Stories by Matt Masterson

For the first time in seven years, NASCAR will be returning to the 1.5-mile speedway in Joliet with an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on July 4, 2026 and a Cup Series race scheduled for July 5.

In Illinois, there are numerous security checks in place to ensure the accuracy and security of mail-in voting, according to Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the state’s Board of Elections.

Chicago Public Schools students returned to their classrooms Monday for the start of the new academic year, as district officials continue working to finalize a budget proposal to close a $734 million funding gap.

A Chicago Police Department spokesperson confirmed that Officer Carlos Baker has been relieved of his police powers, effective Friday.

The letter came after several board members voiced concerns about the district’s proposed spending plan, one CPS officials have pledged would keep any cuts out of the classroom.

Judge Scott Larson said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “failed to present a legal basis” for the Illinois court to consider civil arrest warrants filed in a different state.

“The choices we have are difficult ones,” CPS chief budget officer Mike Sitkowski told the Board of Education, “and it’s very difficult for us to be able to make cuts of this magnitude and keep the impact off of our schools.”

Former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson faces first-degree murder and other charges in Sonya Massey’s killing.

The Texas representatives, who are entering their second week of their quorum break, stood with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in Chicago Monday, days after a pair of bomb threats were called in to their St. Charles hotel.

Kristi Noem, whose office oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), visited suburban Lombard on Friday to criticize Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, whom he claimed have “worked so hard to protect these dangerous criminals” through their refusal to cooperate with ICE officials.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Elias Rodriguez, 31, with several new counts including murder of a foreign official, hate crimes, first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill more than two months after he allegedly killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside the Capital Jewish Museum.

Authorities are investigating after a threat was allegedly made Wednesday against Texas House Democrats who fled to Illinois in an effort to block a Republican redistricting effort in their home state.

Jay Doherty, the longtime City Club president and consultant for utility giant ComEd, will be headed to prison for his role in a yearslong conspiracy to bribe ex-Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan.

Launched in 2018, CPS based its SCS model around engaging academic curriculum, high-quality teaching, wrap-around supports, restorative justice discipline, parent engagement and inclusive school leadership.

Chicago police, along with the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, announced the child was found with their mother after they had gone missing in 2018.

Gender-affirming care includes a range of medical and mental health services to support a person’s gender identity. It includes counseling and treatment with medications that block puberty, and hormone therapy to produce physical changes, as well as surgery, which is rare for minors.

Baseball’s biggest names will be heading to the Friendly Confines in July 2027 as Wrigley Field is set to host the MLB All-Star game for the first time in more than 30 years.

Davis, 83, will leave Congress as one of the most senior members of the House of Representatives and the ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.

“It feels (like) a sense of relief, but it’s been too long coming. It should have happened a long time ago,” Soto said at the courthouse. “It’s kind of hard going into the very courtrooms where Dave and I received an injustice to try and get some semblance of justice.”

“When a life is taken so violently and so publicly, our legal system must respond accordingly,” the family’s attorney Patrick A. Salvi II said in a statement. “While nothing will fill the void (in) the hearts of Peter’s loved ones, the filing of this lawsuit is a step toward justice for the family and will expose any failures that allowed this tragedy to occur.”

The university said it is cutting approximately 5% of its staff budget through the elimination of 425 positions across schools and units, though officials said about half of those are currently vacant.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed the two bills into law, which he said will continue Illinois’ efforts to be among the most aggressive states in combating gun violence.

Community leaders on Monday demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement refrain from targeting neighborhood celebrations in Chicago.

Michael McClain and three codefendants — former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former contract lobbyist Jay Doherty — were each convicted of bribery conspiracy and willfully falsifying the utility company’s books in the 2023 “ComEd Four” trial.

In an expected move, Madigan on Wednesday filed his notice of appeal to the Seventh Circuit Court after he was convicted in February on 10 felony charges including bribery and wire fraud.

In a sentencing memo published late Tuesday, prosecutors asked that ex-City Club president and ComEd lobbyist Jay Doherty be sentenced to 15 months in prison.