Stories by Matt Masterson

Attorneys for 59-year-old Diane Schachner announced the settlement Friday, more than three years after Schachner suffered serious leg injuries when she was dragged nearly 30 feet by the bus.

Federal prosecutors on Friday announced 56-year-old Michael Maurello has been charged with two counts each of wire fraud and bank fraud. His arraignment in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

Negotiations between the sides will continue Monday, one day before members of the UIC United Faculty plan to go on strike, citing a lack of “significant movement” at the bargaining table.

The man was removed from the building just before noon Thursday and was being rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center in grave condition, Chicago Fire Department officials said. He was later pronounced dead.

John Lausch, who has served as U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Illinois since 2017, is planning to leave the office in “early 2023,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced during an unrelated press conference Thursday.

The Chicago Police Department re-published a crime bulletin and video showing a person of interest who is being sought in connection with the teenager’s killing. Thursday marks one year since the fatal shooting.

A Cook County judge sentenced Joseph Cabrera to 24 months probation after he pleaded guilty to a charge of recklessly discharging a firearm. He had previously faced other serious charges, including attempted murder.

“This was probably the most terrifying thing these victims ever experienced in their life,” Judge Ankur Srivastava said during a court hearing Tuesday while explaining why he was denying bail for 22-year-old Sederick Wright.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 11 people were shot in 10 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included a 29-year-old man killed in a West Englewood home Friday night.

If signed by the governor, House Bill 5107 would repeal current provisions that bar principals and assistant principals in the city from bargaining unit membership.

An agreed motion released Wednesday shows that oral arguments before the Illinois Supreme Court between Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a group of prosecutors challenging the plan to eliminate cash bail will not be held until sometime in March.

Rafael Harvey, 17, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, attempted vehicular hijacking and other felonies after a shooting that left one man dead and another injured outside a Citgo gas station Tuesday.

That total marks a double-digit percentage decline over each of the last two years, according to Chicago Police Department data, but would still sit as the fourth most homicides in the city since 1999.

Jason McMahan was denied bail during a hearing Wednesday, one day after he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated battery stemming from the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Tashawnna Anderson.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said the additional officers will be sent into neighborhoods and high-traffic areas like Navy Pier, where a fireworks show will ring in the new year Saturday night.

Kankakee County Judge Thomas Cunnington issued his ruling after dozens of state’s attorneys sued to prevent Illinois from eliminating cash bail beginning Jan. 1.

When the Pretrial Fairness Act, a section of the Illinois SAFE-T Act, goes into effect Jan. 1, those charged in criminal cases in dozens of counties across Illinois will no longer have to pay any cash in order to be released from jail while they wait for their trial.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 19 people were shot between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday said the city is expected to move from a “medium” risk level for contracting COVID-19 back to a “high” risk level, likely sometime in the next week. When that happens, the city will reinstate an advisory, urging Chicagoans to mask up.

Ashley Goss, 39, was arrested Monday just moments after an incident inside the Chicago Red Line station on the Near North Side. He was ordered held without bail during a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Federal investigators allegedly identified Agnieszka Chwiesiuk in photos and videos from inside the Capitol building during the riot. According to the feds, she can be seen alongside her brother, Karol Chwiesiuk, a CPD officer who is facing five misdemeanor charges stemming from his own alleged involvement in the riot.

According to Chicago Police Department data, there were 12 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. No one was killed during that time frame, but a 16-year-old girl was fatally shot just before 6 p.m. Friday.

The shooting occurred Friday as classes were being dismissed according to Police Superintendent David Brown.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart announced Robert Crimo Jr. — the father of Robert Crimo III — was arrested Friday and charged with seven counts of reckless conduct.

Chicago police have again improved their compliance levels on court-mandated reforms under the consent decree, but the independent monitor tracking the department’s progress says it must “significantly improve” its partnerships with community residents.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability on Thursday released surveillance videos from the Nov. 1 shooting, which occurred during an alleged robbery in progress in the 1800 block of North Monticello Avenue.