Stories by Matt Masterson

Macquline King will officially drop the interim tag from her title as Chicago Public Schools CEO after the city’s Board of Education voted to make her the district’s next permanent leader.

A Venezuelan migrant will be held in jail after his arrest in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman as she walked with her friends on a Rogers Park neighborhood beach last week.

Saturday’s day of action is expected to include millions of protesters in more than 3,000 planned demonstrations across the U.S., including a handful of events in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

Chicago’s Board of Education is set to vote on King's appointment as full-time CEO during a special board meeting Monday morning. If approved, King’s $380,000-per-year contract would take effect July 1.

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke is launching a new task force focusing on CTA-related crimes and prosecutions as federal authorities continue pressuring Chicago officials to tamp down crime on the city’s bus and train lines.

Chicago White Sox great Frank Thomas is suing his former team and Nike, alleging they sold City Connect jerseys branded with his last name and jersey number without his permission.

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke says her office doesn’t have the legal authority to initiate criminal investigations into federal immigration agents, claiming that doing so would be “willfully violat(ing) the law.”

Sheaves Slate, 27, will be detained in Cook County Jail pending trial on charges including first-degree murder, felony murder and aggravated arson stemming from the fatal fire last week.

A CPS spokesperson said school leaders have started soliciting feedback from its school community on the decision to consider a school name change after multiple allegations of abuse came to light against the former president of The United Farm Workers union.

Attorneys for the four remaining defendants in the “Broadview Six” conspiracy case are seeking documents that may show the Trump administration pushed for the indictments in the politically charged case.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has been declared the winner of a jam-packed Democratic primary race for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat, which is set to see its first new leader in more than 25 years.

Ten candidates were vying for an Illinois congressional seat in the state’s 2nd District, which is set for a new representative for the first time in more than a decade.

More than a dozen Democratic candidates are squaring off Tuesday in a race for control of Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, a seat that’s been held by Congressman Danny Davis for nearly 30 years.

Melissa Bean, who previously led Illinois’ 8th Congressional District for three terms, took a major step toward taking that seat back, as she has been declared the winner in Tuesday’s Democratic primary race.

King is joined on the list of finalists by former New York City Public Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Sito Narcisse, who previously led the East Baton Rouge Parish school district in Louisiana.

Prosecutors filed a motion Thursday afternoon in which they plan to drop charges against Catherine Sharp and Joselyn Walsh, while continuing on in their case against four others.

That coalition on Thursday filed a petition in Cook County court after they said State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has failed to hold federal agents accountable.

The union’s House of Delegates approved a resolution Wednesday seeking “full support” from Chicago’s Board of Education and Mayor Brandon Johnson to declare May 1 as a “Day of Civic Action.”

Nearly two years after CPS removed police officers from campuses and implemented a new holistic approach to school safety, officials believe that shift could serve as a replicable model for school districts across the country.

Attorneys with Loevy and Loevy say a “broad coalition” is set to make a public call for a special prosecutor after Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “terrorized” Cook County communities last fall

The ASPIRA charter network intends to close two schools by April 3 due to what it says is a “lack of funding,” forcing hundreds of students to transfer mid-year while teachers and staff must now find new jobs.

Friday’s ceremony, billed as a “homegoing service,” served as a celebration of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s life and achievements with singing, dancing and numerous speakers who reflected on the many ways Jackson impacted their lives.

Olga Bautista, who serves as vice president of Chicago’s Board of Education following her appointment by Mayor Brandon Johnson, is resigning her position, she announced Wednesday.

Data from the Chicago Police Department shows there were 25 homicides and 81 shootings across February, increases of 19% and 8%, respectively, over the same month in 2025.

Chief Judge Charles Beach’s office said some residents have received fake notices purportedly sent by the court that threaten recipients with potential legal action.

CPS classes for K-12 students in the 2026-27 academic year will begin Aug. 24 and end June 11. The following year, they’ll begin Aug. 23 and run through June 9.