Stories by Matt Masterson

Chief Judge Charles Beach had pledged to overhaul the county’s monitoring system following a high-profile arson attack on a Blue Line train last year, allegedly carried out by a man free on electronic monitoring.

A federal judge next week is expected to rule on a request from Marimar Martinez, the woman shot five times by a federal immigration agent last fall, to unseal videos, photos and other evidence from the shooting.

Officer Alain Dillon, 37, has been charged by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office with three felony counts of bribery and 15 felony counts of official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty.

A federal judge has agreed to dismiss a class action lawsuit brought by Chicago journalists and protesters who sought to limit federal agents’ use of force amid expanded immigration enforcement operations.

A 12-person jury reached its verdict Thursday afternoon in the case of Juan Espinoza Martinez, who was charged in a murder-for-hire plot after prosecutors alleged he offered $10,000 for someone to kill Greg Bovino.

CPS cited “dangerously frigid temperatures” expected Friday in making its decision, saying the possible wind chills of -35 degrees will make it unsafe for students and staff to travel to school.

Federal prosecutors have alleged Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, posted a Snapchat message offering $10,000 for someone to kill Greg Bovino, the controversial Customs and Border Patrol chief. Espinoza Martinez’s lawyers say the message was nothing more than repeating rumors.

The jury was selected Tuesday afternoon as the case got underway inside a 17th-floor courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. Opening statements are slated to begin Wednesday morning.

Juan Espinoza Martinez is set to go on trial Tuesday on charges alleging he placed a bounty on the head of Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino last fall.

A Chicago tow truck driver is accused of helping steal multiple vehicles while he worked for the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis on Thursday granted a motion from Chicago and Illinois attorneys who sought to reassign their case to her.

“DePaul University is deeply disappointed that former student-athletes were named in the indictment for alleged gambling activities during the 2023-2024 men’s basketball season,” a university spokesperson said.

Anne Pramaggiore, who was convicted along with three other former ComEd officials in 2023, has begun serving her sentence at the federal correctional institution in Marianna, Florida, according to federal records.

Chicago Public Schools students will return to their classrooms to kick off the 2026-27 academic year on Aug. 24, according to the district’s newly proposed annual calendar.

Pedro Villarreal was ordered detained at Cook County Jail pending trial after he was charged Monday with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and other felony charges stemming from the Dec. 23 shooting.

The lawsuit claims the ongoing “assault” on the state’s sovereignty amid the administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement violates the Tenth Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Thursday announced the state had joined on to a lawsuit that seeks to halt what plaintiffs claim is the Trump administration’s unconstitutional freeze of funding that allows families to access food, safe housing and child care.

Chicago’s FBI Field Office on Friday said it is offering up to $10,000 for information, weeks after a 49-year-old guard was shot and wounded outside a Chase Bank branch in the 4300 block of South Archer Avenue.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis on Thursday raised concerns about the dismissal request in a class action lawsuit brought by the Chicago Headline Club and local journalists who fought for a broad injunction to limit federal agents’ use of force in an effort to protect legal observers.

The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California where Roblox is based, accuses the gaming company of creating a breeding ground for predators and prioritizing its own profits over user safety.

Those findings were included in an annual report published Wednesday by the school district’s Office of Inspector General, which is tasked with investigating allegations of CPS employee misconduct.

In his first month as Cook County’s new chief judge, Charles Beach said he has worked to improve transparency, strengthen court operations and boost overall accountability.

With only a handful of days left before the calendar turns to 2026, Chicago is on pace to see its lowest homicide total since at least 2014.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area to support its immigration crackdown.

According to the Chicago Police Department, a 44-year-old man was killed in a shooting just before 1:30 a.m. in the 100 block of North Wells.

Illinois U.S. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson and Danny Davis toured the controversial west suburban facility Monday, months after being denied access.