Stories by Matt Masterson

Passenger Shot on CTA Blue Line Train at UIC-Halsted Station

The victim is in “very serious” condition after he was shot once as he rode a Blue Line train in what police believe may have been a targeted robbery attempt.

CPS Internal Watchdog Steps Down Amid Report of Investigation

Nicholas Schuler submitted his resignation Monday, just days after a report by the Chicago Sun-Times detailed allegations of a “toxic workplace” inside his office.

Police: Shootings, Homicides Increase in 2020 Despite Overall Decline in Violent Crime

Interim Superintendent Beck calls increases “alarming”

Chicago saw a notable uptick in shootings and homicides in the first month of 2020, but police say that overall, violent crime incidents in Chicago actually decreased in comparison to January 2019.

Charlie Beck Announces ‘Transformative Overhaul’ of CPD Organization

A massive restructuring plan for the Chicago Police Department aims to streamline operations and put the department in a better position to comply with the federal consent decree.

Jussie Smollett’s Attorneys Seek Documents Related to Firing of Eddie Johnson

Attorneys for the former “Empire” actor subpoenaed Chicago’s inspector general, requesting documents tied to an October 2019 incident in which the city’s top cop was found asleep behind the wheel of his car. 

Jussie Smollett Case Still Top of Mind One Year After Incident

Wednesday marks one year since Jussie Smollett reported to police he’d been the victim of a bigoted attack near his Streeterville home. The case continues to make regular headlines, particularly as Cook County’s state’s attorney seeks re-election. We review the case.

Timeline: The Jussie Smollett Incident

On Jan. 29, 2019, Jussie Smollett reported to Chicago police that he’d been the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. We review the turning points in the case.

Report: Chicago Police Prioritize Arrests of Sex Sellers Over Buyers, Traffickers

The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation found that while overall prostitution-related arrests in Chicago fell by half between 2013 and 2017, the arrest of sellers of sex made up an increasingly large percentage of that total.

Von Steuben Staffer Removed Amid Allegation of Inappropriate Contact with Student

“Please know that we are taking this situation seriously, and we remain committed to providing your children with a safe, positive learning environment where they can reach their full potential,” the school’s principal wrote in a letter Thursday.

Chicago Man Arrested for Red Line Attack, Robbery

Chicago police say surveillance photos released earlier this month helped detectives identify the offender.

Lawsuit: Convicted CPD Officers Used ‘Bogus’ Warrants to Raid Women’s Homes

In separate incidents, two Chicago women say multiple Chicago police officers fabricated evidence in order to unlawfully search their homes and make arrests for drug violations that were later dismissed.

R. Kelly Will Face Trial in Alleged Sex Assault of Former Hairdresser

The woman says she was 24 years old and working for R. Kelly when the R&B singer allegedly tried to make her perform oral sex on him in 2003.

CPS Seeking to Combat Truancy Through Attendance Tracking Program

Chicago Public Schools is proposing a new agreement with a South Side nonprofit to help monitor attendance at nine high schools through home visits and other services in an effort to ward off truancy.

Chicago Legal Group: COPA Should Handle Sexual Misconduct Cases Involving Police

Citizen complaints of sexual misconduct lodged against Chicago police officers are handled by the department’s own Bureau of Internal Affairs. Why a group of Chicago lawyers and legal analysts say that should change.

Chicago Police Warn of Carjackings Near Washington Park

The incidents each involved a group of men approaching a lone woman and threatening them, sometimes at gunpoint, according to police.

Ex-Judge: Kim Foxx Shouldn’t Use Tax Dollars for Outside Counsel

Sheila O’Brien, who successfully petitioned for a special prosecutor to take over the Jussie Smollett investigation, is now seeking to bar the Cook County state’s attorney from using taxpayer dollars to pay for her own outside counsel.

Chicago Man Charged in Dual Carjackings of Porsche, SUV

A Chicago man from the South Side is facing felony criminal charges after he allegedly carjacked a Porsche and another vehicle that had two children in it on the Near North Side.

Date Set for Trial of Man Accused in Murder of CPD Cmdr. Paul Bauer

Jury selection in the trial of 46-year-old Shomari Legghette will begin Feb. 27, just over two years since Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was fatally shot in a downtown stairwell.

Charlie Beck: Chicago Police Will Become ‘Model for Effectiveness’

As the city continues its work to bring down the homicide rate following a 2016 spike, Chicago’s interim police superintendent believes one thing is absolutely necessary: winning back the public’s trust.

Feds Seek Resentencing of Would-Be Chicago Bar Bomber Adel Daoud

Federal prosecutors say the 16-year sentence given last year to Adel Daoud, who attempted to detonate what he thought was a bomb outside a downtown bar, is “substantively unreasonable” and failed to account for Daoud’s “commitment to violence.”

Chicago Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Sex Trafficking

Timothy Dorsey, 52, pleaded guilty last year to running a multistate sex trafficking ring and was implicated in the 2015 murder of one of his former prostitutes. This week, he was sentenced to a decade in prison.

Lawsuit: Doctor Fired After Blowing Whistle on Medicare Fraud, Other Violations

A Chicago doctor is suing her former employer, claiming she faced retaliation and was ultimately fired after blowing the whistle on alleged cost-cutting practices that she says put patients at risk.

State Legislators Search for Answers After Bombshell Isolation Room Report

Advocates and educators spoke in Chicago on Tuesday, hoping to give state leaders a better sense of what must be done to address student isolation and seclusion in Illinois schools.

CPS Watchdog Opened 450 New Sexual Misconduct Investigations in 2019

This year’s report from Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Inspector General includes data from the new Sexual Allegations Unit, which was formed in the wake of the Chicago Tribune’s bombshell “Betrayed” series.

CPS Data Shows Hundreds of Underutilized Schools

The majority of Chicago Public Schools’ district-run elementary and high schools are not being properly utilized, according to new data.

Yingying Zhang Lawsuit Against U. of I. Counselors Tossed by Judge

The family of the murdered Chinese scholar had accused university social workers of acting with “deliberate indifference” toward warning signs shown by Brendt Christensen.
 

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