Stories by Matt Masterson

Both the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives approved the sweeping measure Wednesday, which could end the practice of cash bail in Illinois and make it easier to decertify officers who commit misconduct.

Chicago teachers who’ve been locked out of their education accounts after refusing to show up for in-person learning showed up outside the home of Board of Education President Miguel del Valle to call for a safer school reopening plan.

A suburban Chicago Heights man who allegedly pledged in a voicemail to “kill any m-----f---ing Democrat that steps on the m-----f---ing lawn” at President-elect Joe Biden’s upcoming inauguration is now facing a criminal charge.

Chicago Public Schools has warned nearly 150 of its educators and employees that if they don’t show up for work beginning Tuesday, they would not be paid and will be locked out of their Google Classroom accounts.

A victory for the Chicago Teachers Union in Springfield on Monday could mark a change in the way the union is able to bargain with Chicago Public Schools over plans to reopen schools and other issues.

Some Chicago Public Schools students returned Monday to their classrooms for the first time in 10 months as the school district resumed in-person learning despite fervent pushback from many educators.

Less than 60% of Chicago Public Schools teachers returned as expected for in-person learning prep this week. School district officials said those who don't show up beginning Monday will not be eligible for pay.

John Catanzara, head of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, said his comments earlier this week were in "no way condoning the violence in" Washington D.C.

A Cook County judge has ordered former Chicago Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno to be held without bail and report to jail, calling him “a danger to the community” after he allegedly drove drunk last month and damaged more than a half dozen vehicles.

The Chicago Public Schools watchdog unit tasked with investigating reports of sexual abuse opened more than 400 new cases last year, including allegations of a teacher who sexually assaulted a student and a registered sex offender who was able to work as a volunteer.

CPS CEO Janice Jackson said 49.7% of teachers returned Monday, one week before in-person learning is set to resume for some 17,000 students. Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates weighs in on “Chicago Tonight.”

Erica Reddick, a longtime public defender and judge, is replacing Judge LeRoy Martin Jr., who has been assigned to serve as an appellate court justice.

More than 5,800 Chicago Public Schools employees were due back in their classrooms Monday to prepare for students’ return next week. But not all of them showed up.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday announced an additional 8,009 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases, the highest single-day total in two weeks.

Representatives of a Portage Park high school on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure saying students and staff will not be allowed into the building following winter break “until it is safe to return to in-person learning.”

Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday announced that 5,833 of its 7,002 pre-K and cluster program staff members will be heading back to schools when in-person learning resumes for those students on Jan. 11.

The police department late Monday issued a community alert seeking information about the Dec. 23 incident that resulted in the deaths of Araceli Gutierrez and 12-year-old Giovanne Bucio in the Gage Park neighborhood.

“We ask that IDPH acknowledge the high risk of COVID-19 exposure for people living in all forms of state custody and the staff who work with them and prioritize them for vaccinations,” dozens of groups wrote in a letter to state health officials.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to leaders in Washington — and especially our Chicago delegation — who have prioritized the needs of public school students throughout the country,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson said in a statement.

Despite Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city attorneys backing off their request for sanctions, the lawyer representing Anjanette Young may still find himself in hot water with a federal judge.

Through the program, the school district will provide $310,000 in tuition reimbursement for educators who will work to earn a special education endorsement at one of four Chicago-area universities

Dwain Johnson, 18, is the second person to be charged in the Dec. 3 murder of ex-Chicago Fire Department Lt. Dwain Williams.

Fraternal Order of Police President Lodge 7 John Catanzara faces possible termination from his position with the Chicago Police Department over multiple inflammatory social media posts.

Gov J.B. Pritzker said the state's first vaccine shipments have been distributed to 77 hospitals across Illinois, and on Thursday, another 43,000 additional doses arrived in Cook, Lake, Madison and St. Clair counties.

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board issued a 2-1 vote denying the teachers union’s request for an injunction to halt Chicago Public Schools’ plan to reopen schools for in-person learning early next year.

CPS CEO Janice Jackson and school leaders say 77,343 students plan to return to schools beginning in January and February 2021. That’s about about 37% of eligible pre-K through eighth grade students.