Stories by Matt Masterson

Federal prosecutors in Chicago charged the hospital’s former chief financial officer Anosh Ahmed, its chief transformation officer Heather Bergdahl and the medical supply company owner Sameer Suhail with multiple counts of wire fraud in connection with the alleged scheme.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and city officials announced that 27,140 Chicagoans between the ages of 14-24 — an increase of about 2,400 people over last year — have signed up and begun employment and internship opportunities since the annual summer work program kicked off late last month.

“This budget very clearly puts teaching and learning front and center where it belongs,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement Wednesday.

Chicago Public Schools parents, educators, Local School Council members and more were among the 47 candidates to submit their nomination petitions for the board races by Monday’s deadline.

But any decision on a new trial or verdict is still months away, as the briefing schedule extends into mid-November. The four defendants were convicted back in May 2023.

“We need to ensure that we are holding every single individual accountable for the pain and trauma and torment that they have caused in this city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

According to the Chicago Board of Elections, 42 challenges have been filed against 27 candidates — some faced multiple objections — mostly alleging the candidates didn’t meet the 1,000-signature threshold to appear on the ballot in November.

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a series of challenges to Illinois’ assault weapons ban — for now — but a pair of justices indicated a willingness to take up the case in the future.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability on Tuesday released videos showing the fatal May 27 shooting of Tracey Watson, who was killed in the middle of the 300 block of South Cicero Avenue during an altercation with a second man.

Five people were killed by gunfire over the weekend across Chicago, including a trio who were fatally shot Sunday morning in Greater Grand Crossing.

Chicago police will be canceling days off and staffing an “abundance” of officers along the route of the city’s Pride Parade this Sunday.

The Board of Education on Thursday approved a resolution that will grant school leaders the ability to begin spending their funding allocations when the 2025 fiscal year begins next month — even as the full district budget has not yet been finished.

Robert Crimo III, who was expected to plead guilty Wednesday, instead appeared in a Lake County courtroom packed with victims of the shooting and rejected an agreement in which he would have pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree murder and dozens of other charges.

The U.S. Supreme Court may have thrown a wrench into some of the biggest corruption cases across Illinois — including the upcoming trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan — with a new ruling that redefines federal bribery statutes.

As Chicago Public Schools prepares to eliminate resource officer positions districtwide, a new study found removing police from city schools has not led to increased disciplinary issues, nor did it make students and staff feel less safe.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 31 people were shot in 25 separate shooting incidents between Friday and Sunday evenings.

Deer’s family announced his passing on social media Sunday. He was 51 years old.

Attorneys for Herman Williams — a former U.S. Navy member who served two tours in the Gulf War — announced Tuesday he has been awarded the certificate by the state following his exoneration in the 1993 killing of his former wife Penny Williams.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling confirmed that the victim died after he was shot around 3 p.m. Tuesday in the 2300 block of West Jackson Boulevard.

Cordale Nichols, 37, will be detained pending trial following his arrest on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, attempted murder and arson stemming from the June 15 fire that left Charnette Walker dead.

According to the Chicago Police Department, the boy was standing on the sidewalk in the 1300 block of South Independence Boulevard just before 8:30 p.m. Friday when he was shot.

Ed Burke’s attorneys are seeking to delay his upcoming sentencing date until sometime in mid-July after the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to rule on an appeal filed by James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, who was convicted in 2021 of accepting a bribe.

Chicago Public Schools on Thursday announced that preliminary state assessment figures show students in grades 3-8 achieved gains in both subjects on the spring Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) exam.

“Judge Harry D. Leinenweber was a friend, mentor, and model jurist,” Rebecca Pallmeyer, chief judge for the Northern District of Illinois, said in a statement. “My colleagues and I are deeply saddened by Judge Leinenweber’s passing.”

CPS on Tuesday announced the CPS CEO Pedro Martinez had informed network and school leaders the final draft of its FY25 budget would now be presented in July as the district continues “finalizing the total budget.”

The former president shook hands with construction workers and signed a beam that will be used in the ongoing construction of the center in Jackson Park.