Stories by Matt Masterson

A day after R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison following his racketeering conviction in New York, a federal judge has denied a request to throw out additional charges against the R&B singer ahead of his upcoming trial in Chicago.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul was in Chicago Wednesday to announce the launch of Crime Gun Connect — an online platform that allows police departments to access gun trace records more efficiently than ever.

CNN is projecting former public defender Kathy Salvi to defeat Casey Chlebek, Peggy Hubbard, Robert Piton, Jimmy Lee Tillman II, Anthony Williams and Matthew Dubiel in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

Both candidates are current U.S. Representatives — Casten in the 6th District, Newman in the 3rd District — and are facing off in the 6th District, which includes many of Chicago’s western suburbs.

According to Chicago police, 24 people were struck in 20 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included 5-month-old Cecilia Thomas, who died Friday after being shot in South Shore.

Louis Lay Jr. and his wife Erica Beck were each held on $20,000 D-bonds during a hearing Friday, a day after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced an indictment that included dozens of charges filed against six current or former postal workers.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other city agencies announced the launch of the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program’s new data dashboard, which will provide regular updates on when and how these 911 calls are handled.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended discipline ranging from a 180-day suspension to terminating Bruce Dyker from the Chicago Police Department. Dyker left the CPD and has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct.

Plans for a new Near South high school were suddenly put on hold Wednesday after Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez abruptly removed the item before the city’s Board of Education voted to approve the district’s budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.

Chicago police officers must only engage in foot pursuits under a certain set of circumstances and will be required to continuously re-evaluate the need to continue such a pursuit while it’s in progress, according to a final version of the new policy.

Chicago police said there were 44 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday night. That included five people wounded in a mass shooting Friday night and an 18-year-old killed Monday afternoon.

Dexter Trevell Shipp was charged Monday with one count of attempted first-degree murder stemming from the nonfatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman last week. He was ordered held without bail during a hearing Monday.

A Cook County judge on Thursday issued a $10,000 I-bond to 52-year-old Bruce Dyker, meaning the ex-officer will not need to put up any money to be released as he awaits trial on charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct.

Whitley Temple will be held on $2 million cash bail after her arrest on a half dozen charges including attempted murder of a peace officer, aggravated battery, and vehicular hijacking.

Even as COVID-19 case numbers increased in recent weeks after an early spring lull, Lightfoot said she has no intention of returning to remote learning when classes resume in August.

Bruce Dyker has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, after he was allegedly seen on video grabbing a woman at North Avenue Beach.

According to Chicago Police Department data, six people were fatally shot, one person was stabbed to death and 31 total people were shot between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

A Chicago man was arrested this week some 200 miles away from the city in connection with a Christmas Day shooting that left a 24-year-old man dead.

“The defendant has shown that he’s a loose cannon, whose behavior is erratic and unpredictable,” Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Kelly said Thursday. “He creates a significant risk to the community at large.”

Andre Gonzalez, 35, has been charged with four felony counts of armed robbery involving a dangerous weapon. A judge ordered him held without bail during a hearing Wednesday afternoon

The new proposal, which is the first under CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, will increase school-level funding to $4.6 billion and add more than 1,600 new full-time positions across the city in the 2023 fiscal year.

Jerome Halsey, 27, has been charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, as well as individual counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated assault stemming from the Sunday shooting that left one officer injured.

Beginning Monday, Chicago residents and other organizations can start applying for various rebates on private security devices under the new Home and Business Protection Program.

Thirty-two people were shot in 24 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday night, according to the Chicago Police Department.

“By signing this bill, law enforcement agencies will have the tools to respond to criminal activity in a timely and efficient manner — ensuring the safety and security of our residents, while holding perpetrators accountable,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.

Tyshon Brownlee, 19, has been charged with one count each of attempted first-degree murder and attempted robbery involving the discharge of a firearm stemming from the non-fatal May 6 shooting of 23-year-old culinary student Dakotah Earley in Lincoln Park.