Stories by Matt Masterson

Despite a safety agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union that requires universal masking in schools until the end of the academic year, CPS officials on Wednesday said there may come a time sooner in which masks will not be mandatory.

The Chicago Police Department’s failure to implement a foot pursuit policy is to blame for the shooting death of Anthony Alvarez by an officer last spring, his family has claimed in a new lawsuit.

Last month, there were more than 700 special education students who had still not been routed onto a bus during the current academic year. But as of this week, each one of those children are now receiving their legally mandated transportation from the district.

Relatives of Irene Chavez filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the city and nearly a dozen Chicago police officers, claiming they ignored Chavez’s cries for help and refused to accommodate her mental health crisis following a December arrest.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 29 people were shot in 26 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday.

Daron Hardy, 25, was denied bail during a court hearing Monday afternoon following his arrest on a charge of first-degree murder stemming from the killing of his brother, 26-year-old Darnell Hardy.

Hader Garcia, 18, was arrested and charged this week with one count of first-degree murder stemming from the fatal Dec. 18 shooting of 36-year-old ​​Richard Robinette. Garcia was denied bail during a hearing Friday afternoon.

Joseph Igartua, 37, has been charged with one count of reckless discharge of a weapon and three counts of stalking. All of those charges are felonies and Igartua was ordered held without bail during a hearing Thursday.

Christopher Hillas, 43, was charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct following an incident in which he was allegedly captured on body camera video punching a man multiple times during a pat down on Christmas Eve.

Tremell Neloms, 18, was denied bail during a hearing Thursday after he was charged with first-degree murder in the fatal Jan. 18 shooting of Rauner College Prep freshman Caleb Westbrooks.

Anthony Wilson, 54, was held without bail during a hearing Wednesday afternoon following his arrest on one charge of attempted first-degree murder in the March 2019 shooting of a 57-year-old woman.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago announced charges against Jennifer McBride and William Jackson, who along with former principal Sarah Jackson Abedelal, allegedly submitted false overtime slips to conceal the purchase of iPhones, iPads and approximately $30,000 in gift cards.

Elbert Duncan was denied bail during a hearing Tuesday following his arrest on a single count of aggravated battery stemming from a nonfatal shooting outside a South Side liquor store Feb. 1. A woman walking nearby was shot and killed moments later.

Seniors in Chicago’s public high schools who are interested in a teaching career can begin applying to a prep program aimed at boosting the number of CPS grads working as educators within the district.

According to Chicago police, nine people were shot in nine separate incidents across the city between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Three of those victims were killed.

Thomas Dean was charged Thursday with three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon stemming from the Oct. 1, 2021, shootout in the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue.

Jerry Harris, 22, entered a guilty plea on charges of knowingly receiving child pornography and engaging in illicit sexual conduct during a remote hearing before a Chicago judge Thursday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy is facing a felony charge after he allegedly made a “violent threat” online about Lincoln Park High School.

Jaran Hughes, 21, was denied bail during a hearing Wednesday following his arrest on a charge of first-degree murder stemming from the Jan. 2 killing of 12-year-old Marcell Wilson.

A man who was shot multiple times in the West Pullman neighborhood Tuesday afternoon was struck by a Chicago Police Department vehicle responding to the scene and later died, though his exact cause of death remains unclear.

Tacarre Harper, 27, has been charged with nine separate counts of burglary from incidents stemming between November 2021 and January 2022.

“Judge Raylene Grischow’s ruling is out of step with the vast majority of legal analysis in Illinois and across the nation,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday at an unrelated press event in Chicago.

“Having talked to state’s attorneys who were dealing with these cases in juvenile court, and others, a lot of parents went to work during the day thinking their teenagers were logged on for remote learning, only to find something else,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Victor Brown, 25, has been charged with first-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon following the fatal Tuesday afternoon shooting of Bobbye Johnson on the South Side.

“I understand why this continues to feel like a miscarriage of justice, especially when many Black and brown men get sentenced to so much more prison time for having committed far lesser crimes,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

According to Chicago Public Schools data, 49.9% of Pre-K through12th grade students in district-operated schools were accounted for on Wednesday.