook County Assessor Berrios Faces More Heat

A government watchdog group is calling for oversight of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios and the way his office assesses property values. 

(Ken Teegardin / Flickr)

List of Top 200 Pension Earners Shows Potential for Big Payouts

A taxpayer watchdog group releases a list of the top 200 pension earners in Chicago, and all of them make more than six figures annually. But are high benefits the only reason Chicago taxpayers are drowning in red ink?

(WTTW News)

Rohingya Flee Myanmar, Find New Life in Chicago

The U.N. says they are the most persecuted ethnic group in the world. As they flee Southeast Asia, Chicago has become home to the largest population of Rohingya Muslims in the U.S.

State Rep. Jeanne Ives Calls for Repeal of Sanctuary State Law

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Republican primary opponent is calling on him to repeal a law that gives undocumented immigrants sanctuary status in Illinois. 

“I’m a writer, a journalist,” said Jamie Kalven in court Wednesday. (Courtesy of WGN)

Van Dyke Attorneys Want Reporter to Reveal Sources

Should Jamie Kalven, the reporter who broke the story of the Laquan McDonald shooting, be forced, under oath, to reveal his sources? 

Gov. Bruce Rauner discusses school funding reform in August on “Chicago Tonight.”

National Review Dubs Rauner ‘Worst Republican Governor in America’

A leading national conservative publication gives a scathing title to Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner. Get details on that and other political news of the day.

High-Speed O’Hare Airport Service Barrels Forward

How would you like to whisk from the Loop to O’Hare International Airport in under 20 minutes? Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the idea is one giant step closer to reality.

Opioid Epidemic Hits Cook County Jail

While the overall population in Cook County Jail is on the decline, one group of detainees is growing: opioid addicts.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez speaks to “Chicago Tonight” on Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s Retirement Shakes Up Political Scene

It’s a political earthquake that is reverberating across multiple layers of government: Longtime U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez says he will not seek another term. 

(Nitram242 / Wikimedia Commons)

City, County Overwhelmingly Approve 2018 Budgets

Chicagoans will soon be paying a little more for ride-sharing services and for big concerts at places like the United Center and Wrigley Field. But with the soda tax long gone, what is the fate of county jobs?

Roskam on GOP Tax Bill: ‘Best Way to Grow Economy’

Illinois Republican Congressman Peter Roskam says that criticisms of the recently passed House GOP tax cut bill are “hyperbole.”

Cook County Proposes Nearly 600 Layoffs in Lieu of Soda Tax

With the penny-per-ounce pop tax fizzled out, new plans to come up with the $200 million Cook County says it needs.

(BeyondDC / Flickr)

Ride-Sharing Fees, Amusement Tax Advance in City Council

The City Council on Monday advanced the mayor’s 2018 budget proposal, but not without some trepidation from aldermen.