Stories by Matt Masterson

The lead attorney for Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke says it’s too early to decide whether he will opt for a jury or bench trial. Meanwhile, day two of jury selection brought the total number to 10.

Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago found that Chicago police officers with the highest number of complaints are responsible for a significantly higher share of civil litigation payouts.

Several potential jurors were excused Monday, but attorneys did select five jurors – three women and two men – in the high-profile murder case. Jury selection could last more than a week.

Attorneys for the Chicago police officer charged with murder have asked for the entire 200-person jury pool to be stricken due to their exposure to protesters carrying signs urging them to “convict Jason Van Dyke.”

A bombshell announcement from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and a rare public statement from Laquan McDonald’s family set the scene on the eve of Jason Van Dyke’s murder trial.

These are the names you need to know as the murder trial of suspended police Officer Jason Van Dyke gets underway.

A Cook County judge will hear further arguments next week after prosecutors accused the suspended Chicago police officer of violating the terms of his bond.

After he gave interviews this week with local media, prosecutors say Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke should be held in contempt of court because speaking about the case directly violates a judge’s order to remain silent.

Steven Greenberg knows his way around a courtroom. And he knows how to prepare for a high-profile murder trial. The longtime defense attorney weighs in on the impending trial of Jason Van Dyke.

Katrina Burlet, who coached the prison's debate team, says she was banned from all correctional facilities after her program was shut down. She hopes a new lawsuit will restore her team.

Two women acting as ride-hailing service drivers have reportedly robbed multiple riders at gunpoint across the Near North Side in recent months, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Authorities are looking for two to three men they believe are responsible for five robberies in the area this month.

A Cook County jury took about three hours to convict the man accused of fatally shooting 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton at a Kenwood park on the South Side in 2013.

District leaders are updating policies on how students and staff can digitally communicate as it works to root out sexual misconduct inside its schools.

The names of prospective district volunteers must now be run through sex offender registries and the statewide list of violent offenders before they can be hired.

A former federal prosecutor found CPS leaders failed to recognize the extent of the sex abuse issues that existed for years inside district schools.

As the high-profile murder case heads to trial in September, a look at key events in the months and years since Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shot Laquan McDonald.

The mother of slain teenager Laquan McDonald made a rare appearance in Cook County criminal court Thursday morning to testify before attorneys representing the Chicago police officer who shot and killed her son in 2014.

Because Jason Van Dyke’s attorneys claim he was justified in shooting teen Laquan McDonald, prosecutors may not refer to McDonald as a “victim.” However, they may refer to his death as a homicide.

If the mother of Laquan McDonald wants to attend the murder trial of the police officer who shot and killed her son, a judge said Tuesday, she will need to respond to a defense subpoena and show up to court this week.

Only 24 percent of Illinois kindergartners are ready for school, according to a new state survey. But that number drops even lower for minority, low-income and diverse learner students.

Two women allegedly stole tens of thousands of narcotic pills from a Wicker Park pharmacy over a two-year period and sold them off for profit.

The estate of Terrell Eason claims Chicago police officers used excessive force during a July 3 foot pursuit that led to the 33-year-old’s death.

Twenty public schools in Chicago will be part of a new pilot program aimed at connecting school communities with local after-school, health and family engagement services.

Attorneys for suspended Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke will be allowed to use computer-generated animations as defense evidence in next month’s murder trial.

District officials will hear from Near South Side community members this week about a proposal to expand the attendance boundary for the new high school CPS is planning to phase in at the National Teachers Academy.