Stories by Matt Masterson
CPS Hopes to Keep Funding Cuts Out of the Classroom as it Fills $500M Shortfall With New $9.9B Budget Proposal
| Matt Masterson
“This budget very clearly puts teaching and learning front and center where it belongs,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement Wednesday.
Pritzker Signs Health Insurance Reform Measures Into Law
| Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The legislation puts new controls on the state’s health insurance industry, including bans on certain practices companies have used to reduce costs by controlling the amount of health care services a patient receives.
South Side Neighborhoods Remain Under Water Boil Order Through Thursday After Roseland Pumping Station Failure
| Patty Wetli
Residents of several Chicago South Side neighborhoods are under a boil order following a service disruption at the Roseland Pumping Station Tuesday night.
Sueños Music Festival Gets 5-Year Deal From Chicago Park District, Option To Add 3rd Day of Performances
| Patty Wetli
The Chicago Park District board approved the deal Wednesday, along with an option to extend the contract another five years.
Are You Heading to Milwaukee for the RNC? WTTW News Wants to Hear From You
| WTTW News
Are you traveling to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week? We want to hear from you.
Top Chicago Democratic Donors Halting Convention Fundraising Lunch for High-Dollar Contributors, Source Says
| CNN
Organizers for at least one Chicago fundraiser scheduled during the Democratic National Convention have decided to not to proceed with the mid-August event, a source with knowledge of the discussions told CNN.
Search Continues for Missing Chicago Woman Who Disappeared 3 Weeks Ago During a Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas
| CNN
Investigators looking for missing American Taylor Casey in the Bahamas have enlisted the help of search dogs, marine teams and flight crews, officials said, as the search for the Chicago woman nears the three-week mark.
47 Candidates File Petitions to Run for Chicago’s Board of Education
| Matt Masterson
Chicago Public Schools parents, educators, Local School Council members and more were among the 47 candidates to submit their nomination petitions for the board races by Monday’s deadline.
A New Federal Rule Sets Tighter Nursing Home Staffing Standards. Just 16% of Illinois Homes Are in Full Compliance
| Blair Paddock
Timely care is essential for many nursing home residents. New federal staffing standards from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are aimed at improving access to care, but some advocates say the measures don’t do enough.
July 9, 2024 - Full Show
| WTTW News
The Chicago Police Department rejects a watchdog’s demand to reopen an investigation into officers with extremist ties. And transit leaders push back on a proposed merger.
Chicago-Area Public Transit Leaders Call for Funding Boost, Push Back on Merger Proposal
| Nick Blumberg
Tuesday marked the first of at least six planned hearings about overhauling Chicago-area public transit agencies, proposed as part of legislation filed in May. That plan also calls for $1.5 billion in additional funding.
CPD Rejects Watchdog’s Demand to Reopen ‘Deficient’ Probe Into 8 Officers With Ties to Oath Keepers
| Heather Cherone
Investigators with CPD’s Bureau of Internal Affairs did not interview anyone other than the eight officers accused of belonging to the Oath Keepers, according to a 30-page report.
Downtown Day Aims to Expose Chicago’s Youth to Art and Design
| Angel Idowu
Downtown Day on July 13 aims to expose young people to art and design, using the city as a backdrop.
Pritzker Says He’s ‘All in for Joe Biden’ Amid Calls for the President to Drop Out of 2024 Race
| Amanda Vinicky
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday said “of course” President Joe Biden is mentally and physically up to serving for another term. But the governor left open the door to a White House run if there is an opening, refusing an opportunity to dismiss that possibility by saying it’s a hypothetical.
Board Yanked Convicted Ex-Ald. Ed Burke’s $96K Annual City Pension Just Minutes After Sentencing, Records Show
| Heather Cherone
The board of the Municipal Employees’ Annuity & Benefit Fund of Chicago voted at its June meeting to suspend the former alderperson’s pension once he was sentenced on 13 counts of racketeering, attempted extortion and attempted bribery.
Most of Chicago Finally Gets Its Cicadas. The ‘Dog Days’ Are Here
| Patty Wetli
From emergence holes in the parkway to molted shells on trees to ear-splitting mating calls, cicadas have very much arrived in Chicago. Just not the ones everybody was obsessing over a month ago.
‘ComEd Four’ Will Seek to Have Convictions Tossed After Supreme Court Bribery Ruling
| Matt Masterson
But any decision on a new trial or verdict is still months away, as the briefing schedule extends into mid-November. The four defendants were convicted back in May 2023.
Rep. Mike Quigley Reiterates Call for President Joe Biden to Step Aside: ‘He Can’t Win and My Colleagues Need to Recognize That’
| Dan Lambert
As lawmakers began to arrive Tuesday morning for what is expected to be a lengthy meeting in Washington, D.C., with congressional Democrats, Quigley was asked by reporters about his position on the president’s campaign.
After Chicago NASCAR Race, Advocates Say Environmental Concerns and Higher Permit Fees Should Be Considered
| Abena Bediako
The Grant Park Advisory Council voiced concerns to the Chicago Park District and the city regarding NASCAR’s contributions.
What’s Left of Hurricane Beryl Is Heading Toward Chicago, Bringing a Chance for Heavy Rain and Flooding
| Patty Wetli
The remnants of Beryl are expected to sideswipe northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Chicago Park District Board President Myetie Hamilton Announces Sudden Resignation
| Patty Wetli
On Monday, the Chicago Park District announced that Myetie Hamilton, president of the district’s board of commissioners since February 2022, will step down from the role following Wednesday’s board meeting.
July 8, 2024 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Mayor Brandon Johnson is promising consequences after a violent holiday weekend. And critics say the entertainment value of NASCAR is not worth the damage.
Boeing Accepts Plea Deal to Avoid Criminal Trial Over 737 Max Crashes, Justice Department Says
| Associated Press
Federal prosecutors gave Boeing the choice last week of entering a guilty plea and paying a fine as part of its sentence or facing a trial on the felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Yearslong Push to Make Chicago City Council More Independent From the Mayor Falters
| Heather Cherone
The debate represented the latest skirmish in the so-far unsuccessful push to rewrite the rules for the City Council, which served as a rubber stamp for decades rather than a legislative body charged with setting policy for the entire city.
President Joe Biden Tells Hill Democrats He Won’t Step Aside Amid Calls to Drop Out: ‘It’s Time to Come Together’
| Associated Press
Biden's efforts to shore up a deeply anxious Democratic Party came Monday as lawmakers returned to Washington confronting a choice: Decide whether to work to revive his campaign or try to edge out the party leader, a make-or-break time for his reelection and their own political futures.
‘There Will Be Consequences’ Mayor Brandon Johnson Promises After 19 Killed, More Than 100 Shot in Chicago Over Extended Fourth of July Holiday Weekend
| Matt Masterson
“We need to ensure that we are holding every single individual accountable for the pain and trauma and torment that they have caused in this city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
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