Bill Kurtis signs off as scorekeeper and judge on NPR's "Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!"
Former CBS Chicago anchorman Bill Kurtis has signed off from his role as the judge and scorekeeper on the NPR weekly news quiz show "Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!"
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Former CBS Chicago anchorman Bill Kurtis has signed off from his role as the judge and scorekeeper on the NPR weekly news quiz show "Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!"
A man who is best known to generations of Chicagoans as CBS Chicago's principal anchorman will soon be retiring from his latest act on the airwaves.
A man who is best known to generations of Chicagoans as CBS Chicago's principal anchorman will soon be retiring from his second act on the airwaves.
Gene Siskel was the movie critic for Channel 2 News from 1974 until his death in 1999. In these clips from 1978 and 1979, we see some of his lighter moments in the newsroom, and particularly his repartee with anchorman Walter Jacobson.
Thirty years ago this week, temperatures in Chicago hit an all-time record of 106 degrees in a heat wave that ended up being to blame for 739 deaths. This is Channel 2 News coverage of the chain of events from Monday, July 17, through Friday, July 21, documenting the death count rising by the hundred, the criticism levied against Mayor Richard M. Daley as officials were caught by surprise, and air conditioner repair scams that cropped up amid the heat.
On July 12, 1995, the ribbon was cut for Navy Pier as it reopened as a top tourist destination. Christine Doyle reports on the spectacle, and Bill Kurtis takes a ride on the newly opened first Navy Pier Ferris wheel.
These are highlight clips of live coverage from Bill Kurtis, Walter Jacobson, and the Channel 2 News team of Pope John Paul II's visit to Chicago in October 1979, including a prayer service at Holy Name Cathedral where Luciano Pavarotti sang "Ave Maria," and of course, the pope's open-air mass in Grant Park. Original airdates: Oct. 4-5, 1979.
On April 20, 1981, Spanish Catalan artist Joan Miró's famous Chicago sculpture was unveiled next to what is now called the Cook County Administration Building. Before the unveiling, renowned Channel 2 anchorman Bill Kurtis visited with the soon-to-be-88-year-old Miró at his home in Majorca, Spain. After presenting Miró with some gifts on behalf of the City of Chicago, Kurtis asked the artist through an interpreter about his inspiration, his impressions of Chicago, what he hoped people would take away from his sculpture, and other topics. Taping date: March 26, 1981.
If the first televised debate had not happened between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon in 1960, what might have been different? Bill Kurtis has final thoughts in the 1985 documentary "The Great Debate."
Vice President Richard Nixon struggled with the appearance of a five o'clock shadow, a pale appearance, and other problems during the first televised presidential debate on Sept. 26, 1960, while observers said Sen. John F. Kennedy looked confident in front of the cameras. Bill Kurtis reports in this second part of the 1985 special "The Great Debate."
Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon participated the first ever televised debate on Sept. 26, 1960 at the old CBS Chicago studios. Bill Kurtis reports on the history of politics and broadcasting, and what had happened in the Nixon and Kennedy campaigns leading up to that moment, in the first part of this 1985 documentary, "The Great Debate."
Richard Speck had no shame about killing eight young women in 1966, and his comments on a 1988 videotape may have shed light on what was going on his mind. Bill Kurtis reports in this fifth segment of "Richard Speck Speaks." This report first aired Thursday, May 9, 1996 on the Channel 2 News at 10 p.m.
In this fourth segment of the six-part series "Richard Speck Speaks," Bill Kurtis reports on a videotape obtained by CBS Chicago, showing killer Richard Speck and a cellmate at Stateville Prison in 1988. The tape showed sexual acts, drug use, and hedonism. Viewer discretion is advised. This report first aired Wednesday, May 8, 1996 on the Channel 2 News at 10 p.m.
In this third segment of the six-part series "Richard Speck Speaks," Bill Kurtis looks back at the manhunt for Speck after he murdered eight student nurses in Chicago in 1966, and examines Speck's comments on the case in a 1988 videotape recorded at Stateville Prison. This report first aired Tuesday, May 7, 1996 on the Channel 2 News at 10 p.m.
In this second segment of the six-part series "Richard Speck Speaks," Bill Kurtis reports on the Speck's cold-blooded confession as it appears a videocassette recorded at Stateville Prison in 1988. This report first aired Monday, May 6, 1996 on the Channel 2 News at 10 p.m.
In this first segment of the six-part series "Richard Speck Speaks," Bill Kurtis recounts how Speck heinously murdered of eight student nurses in Chicago in 1966. This report first aired Sunday, May 5, 1996 on the Channel 2 News at 10 p.m.
CBS 2's Bill Kurtis has final thoughts to the people who were there for the unrest during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
CBS 2's Bill Kurtis talks to the people who were there about the characterization of the unrest during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago as a 'police riot,' and about the Chicago 7 Trial in this 1988 documentary.
CBS 2's Bill Kurtis talks to the people who were there for the unrest during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
CBS 2's Bill Kurtis talks to the people who were there for the unrest during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
In Part 1 of this 1988 documentary, CBS 2's Bill Kurtis has a look back at the tension and unrest that boiled over during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, along with a montage of video from that time.
The Democratic National Convention was last held in Chicago in 1996, when President Bill Clinton was renominated. Lester Holt and Linda MacLennan anchor from the United Center, with live reports by Bill Kurtis, Mike Flannery, and Jay Levine.
This is CBS 2's coverage of the death of Mayor Harold Washington on Nov. 25, 1987. Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson anchor from our old newsroom at 630 N. McClurg Ct., and Jim Avila reports from Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
CBS 2 provided extended coverage of the 1992 Great Chicago Flood and its aftermath throughout the ensuing week.
The sense of the city being brought to its knees was so profound at the time of the Great Chicago Flood of 1992 that it drew comparisons to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. CBS 2's Bill Kurtis reports.
Two Chicago men have been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for carjacking a Chicago family at gunpoint in the backyard of their home in the Beverly neighborhood in 2023.
Waubonsee Community College will cut the ribbon on Wednesday at a new food pantry on their Sugar Grove campus.
As we prepare to mark 25 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Illinois is remembering the servicemembers who were killed that day, and in the wars that followed.
Chicagoans who faced financial hardship after severe storm damage in 2023 and 2024 can now apply for up to $15,000 in assistance.
Kane County health officials said they have identified a second confirmed case of measles.
Illinois' legislature will once again soon find itself without a legislative inspector general. Michael McCuskey will resign that watchdog post amid criticism about his ability to handle investigations.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to intervene in a lawsuit over the use of a controversial data system to review state voter rolls.
Brooks is seeking to stand out with a platform centering on revitalizing city neighborhoods and new means of promoting public safety.
Turning Point Action is expanding its Iowa presence county by county, with leaders saying high voter participation in the caucuses is the organization's key measure of success.
In less than two weeks, the high-energy laser weapon system has taken down 11 drones, coinciding with a 75% drop in drones probing the border, military officials told CBS News.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Contracted linemen from out of state sat idle in a Griffith church parking lot for hours without work orders from NIPSCO, as residents in Northwest Indiana approach two weeks without power.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced two human cases and one death from the West Nile virus in the city this year, and one of those two people has died.
The Jackson Chance Foundation supports the lives of families with babies in the NICU by removing the financial burden of finding parking near hospitals.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
The stage was set and the air was humid as rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took the stage for the first of two Chicago concerts at Soldier Field Thursday night.
James Fulton Engstrom, now a healthy teenager, was born without a pulse in 2010 — and his survival is the miracle the Catholic Church credited to Fulton Sheen's intercession, clearing the way for beatification.
The Met's decision to highlight the work by designer John Galliano sparked widespread controversy due to his history of antisemitic and racist comments.
The Edgewater Music Festival was under way this weekend on Chicago's north lakefront.
People around the world, including Chicago, continued to gather Wednesday to pay tribute to the late Dolly Parton.
A lead researcher at Anthropic, the artificial intelligence firm, said he believes there is a more than 10% chance AI "could kill all humans" within the next decade.
A woman from Hazel Crest is charged in a fatal rollover crash on I-57 in Harvey over the holiday weekend that injured seven people, including four toddlers, and killed a baby.
Meteorologist Shane Hinton has the extended forecast.
Waubonsee Community College will cut the ribbon on Wednesday at a new food pantry on their Sugar Grove campus.
As we prepare to mark 25 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Illinois is remembering the servicemembers who were killed that day, and in the wars that followed.
Questions swirled Wednesday morning about what led to a school bus hitting and killing a 6-year-old girl in Frankfort, Illinois, the day before.
A Delta Air Lines flight from New York declared an emergency as it landed in Chicago on Tuesday.
A woman from Hazel Crest is charged in a fatal rollover crash on I-57 in Harvey over the holiday weekend that injured seven people, including four toddlers, and killed a baby.
Two Chicago men have been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for carjacking a Chicago family at gunpoint in the backyard of their home in the Beverly neighborhood in 2023.
Waubonsee Community College will cut the ribbon on Wednesday at a new food pantry on their Sugar Grove campus.
Several lawsuits are challenging Illinois' medical aid in dying law that is set to take effect on Sept. 12, including one in federal court arguing the law discriminates against people with disabilities.
Back in 2023, ISP got a $10 million grant from the Illinois Secretary of State's Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
Hundreds of people are suing the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, where they say they were sexually abused by staff. For the first time, survivors detailed their experience exclusively to CBS News Chicago.
Why has the family that runs South Chicago Chapel, where 56 decomposing bodies were found this month, never faced criminal charges, despite a history of mishandling human remains?
Milwaukee extended its NL Central lead to nine games over Chicago by coming from behind to defeat the Cubs for a second straight day.
Chicago's Kyle Teel hit his second homer in two games and singled. Munetaka Murakami struck out four times.
Braxton Jones will be the Chicago Bears' starting left tackle for Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. It's the fifth straight season he will start there, after beating out three others for the job during training camp.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
The Cubs fell eight games back of the MLB-leading Brewers in the NL Central after losing the opener of this three-game series.
Two Chicago men have been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for carjacking a Chicago family at gunpoint in the backyard of their home in the Beverly neighborhood in 2023.
Gaming machines were irreparably damaged when burglars hit a restaurant in Schaumburg, Illinois, early Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Corie Walsh was actively texting in a group about the Lindsay Clancy case hours before her 2-year-old son Barrett died, though they said they do not believe it was a copycat case.
A woman was set to appear in court Monday in a shooting that left a man dead in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood last week.
A 17-year-old boy was hospitalized early Monday after being shot in Chicago's Chatham community.
