The Justice Department on Sunday announced it has opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the fatal stabbing, after 71-year-old Joseph Czuba allegedly stabbed Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, and his mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin, in a Plainfield Township home.

The sheriff’s office said the landlord did not make a statement, but investigators were able to determine the victims were “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”

According to Chicago Police Department data, 21 people were struck by gunfire in 19 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m Sunday.

Mayor Brandon Johnson this week unveiled his $16.6 billion spending plan for 2024. Meanwhile, Illinois confirmed its first measles case since 2019, and Chicago’s theater community is facing multiple challenges.

Lake County Judge George Strickland found Carlos Acosta, 57 of Woodstock, who was a case investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, guilty of the child endangerment charge but acquitted him of a reckless conduct charge.

The Chicago Police Department says it will be deploying additional patrols this weekend to local mosques and synagogues as tensions continue amid the Israel-Hamas war.

“Thank you to our community partners who shared this information to assist with an expeditious investigation into this incident in light of recent events, including the current conflict in Israel,” the department said in a statement.

The inspector general’s probe found that while the officer’s former partner was moving out, the officer “told them to call everyone they loved and tell them goodbye” and told them they were going to kill them and their family if they appeared at the apartment later that same day.

Eric Morgan, who faced charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice, has reached a plea agreement more than two years after the shooting, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office announced.

Patrick Taylor, who spent 16 years in custody following his arrest and conviction in the fatal shooting of a suburban rapper in a Rolling Meadows home, is set to be released Wednesday after prosecutors dropped charges against him.

Authorities discovered the body of 73-year-old Myrtle Brown on Sept. 16 after relatives alerted police they’d been unable to find or contact her or her son, the Maywood Police Department said in a news release. Her body was found near a creek behind her home in Maywood, about 11 miles from Chicago, according to the department.

Skokie Police on Wednesday announced that 23-year-old Jacob Spiro was arrested this week and charged with two counts of falsely making a terrorist threat and one count of disorderly conduct.

The Illinois State Police on Tuesday announced that 38-year-old Adam Dabash had been charged with two counts of stalking and one count of criminal damage to property.

According to police, the shooting took place just after 2:30 a.m. outside Blum, a restaurant and nightclub in the 300 block of West Erie Street.

The plane, which was supposed to fly to Dayton, Ohio, was taken out of service and passengers boarded a different plane to continue to Dayton, American Airlines said.

The escalating migrant crisis dominated political news in Chicago this week. Meanwhile, WTTW News investigated instances of Chicago Public Schools hiring fired Chicago police officers to work as security guards. Here are five stories you may have missed.