Stories by Matt Masterson

Sedgwick Williams, 47, and Tai Hon La, 34, were each convicted on kidnapping charges this month following a two-week trial in Chicago’s federal court building. Both men face a possible sentence of up to life in prison.

Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday published individual school-level budgets amid as some have expressed concerns about how the district’s new funding model could affect its selective enrollment and magnet schools.

The 5-year-old, Reig Ware, was fatally shot at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday in the 200 block of South Campbell Avenue.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, speaking Friday at the Chicago Cultural Center, joined Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling and other department leaders to unveil the city’s summer safety plans ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

The Rev. Ira Acree, who was selected by Mayor Brandon Johnson to serve on the board, announced Friday he is no longer seeking that seat due to aldermanic resistance that began after he faced pointed questions during his confirmation hearing earlier this month.

The Chicago Board of Education unanimously approved a new agreement with unionized staffers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 73.

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jackson Potter confirmed the union and school district have agreed to hold open bargaining sessions that will allow community stakeholders to attend negotiations for the first time.

Antonio M. Strong, 31, of Lansing, Illinois, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a Massachusetts federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud.

SEIU Local 73 says it represents more than 11,000 CPS support staff, including special education classroom assistants, custodians, crossing guards, bus aides, security officers and parent workers. CPS and the union had been negotiating on a contract for a year.

According to Chicago Police Department figures, 45 people were shot, 1 fatally, in 31 separate shooting incidents recorded between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Six people are accused of staging fake robberies at various restaurants and businesses in and around Chicago in an effort to help make the purported “victims” eligible for U.S. visas.

The journalists filed a class-action lawsuit against the Chicago Tribune, the Tribune Publishing Company and Alden Global Capital, alleging they’ve faced pay discrimination based on gender, race and ethnicity as a result of the defendants’ “centralized policies and practices.”

The Illinois State Board of Education on Wednesday awarded a six-year, $53 million contract to the ACT, Inc. organization, meaning high schoolers statewide will shift back to the ACT after taking SAT exams for most of the past decade.

Green jackets belonging to golf legends Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan were among the millions of dollars worth of memorabilia and items a former Augusta National Golf Club employee has admitted to stealing.

As Chicago Public Schools moves to fully remove police officers from its buildings, education officials are planning a phased-in approach to its new school safety plans.

Employment levels in Chicago and beyond have rebounded since the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new report has found teens and young adults across the city, particularly those of color, are still struggling to find consistent work.

Heather Bergdahl faces federal charges after she allegedly worked to steal from Loretto Hospital by sending nearly half a million dollars to businesses that never provided the hospital with goods or services.

A 23-year-old woman fatally shot inside a South Side home was among four people killed by gunfire across Chicago over the weekend, according to Chicago Police Department figures.

Pride Parade supporters had reportedly called on Mayor Brandon Johnson to rescind plans to cut the number of parade entries down from nearly 200 last year to 125 this year due to safety and logistical concerns.

Illinois State Police on Friday announced that Gabrielle Williams, 23, had been taken into custody and is currently being held in the Sangamon County Jail pending a pre-trial detention hearing.

Examining the rapidly unfolding hazing scandal that led to the firing of Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald and threw the university into turmoil.

Former linebacker Nathan Fox claims he was hazed repeatedly during his time with the university’s football program, and that in at least one instance, the team’s coaches watched and laughed as it happened.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office announced it is adding a new position — hate crimes specialist — in response to the “growing need to address hate crimes amid a challenging global climate.”

The alleged sexual abuse in these cases occurred between 1996 and 2017 and the victims were all minors — some as young as 12 — when the alleged abuse occurred, according to the complaint.

Nearly 100 people are claiming in a new lawsuit that they were subjected to sexual abuse and assault as the hands of correctional officers and staffers at facilities in Chicago and across the state.

According to Chicago Police Department figures, 31 people were shot in 24 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.