Stories by Matt Masterson

For the year, there were 573 homicides recorded throughout Chicago last year, down from 620 in 2023 and 714 in 2022.

The Chicago Police Department has said that although it has received “no actionable intelligence” regarding any possible incidents near the downtown skyscraper, it will conduct additional patrols in the immediate area.

To fully understand what led the district to this point, let’s go back in time to the spring of this year. Below is a timeline of the major events leading toward CPS CEO Pedro Martinez’s termination and upcoming departure from CPS:

Madigan, who is charged alongside McClain, is alleged to have orchestrated multiple corruption schemes, wielding his political power to reward loyal allies and enrich himself. Both men are each charged with racketeering, bribery and wire fraud and each have pleaded not guilty.

The board announced a special meeting for Friday evening where it will take up only a small handful of items, including the schools chief’s possible termination and a settlement with CPS.

Former Illinois House Speaker 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.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said it is investigating an “off-duty officer involved incident” after a 26-year-old man was struck during an exchange of gunfire in the 1000 block of South Mayfield Avenue.

“What we’ve heard from the families is that we should not close these schools,” CPS Chief Portfolio Officer Alfonso Carmona told the Chicago Board of Education during its Thursday meeting.

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said the district enacted a “comprehensive response” to protect its students, families and staff when President-elect Donald Trump’s first term began in 2017, and CPS officials are planning to take similar steps before Trump’s inauguration next month.

Sean Harden — who previously worked as Chicago Public Schools’ deputy CEO of community affairs and as an executive assistant to former Mayor Richard M. Daley — took his oath of office and was sworn in as the board’s seventh member Thursday.

A federal judge has rejected a motion for acquittal from former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza, whose alleged efforts to bribe Michael Madigan are now being laid out for jurors in the ex-House speaker’s ongoing corruption trial.

A judge has rejected a request from defense attorneys in the corruption trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan after they claimed federal prosecutors could not prove their case in one of the alleged bribery conspiracy schemes after opting not to call a key witness to testify.

The court on Friday ruled that Wyndham Lathem had been improperly denied access to his legal counsel by Judge Charles Burns during an overnight recess in his 2021 murder trial.

The proposed Chinatown land transfer is one of five separate schemes prosecutors have accused former House Speaker Michael Madigan of orchestrating.

The 533 homicides recorded across Chicago through the end of November mark a nearly 9% decline compared to the same time last year, according to CPD data. That total is also nearly 19% below 2022’s pace and 29% below 2021’s pace.

Foxx’s administration on Saturday published its final report and an eight-year data summary to highlight the “comprehensive overview of the substantial reforms and impacts achieved” during her tenure as Cook County’s top prosecutor.

The winter parking ban will begin at 3 a.m. Sunday and will cover 107 miles of arterial streets across Chicago from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. each day from Dec. 1st to April 1st.

Former Ald. Danny Solis (25th Ward) marks the most substantial witness in the government’s case against former House Speaker Michael Madigan. Solis began his testimony last week, and he is expected to be on the witness stand for several days.

That new plan, called Vision 2030, was announced Friday and is built around three main pillars: future-focused learning, shared accountability, and predictable funding.

The longtime 25th Ward alderperson, who is testifying under a deferred prosecution agreement, marks the most substantial witness in the government's case against the former House Speaker. He is expected to testify for several days.

The court ruled Thursday that special prosecutor Dan Webb and his team had no standing to charge the former “Empire” star after Foxx and her office initially resolved the case through an agreement which saw Smollett forfeit the $10,000 he paid in bond and complete 16 hours of community service.

Michael Madigan, 82, and Michael McClain, 77, are charged with racketeering, bribery and wire fraud. They have each pleaded not guilty.

Devontay Shields, 35, of Danville, Illinois, has been charged with one count of attempted kidnapping, according to a criminal complaint filed over the weekend in Chicago’s federal court.

Johnson had planned to be in attendance at Martinez’s funeral Monday, but changed course Saturday, saying he’d “heard from the family and am honoring their request.”

The six-member board on Thursday unanimously approved a measure demanding Acero return any unspent public funding if it moves ahead with the closures at the end of the current school year.

The board is set to meet outside of its typical monthly schedule Thursday in a special meeting where it will take up only a small handful of matters, including a resolution to maintain the seven charter schools Acero plans to close.