Stories by Matt Masterson

A judge has denied a request to make public an investigatory report into the handling of the high-profile case by the Cook County State’s Attorney and her office, days after the special prosecutor released the findings of that investigation.

Development of DuSable Park, stalled for more than 30 years, is finally inching forward. Advocates say Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable set an example for multicultural harmony we’ve yet to follow.

President Donald Trump blasted Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who will endanger Americans’ safety as he accepted his party’s renomination on the South Lawn of the White House. 

Until the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the bedroom community of Kenosha had been largely untouched by the level of demonstrations that were seen in nearby Milwaukee and Chicago after the death of George Floyd.

Prosecutors on Thursday charged a 17-year-old from Illinois in the fatal shooting of two protesters and the wounding of a third in Kenosha during a night of unrest following the weekend police shooting of Jacob Blake.

President Donald Trump will accept his party’s nomination for president at the Republican National Convention on Thursday. We take a close look at GOP talking points with two accomplished speechwriters.

Protesters have returned to the streets of Kenosha every day since a police officer shot 29-year-old Jacob Blake seven times. We visit the city to speak with residents and officials about the shooting and unrest that’s followed.

Black Lives Matter activists are holding their first Black National Convention on Friday, a virtual event that will adopt a political agenda calling for slavery reparations, universal basic income, environmental justice and criminal justice reform.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Mike Bost shares his perspective on civil unrest, mail-in voting and the 2020 general election as part of our special coverage of the Republican National Convention.

Republicans proceeded with the third night of their national convention, but many Americans — particularly those in the path of Hurricane Laura — were focused on more immediate concerns. 

Watch the Aug. 27, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Repeated calls for armed vigilantes to travel to Kenosha to protect businesses following the police shooting of Jacob Blake spread across social media in the hours before two people were shot to death and a third was wounded.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot took the first step Thursday toward making the long-planned Chicago casino a reality, asking firms interested in building and operating “a unique entertainment and gaming experience” to make their pitch to city officials.

Chicago health officials will continue to recommend that anyone exposed to someone diagnosed with the coronavirus be tested for COVID-19, despite new guidance from the CDC that ignited a firestorm of controversy.

Eight Cook County residents were among the 24 deaths reported by Illinois health officials Thursday as the state nears 8,000 virus-related deaths and more than 227,000 cases of COVID-19.

Oak trees, once abundant in the Chicago region, have been struggling to reproduce in recent decades. A grant from the U.S. Forest Service will help fund a restoration project at Greene Valley in Naperville.

Groups that had taken to Kenosha’s streets with long guns were nowhere to be seen early Thursday following somber protests and no widespread unrest for the first night since the weekend police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Pedro Soto, a high-ranking Chicago Public Schools official, has been charged with lying to FBI investigators about giving non-public information to a lobbyist on behalf of a bidder seeking a $1 billion custodial services contract.

A white, 17-year-old police admirer was arrested Wednesday after two people were shot to death during a third straight night of protests in Kenosha over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake.

The president’s wife and children present the case for their dad’s reelection. Republican state lawmakers share their thoughts about the Republican National Convention so far.

Even before the pandemic, Illinois Secretary of State offices in Chicago saw long lines as people sought Real IDs ahead of a fall deadline. That deadline and others have been pushed back. Here’s what you need to know.

The painful legacy of Emmett Till seems fresh amid this era of civil unrest. We reflect on his death with Ollie Gordon, Till’s cousin, and Chris Benson, who co-authored an autobiography of Mamie Till-Mobley, Till’s mother.

As part of our special coverage of the Republican National Convention, we speak with Illinois Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady.

Resource officers will remain in Chicago Public Schools once in-person learning resumes after the Board of Education approved a new contract with the Chicago Police Department.

Thousands of Chicagoans who lost their jobs or found their paychecks scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic asked the city for help paying their rent or mortgages, officials said.

Chicago is facing a lot of unfunded infrastructure needs in the coming years, according to officials. And it’s not just roads, bridges and streetlights that need work. The city’s lakefront is grappling with another year of high lake levels.