Stories by Matt Masterson

“This announcement is not made lightly,” Acero said in a statement. “It is made with compassion and an unrelenting commitment to the individuals we serve. We hope to welcome as many transitioning scholars as possible to our other network schools and manage this difficult transition with integrity, mindfulness and clarity of mission.”

In-person jury selection officially began Wednesday morning in the Dirksen Federal Building, where Madigan and his longtime confidant Michael McClain face charges of racketeering, bribery and wire fraud.

Attorneys for the former Illinois House speaker and his longtime confidant met with prosecutors Tuesday afternoon to iron out any final wrinkles before the trial gets into swing.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and top prosecutors from more than a dozen other states filed a lawsuit against social media app TikTok alleging the platform has deceived the public about the dangers it presents to children and teens.

The mayor announced his new picks for the board amid a tumultuous time between Johnson and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, who said he rejected the mayor’s request that he resign his position.

Five people were killed by gunfire in shootings across Chicago over the weekend, according to the Chicago Police Department.

The longtime House speaker, along with his longtime confidant and current co-defendant Michael McClain, are finally set to go to trial this week, more than two and a half years after the men were first charged in a bombshell federal indictment that accused them of racketeering, bribery and wire fraud.

Board president Jianan Shi, Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland and fellow members Mariela Estrada, Mary Fahey Hughes, Rudy Lozano, Michelle Morales and Tanya Woods plan to step down from their positions this month.

Voters in the Nov. 5 election will pick a member to represent each of 10 new districts as the board triples in size from its current size of seven up to 21 members beginning in January 2025.

According to figures from the Chicago Police Department, there have been 439 homicides and 1,808 shootings recorded through the first nine months of 2024. Those totals are down 8% and 5%, respectively, compared to the same time last year.

The FBI is seeking any information about a man dubbed the “bare-chested bandit” who is believed to be responsible for a trio of bank robberies in the Loop in recent weeks.

Robert Crimo III, who remains in custody at the Lake County Jail, once again refused to attend a status hearing in his case Wednesday, months before he is set to stand trial on seven counts of first-degree murder and dozens of other charges.

District Judge John Blakey on Wednesday denied a defense motion seeking to toss out a handful of charges, including bribery counts, after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling narrowed the federal bribery statute — known as “section 666” — in a ruling earlier this year.

One person is dead and two others were injured following a traffic crash overnight in McKinley Park after Chicago police attempted to investigate two people they believed to be armed.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 30 people were shot in 25 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and Police Supt. Larry Snelling announced the new Bell 429 helicopter Friday, saying it would be used to help patrol around the convention sites and keep eyes on activities citywide.

Teamsters Local 727, which represents more than 800 drivers, announced this week that its members have voted to authorize a work stoppage after they claim their employer, SCR Medical Transportation, has refused to bargain in good faith.

A former Cook County prosecutor and two Chicago police officers are facing felony charges alleging they fraudulently collected more than $100,000 in overtime pay.

Prosecutors late Tuesday filed their response to Madigan’s co-defendant, Michael McClain, whose attorneys last month filed a motion seeking to sever his case from Madigan’s before the men are set to go to trial on racketeering charges later this year.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 33 people were shot in 28 separate shootings between Friday and Sunday evenings.

In addition to the politicians, delegates, protesters and attendees come significant security risks Chicago police and other law enforcement entities must tackle to keep people safe during the Democratic National Convention.

Amin Betuni, 37, of Palos Hills, entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, admitting that he shipped items on three occasions in 2022 in violation of federal export regulations.

CPS and Chicago Department of Public Health officials on Tuesday issued a notice to students and families, reminding them to get their health records in order before classes resume later this month.

Two teens fatally shot in the Back of the Yards neighborhood Saturday were among five people killed by gunfire over the weekend across Chicago, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Wednesday’s event marked former President Donald Trump’s second appearance in Chicago since 2016, when massive protests forced him to scrap a rally on the University of Illinois Chicago campus.

In a petition filed last week and unsealed Monday, Kelly’s defense team asked the court to take another look at the case after a lower court rejected his appeal earlier this year.