Stories by Matt Masterson

More than a dozen Illinoisans are taking legal action against the Trump administration claiming they were victimized by the violence and abuse federal agents allegedly carried out across Chicago and beyond during the expanded immigration enforcement operation known as “Midway Blitz.”

The 62nd Chicago International Film Festival takes place Oct. 14-25 across various venues. Highlights include the 30th anniversary of the festival’s “Black Perspectives” program, an inaugural physical media fair, local filmmakers and films from more than 60 countries.

Advocates said it’s time to recognize the value of second chances, and for parole, or “earned reentry,” to be reinstated. That would allow people to be released before the completion of their sentence.

The Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards voted 12-6 Thursday to advance a revised measure that was crafted by critics of Mayor Brandon Johnson on the City Council and is supported by landlord groups and the city’s business community.

As Pete Crow-Armstrong came up with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, the Wrigley Field crowd chanted “M-V-Pete! M-V-Pete!“ — and not for the first time Wednesday night.

Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

Nationally, the share of Latinos who speak Spanish at home declined from 78% in 2000 to 68% in 2024, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. The decline has been particularly pronounced among U.S.-born Latinos, as English becomes increasingly dominant across generations.

Residents are pushing back on plans to build a 24/7 Amtrak maintenance facility in Bridgeport. The transportation company said a new site is necessary, citing the current South Loop location as “undersized and fragmented.”

Pushback on a plan for a new Amtrak facility. And how a new generation of Latino parents is keeping a part of their culture alive.

La actual integrante de la junta Jessica Biggs, el exdirector político del Sindicato de Maestros de Chicago (CTU) Hilario Dominguez, el exvicepresidente de la junta Sendhil Revuluri y el abogado litigante Victor Henderson son los cuatro candidatos que buscan convertirse en el próximo presidente de la junta.

The Committee on Housing and Real Estate voted 12-9 to advance a revised measure designed by Mayor Brandon Johnson to shift the balance of power toward renters from landlords.

The Trump administration denied Illinois’ two most recent requests for disaster help last year.

“The self-evident truth is that the government is still contorting itself to avoid the very transparency that it claims to embrace while opposing any further judicial inquiry into what transpired here,” defense attorneys wrote in a new filing.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

The candidates running in the historic race for Chicago Board of Education president join us along with an in-studio audience to discuss the district’s finances, student enrollment and much more.

With Election Day less than two months away, the four candidates running to become Chicago’s first-ever elected school board president faced off Tuesday to discuss finances, student achievement and their vision for the future of education as part of a special town hall forum hosted by WTTW News.

A researcher at Shedd Aquarium tracked a single bluegill traveling nearly 7.5 miles in a single day, or the equivalent of a 52-mile swim for a human.

In all, the city has banked $2.6 million in revenue from the tickets, records show.

A new report outlines investments made by the forest preserve district between 2023 and 2025 that wouldn’t have happened without additional tax dollars.

The 21-year-old Bedard is the second-youngest captain in the history of the storied franchise, behind Jonathan Toews.

More battery storage is needed if the state is to meet its decarbonization goals while keeping ratepayer bills down.

The deal requires Stonepeak to sell Omni Air International, which has a contract with the Trump administration to carry out deportations, according to the City Council members.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday went after the Supreme Court after it rejected his push to restrict mail-in voting in this year’s midterms, saying justices who opposed him were “not the people I interviewed.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson launches his reelection campaign — he joins us in the studio. And what to know about November’s historic Chicago Board of Education elections.

“We can’t go backward,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said, accusing his rivals of wanting to close schools and “militarize our streets.”

A pending federal proposal would roll back the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prevents road construction and timber harvesting on millions of acres of federal forest land, including approximately 11,000 acres of sensitive wildlife in the Shawnee National Forest.