Stories by Matt Masterson

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has been declared the winner of a jam-packed Democratic primary race for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat, which is set to see its first new leader in more than 25 years.

Ten candidates were vying for an Illinois congressional seat in the state’s 2nd District, which is set for a new representative for the first time in more than a decade.

More than a dozen Democratic candidates are squaring off Tuesday in a race for control of Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, a seat that’s been held by Congressman Danny Davis for nearly 30 years.

Melissa Bean, who previously led Illinois’ 8th Congressional District for three terms, took a major step toward taking that seat back, as she has been declared the winner in Tuesday’s Democratic primary race.

King is joined on the list of finalists by former New York City Public Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Sito Narcisse, who previously led the East Baton Rouge Parish school district in Louisiana.

Prosecutors filed a motion Thursday afternoon in which they plan to drop charges against Catherine Sharp and Joselyn Walsh, while continuing on in their case against four others.

That coalition on Thursday filed a petition in Cook County court after they said State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has failed to hold federal agents accountable.

The union’s House of Delegates approved a resolution Wednesday seeking “full support” from Chicago’s Board of Education and Mayor Brandon Johnson to declare May 1 as a “Day of Civic Action.”

Nearly two years after CPS removed police officers from campuses and implemented a new holistic approach to school safety, officials believe that shift could serve as a replicable model for school districts across the country.

Attorneys with Loevy and Loevy say a “broad coalition” is set to make a public call for a special prosecutor after Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “terrorized” Cook County communities last fall

The ASPIRA charter network intends to close two schools by April 3 due to what it says is a “lack of funding,” forcing hundreds of students to transfer mid-year while teachers and staff must now find new jobs.

Friday’s ceremony, billed as a “homegoing service,” served as a celebration of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s life and achievements with singing, dancing and numerous speakers who reflected on the many ways Jackson impacted their lives.

Olga Bautista, who serves as vice president of Chicago’s Board of Education following her appointment by Mayor Brandon Johnson, is resigning her position, she announced Wednesday.

Data from the Chicago Police Department shows there were 25 homicides and 81 shootings across February, increases of 19% and 8%, respectively, over the same month in 2025.

Chief Judge Charles Beach’s office said some residents have received fake notices purportedly sent by the court that threaten recipients with potential legal action.

CPS classes for K-12 students in the 2026-27 academic year will begin Aug. 24 and end June 11. The following year, they’ll begin Aug. 23 and run through June 9.

Tommy Schaefer, the man who allegedly conspired with his then-girlfriend Heather Mack to kill her mother at a luxury resort in Bali, said he intends to represent himself and pleaded not guilty to the crime.

Tommy Schaefer, the man who in 2014 allegedly beat to death Sheila von Wiese-Mack in Bali as part of a plot with her daughter Heather Mack to gain access to a $1.5 million trust fund, has been returned to the U.S. and is in federal custody.

Montoya Perry, 33, will be detained in the Cook County Jail pending trial after her arrest on felony murder and vehicular hijacking charges following the death of 28-year-old Daniel Figueroa.

Andrew Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, has announced that his office has been selected by the Department of Justice to serve as a lead prosecutorial partner on its Trade Fraud Task Force.

Increased investments in a violence intervention program that targets Chicago communities with the highest rates of gun violence has led to continued declines in the number of shootings and homicides, a new study found.

The Illinois Education Association on Monday published its annual State of Education report, which offers a glimpse into residents’ feelings on all aspects of the state’s public education system.

The University of Chicago is among dozens of universities and colleges that have agreed to terminate their partnerships with a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups get degrees in business.

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has implemented a new protocol that calls for the use of all available prosecutorial tools to support investigations into the use of force by federal immigration officers.

A federal judge on Thursday handed Fidel Marquez a two-year sentence of probation along with a $50,000 fine, more than five years after he entered a guilty plea to a bribery charge.

Rainbow/PUSH announced that Jackson, who passed away this week at the age of 84, will be laying in state at the coalition’s office — located at 930 E. 50th Street — on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 ahead of a funeral next weekend.