Stories by Matt Masterson

Tuesday marks the first community engagement session as CPS continues working to address its fiscal challenges ahead of an Aug. 29 deadline to pass a balanced budget for the 2027 fiscal year.

Chicago’s embattled U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said his office is reviewing scores of grand jury cases from across the 20-year career of the prosecutor now facing misconduct allegations from the “Broadview Six” protester case.

Faith leaders and elected officials called for the creation of a new gun violence prevention department, claiming the existing Office of Violence Prevention is a “ghost office” that doesn’t do enough to keep Chicagoans safe.

The Obama Presidential Center hosted a grand opening ceremony complete with a host of musical acts and notable guests.

Merlin Lu, 21, was charged with two hate crime counts as well as additional charges including arson, property damage, disorderly conduct and cross burning as a means of intimidation.

The former alderperson and current Cook County Board of Review commissioner kicked off his campaign during a lunch event on Chicago’s Southwest Side Tuesday at which he pledged to tackle the city’s fiscal and public safety issues.

Body camera footage showing the fatal shooting of Chicago police Officer Ella French was released Wednesday, nearly five years after she was killed during a traffic stop in the Englewood neighborhood.

Defense attorneys late Tuesday filed new motions asking U.S. District Judge April Perry to designate a special counsel to investigate, and if warranted, prosecute members of Boutros’ office for criminal contempt following bombshell allegations of grand jury misconduct.

Federal prosecutors will toss out felony charges against two men accused in connection with a massive COVID-19 fraud scheme amid ties to the same prosecutor and grand jury from the botched “Broadview Six” protester case.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King defended the school district amid congressional criticism of its support for trans students, the Black Student Success Plan and “ideological agendas.”

Newly unsealed transcripts detail federal prosecutors’ alleged misconduct as they repeatedly pushed for felony charges from a skeptical grand jury in the “Broadview Six” protester case.

More than 100 former federal prosecutors have published an open letter blasting U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, claiming he “tarnished the reputation” of the office in the wake of the botched “Broadview Six” case.

According to the Chicago Police Department, there were 36 homicides throughout last month, two fewer than were recorded during May 2025, a year that ended with a historically low homicide total.

“I believe government should answer to the people it serves, not political insiders or special interests,” Mendoza said in a video announcing her campaign. “Because Chicagoans are tired of paying more and getting less, tired of politics that divides people without solving problems.”

Defense attorneys filed a motion through which they will seek to recoup attorneys' fees for the now-former defendants, days after Chicago’s U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros announced his office had dismissed all charges in the controversial case.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros has acknowledged he did speak to grand jurors the day they returned an indictment in the “Broadview Six” case, but claimed he only did so to provide “general comments” about the need for grand jurors to be fair and impartial.

U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin issued a joint statement on Tuesday morning, joining the growing calls for Boutros — a Trump administration appointee — to step down.

There are 51 total candidates who are currently set to appear on the November ballot for the at-large board president position and 20 board seats that are up for grabs, according to Chicago elections officials, after Tuesday marked the end of the candidate filing period.

Chicago’s U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros announced “sweeping” reforms to his office’s grand jury procedures, days after allegations of prosecutorial misconduct tanked the “Broadview Six” case and sparked blowback against his office.

Transcripts detailing federal prosecutors’ alleged misconduct during multiple grand jury proceedings in the “Broadview Six” case are expected to be released publicly after the politically-charged case fell apart last week.

Friday’s motion comes a day after prosecutors dismissed all charges against the remaining defendants, a stunning turn following allegations of prosecutorial misconduct and a subsequent cover-up by members of Chicago’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A Cook County judge has rejected calls for a special prosecutor to probe allegations of criminal misconduct committed by federal immigration agents after Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke refused to launch her own investigations.

Federal prosecutors have abruptly dismissed all charges against the remaining “Broadview Six” defendants, days before the case was set to go to trial. The move followed a closed-door hearing Thursday over redacted grand jury transcripts.

Catholic and interfaith leaders will be allowed to provide spiritual care to detainees held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview under a new agreement reached this month.

U.S. District Judge April Perry on Monday rejected the request, saying she believes there’s no need for a jury “field trip” to the Broadview center and that the risk of something going wrong while there would be “massive.”

Mung Chiang, a renowned researcher, educator and university leader is set to become the first ever Asian American president at Northwestern University.