Stories by Matt Masterson

Board member Arnie Rivera has been chosen as Chicago Public Schools’ new chief operating officer, but a tweak to the district’s school code is needed before he can take over.

Thomas Sierra, 41, spent more than half his life in prison, convicted of a murder he has claimed from the beginning he didn’t commit. On Tuesday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped the charges. “It’s a bittersweet situation,” Sierra said.

As CPS presses ahead with plans to open a new, state-of-the-art high school in Englewood, the Chicago Teachers Union is stepping up its campaign against the most controversial part of that plan.

Chicago Public Schools is moving ahead with its plan to shutter four Englewood-area high schools in favor of what it says will be a new “state-of-the-art” neighborhood option with an $85 million price tag.

Labritney Austin, of University Park, is facing a felony charge after she allegedly shot a woman in the shoulder in an incident that was recorded by the victim.

A 27-year-old suburban man who had been reported missing now faces criminal charges after federal officials say he used bomb threats and a gun to rob three Chicago banks in three days last month.

A wheelchair-bound Cubs fan claims the team removed handicap-accessible seating in the right field bleachers during its $750 million renovation project.

Staff at a Chicago high school reportedly spent nearly $3,200 in school gift cards on wedding favors, meals and casino purchases. That’s one of several investigations included in a newly released annual report from CPS’ watchdog.

Chicago Public Schools’ new leader Janice Jackson announces plans to hold community meetings throughout the city this spring in the hopes of sparking an open dialogue about the district’s biggest needs.

Cook County officials filed lawsuits this week against a half dozen drug companies and their subsidiaries, blaming them for aggressively marketing prescription painkillers that have led to a spike in overdose deaths.

Chicago Public Schools students are quickly approaching winter break, but some eighth-graders may have a little homework left to finish before the end of the week: fill out high school applications.

With 2017 drawing to a close, here’s a look at some of the top education issues to watch in the year to come, including CPS’ new leader, school closures and the hotly debated topic of tax credit scholarships.

An off-duty police officer shot and wounded a would-be carjacker Monday evening in the Bronzeville neighborhood, according to the Chicago Police Department, which is dealing with an unprecedented spike in vehicle thefts this year.

The Illinois State Board of Education will hold a public inquiry into Chicago Public Schools after advocate outrage stemming from a WBEZ report on the district’s special education practices.

A music teacher at Fulton Elementary has raised thousands of dollars and collected donations from around Chicago to replace dozens of instruments that were stolen from his school.

The Federal Communications Commission votes to repeal Obama-era protections for internet neutrality, citing the elimination of unnecessary regulations. But critics fear internet service providers may start using fees and censorship to limit access to some sites.

Jamie Kalven, the Chicago journalist who broke the story of Laquan McDonald’s shooting death, will not be compelled to turn over his sources or testify in open court, a judge has ruled. “To have it resolved, and definitive resolved, was a big relief,” Kalven said.

A former educator and principal, the Chicago native will attempt to bring stability to Chicago Public Schools’ tumultuous CEO position.

More than 7,000 sworn officers and personnel in the Chicago Police Department are now outfitted with body-worn cameras, a goal the city says it met more than a year early.

Forrest Claypool said he hopes that when this chapter of his life is written, “people will say that even good men can make stupid mistakes.” And with that, the embattled schools chief officially resigned on Friday as Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools.

Chicago Public Schools’ Inspector General Nicholas Schuler says CPS CEO Forrest Claypool engaged in a “cover-up” and “repeatedly lied” during a 16-month ethics investigation.

Ken Bennett has served as an aide under Barack Obama, Harold Washington and Rahm Emanuel. On Wednesday, he called out the Chicago Public Schools CEO for the district’s plan to close four Englewood high schools next year.

From 2011 to 2013, a LaSalle County physician prescribed hundreds of thousands of milligrams of controlled substances to a trio of opioid-dependent patients in exchange for sex, according to a plea agreement.

Facing ongoing controversy from an advertisement it now calls “indefensible,” a Champaign-based bus company says it hopes to “relaunch” its conduct and will cooperate with a state investigation into its business practices.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan issues a subpoena to college bus service Suburban Express over possible civil rights violations after the company told customers in an ad that “you won’t feel like you’re in China when you’re on our buses.”

As Chicago Public Schools' five-year moratorium on school closures draws to an end, the district announced plans Friday for a new series of school closings, conversions and consolidations.