Stories by Meredith Francis

While filming Riding the Rails, host Geoffrey Baer inspired Liam Davy, beverage director at Hawksmoor Chicago, to shake up something special. 

The Illinois primaries made for a busy news month. Did you keep up with the news? Test your knowledge with our monthly news quiz.

Kate Warne became the nation’s first female detective when she began working for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago, and she later played a key role in foiling an apparent assassination plot against president-elect Abraham Lincoln. 

Chicago loves to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This March, WTTW is celebrating with programming that explores Irish history, culture, music, and storytelling.

March is Women’s History Month, and WTTW is marking the occasion with programming that spotlights women’s contributions to politics, civil rights, the arts, literature, science, and beyond. 

February may be the shortest month, but Chicago’s news cycle didn’t slow down. How much did you catch? Test yourself with our February news quiz.

As ski jumpers prepare to launch themselves from towering alpine ramps for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, a little piece of Chicago history offers a reminder that mountains, while helpful, have never been strictly required for ski jumping. 

On Sunday during Super Bowl LX, a beloved song that once welcomed children to the neighborhood will get a pop music transformation.

There’s a new friend in Mister Rogers’ neighborhood, and it’s none other than pop icon and actress Lady Gaga.

It was a long, cold January, but the Chicago headlines kept rolling in. How closely were you following the news?

Discover the breadth of experience and contributions of Black Americans with a wide variety of programming for Black History Month on WTTW.

If you haven’t noticed from the ice crystals creeping up your windows or the wind biting at your nose, it’s pretty cold out there! Lean into the frigid temperatures from the safety of your couch (preferably under a heated blanket) with these delightfully wintry cold weather stories from WTTW.

The Dearborn Park neighborhood rose from another expanse of abandoned railroad property amid high hopes – and deep unease – about whom downtown redevelopment was really for.

What a year for news in Chicago. Did you keep up with the headlines? Take our year-end news quiz to find out.

From nostalgic classics to new twists, our most popular recipes of 2025 serve up a little comfort and plenty of curiosity.