Stories by Matt Masterson

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in a Lake County courtroom where Robert Crimo III will stand trial on 117 charges, including 21 counts of first-degree murder, representing three charges for each person killed.

Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti on Thursday granted a prosecution motion that will allow any victim who is set to testify against Robert Crimo III to remain in court throughout the entirety of his trial.

“It is research that is essential, it is research that is nonpartisan, it is research that improves lives and improves communities,” said Aaron Krall, president of the UIC United Faculty union. “This is deadly serious, these are life-and-death matters.”

Cydney Wallace, who serves on the board of directors for the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, has been named as the 21st member of the new school board.

“He has stuck a middle finger in the face of the American people,” U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (14th District) said, “and it’s unacceptable.”

CTU vice president Jackson Potter said the union is “very concerned” about Linda McMahon’s potential confirmation as she’s expected to carry out orders to essentially dismantle the Department of Education.

Michael Madigan, once the state of Illinois’ most powerful politician during his decades-long run as Illinois House Speaker and chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, has now joined the long list of local and state powerbrokers convicted on federal corruption charges.

The jury of eight women and four men began deliberations late on Jan. 29. They have now completed 10 days of discussions without yet reaching a verdict.

“That is the last thing that students and families need,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said of a possible teachers strike, “and given how close our teams are to an agreement, we see no reason for such a drastic step.”

While the train operator was found to have alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that this was not what caused the Nov. 16, 2023, collision north of the Howard Street CTA station.

There were 38 homicides recorded throughout the city in January, an 8.6% jump over the same month in 2024, according to new data from the Chicago Police Department.

Michael Madigan’s defense team rested Thursday, nearly three months after opening statements and testimony began in the landmark case. Here is what you need to know about the case.

Jury deliberations finally got underway Wednesday afternoon in the landmark corruption trial of powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan after six days of closing arguments.

Of the 23 total charges in the indictment, Michael McClain faces six counts including racketeering conspiracy, federal program bribery and wire fraud. He has pleaded not guilty.

Monday marked the fourth day of closing arguments in Michael Madigan’s landmark corruption trial at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago.

Prosecutors concluded their final summations Friday on Day 3 of closing arguments in the former speaker’s landmark trial by presenting an overview of how the various bribery and corruption schemes alleged in the government’s 23-charge indictment all come together under count one: racketeering conspiracy.

Thursday marked the second day of closing arguments in the speaker’s landmark racketeering and bribery trial, as prosecutors continued detailing the five corruption schemes Madigan allegedly orchestrated.

Closing statements officially got underway Thursday afternoon, more than three months after the corruption trial of Madigan and his longtime friend and ally Michael McClain.

Michael Madigan’s defense team officially rested Thursday morning, nearly three months after opening statements and testimony began in the landmark case.

“This moment is no doubt historic," elected member Ellen Rosenfeld said, "not just for me but for all of us, because this body reflects the voices and values of the majority of the people of our district.”

Tuesday marked Madigan’s fourth day on the witness stand and his second facing cross-examination by government prosecutors.

Michael Madigan, who is charged alongside his longtime right-hand man Michael McClain, is alleged to have orchestrated multiple corruption schemes, wielding his political power to reward loyal allies and enrich himself. They have each pleaded not guilty.

As Michael Madigan returned to the witness stand for his second day of testimony Wednesday in his ongoing corruption trial, he told jurors outright that he “would not be involved in a quid pro quo.“

A new annual report published Wednesday from the CPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlights the office’s major investigations from the previous year.

The bombshell decision came Tuesday as the monthslong corruption trial at Chicago’s Dirksen Federal Building is drawing to a close.

According to the Chicago Police Department, seven people were shot in seven separate shooting incidents between Friday and Sunday evenings. Of those victims, two were killed while another person was killed as a result of blunt force trauma.