Stories by Matt Masterson

A new trove of documents is shedding light on the Chicago Police Department’s investigation into “Empire” star Jussie Smollett’s “false report” that he was the victim of a hate crime.

The R&B superstar is facing 11 new charges, three months after he was initially hit with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for allegedly assaulting multiple women between the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Jury selection in the capital trial of Brendt Christensen is set to begin Monday in Peoria. Christensen is charged with kidnapping resulting in the death of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang, who went missing in 2017.

The Cook County Clerk on Thursday released more than 250 pages related to the “Empire” star’s abruptly halted prosecution for allegedly filing a false police report. Read the entire file.

A suburban tragedy inspired new legislation that could aid students who face questioning by police inside their school.

A Cook County judge vacated a sealing order that had kept the case file removed from the public eye following intense public scrutiny over the prosecution’s handling and dismissal of the high-profile case.

Highland Park High School won’t be handing out its yearbooks on time after a statement linked to Nazi leaders was chosen as a senior quote.

The suburban school district’s Board of Education voted Monday to spend $54,000 to reprint the books after more than a dozen photos were found of students displaying an upside-down “OK” hand gesture.

Chicago’s new mayor, the first black woman and openly gay person to hold the office, takes aim at aldermanic prerogative and outlines her four guiding principles: community safety, public education, stability and integrity.

A bond proffer presented by Cook County prosecutors Friday outlines the gruesome details of a pregnant teens’s death at the hands of Clarisa Figueroa and her 24-year-old daughter Desiree Figueroa.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and her top assistant will not have to testify about their dismissal of criminal charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett despite a request for a special prosecutor to investigate how that case was handled.

A 46-year-old woman who allegedly lured Marlen Ochoa-Lopez to her Southwest Side home under the guise of giving her baby clothes is now among three people who have been charged in the teen’s murder.

Liliya Hrabar was arrested in February for driving Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno’s stolen vehicle, but says she was given permission to use the car by the embattled 1st Ward alderman, who allegedly lied about the theft.

Chicago police on Wednesday charged 1st Ward Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno with four felony counts after he allegedly lied to police and his insurance agency in January claiming his car had been stolen.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa wants to create an elected council to replace the Chicago Police Board and Civilian Office of Police Accountability and give the community a bigger voice in police oversight.

A Chicago police officer has been arrested and charged with multiple felony and misdemeanor counts after he allegedly had inappropriate contact with three women on separate occasions.

A controversial Champaign-based bus company accused of discriminating against Asian customers has closed its doors for good. “I stopped enjoying this business around 2001,” company owner Dennis Toeppen wrote in a court filing this week.

Former Chicago police Sergeant Eric Elkins was implicated last year after he and others allegedly beat a group of men outside a gay bar in a brutal attack that left three victims hospitalized.

Prosecutors have turned over hundreds of pages of discovery documents, but R. Kelly’s attorney said he’s still waiting to get a copy of an alleged sex tape of Kelly and a 14-year-old victim.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger invited the controversial minister to speak at St. Sabina Catholic Church days after Facebook banned Louis Farrakhan and several other “dangerous individuals.”

Austin Jones, 26, amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on YouTube. But prosecutors say the suburban singer preyed on his underage fans, using his fame to entice them into sending him sexually explicit videos.

A day after walking off the job and 10 hours of bargaining, striking employees at City Colleges of Chicago announced they had reached a tentative agreement with the administration.

Retired appellate judge Sheila O’Brien is calling for a special prosecutor to investigate what she has called the “mishandling” of the Jussie Smollett case. On Thursday, she accused the presiding judge of a possible conflict of interest.

Hundreds of full- and part-time employees walked off the job Wednesday. They’ve been working without a contract for nearly three years and are demanding a livable wage.

“I hope that (Kim Foxx) suddenly realizes that this is what her job is and that she needs to do it," FOP President Kevin Graham said Tuesday. “If she can’t, she needs to step down and let somebody else do it.”

A day after meeting with Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson gave a first look at his plans to combat summer violence increases.