Stories by Matt Masterson

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Wednesday announced the lawsuit, arguing President Donald Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional and risks disenfranchising voters by preventing states from effectively administering their vote-by-mail programs.

Meta agreed to pay out more than $17 billion and must implement significant safety features to protect children on Instagram and Facebook as part of a new settlement with Illinois and dozens of other states announced Wednesday.

Local and state officials are reassuring Illinoisans about the safety of mail-in voting, while also encouraging them to return their ballots early after a new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court could cause “chaos” ahead of the November election.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger has been reinstated at St. Sabina Catholic Church, more than a month after the longtime leader and vocal social justice was removed from the South Side parish amid new allegations of sexual abuse.

“Chicago Tonight” anchor Brandis Friedman will moderate a panel of Jessica Biggs, Jennifer Custer, Hilario Dominguez, Victor P. Henderson and Sendhil Revuluri before a live studio audience of Chicago residents for an hourlong forum on Sept. 15.

Hundreds of thousands of Chicago Public Schools students returned to their classrooms across the city Monday on the first day of school for the 2026-27 academic year as local officials continue pushing for more state funding to help prevent staffing layoffs.

For decades, Chicago has been the only city in Illinois with its board of education handpicked by its mayor. In the November general election, for the first time ever, all 21 seats on the board will be up for grabs, ending a reign of mayoral control that dates back to 1995 under Richard M. Daley.

Thousands of those affected by this month’s damaging downpours and ongoing power outages have joined a class action lawsuit targeting Indiana’s largest power utility, claiming it neglected “foreseeable and preventable” issues prior to the storms.

A federal judge this week sentenced Brian Metcalf, a former CPS network chief and principal at Gage Park High School, to a year and one day in prison after he entered a guilty plea on wire fraud charges.

The Illinois Tollway Board on Wednesday approved a massive 15-year, $26.5 billion capital spending plan that will raise vehicle tolls beginning next year.

Federal prosecutors have not yet decided if they’ll re-try ex-Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and longtime lobbyist Michael McClain on charges stemming from a bribery scandal targeting convicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

NASCAR won’t be returning to the streets of downtown Chicago next summer, as it announced plans to once again run three days of races at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet.

The Chicago Teachers Union is suing the Illinois Policy Institute, claiming the nonprofit think tank has defamed the union by framing it as “toxic” in an alleged effort to undermine its progressive policies.

Four Chicago Public Schools high schools have been ranked among the best in the country, according to a new list from U.S. News & World Report.

Tommy Schaefer, the man who allegedly conspired with his then-girlfriend Heather Mack to kill her mother at a luxury resort in Bali more than a decade ago, is asking a federal judge to release him from custody pending trial.

Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said that “at this time,” the team remains focused solely on potential sites in Hammond, Indiana as they continue working to finalize plans for a new stadium.

Mark Twain Elementary principal Matthew Moline confirmed the shooting in a letter to families Tuesday, stating that “shots were fired inside our school building,” though he added that no students were present in the building at the time.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is asking families to contact them as they seek to identify the more than 50 decomposing bodies discovered last week inside a Southeast Side funeral home.

Several people gathered Monday at the Chicago Police Department’s 19th District Station to file police reports in hopes that local authorities can begin investigating unlawful conduct allegedly committed by federal immigration agents.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in a statement more than 50 bodies had been found in the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, calling the discovery “heartbreaking and an abomination.”

Gov. JB Pritzker is demanding the Trump administration reimburse Illinois residents who were forced to pay higher prices caused by tariffs that were later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Chicago’s top federal prosecutor acknowledged “mistakes were made” in the prosecution of the botched “Broadview Six” case, but he rejected the former defendants’ call for a special prosecutor to investigate any potential wrongdoing.

In an interview with WTTW News, Mayor Brandon Johnson laid out the qualities he’s looking for in Chicago’s next top cop and stressed that there’s no need to delay that selection process until after the upcoming mayoral election in February.

Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed confidence that he’ll be able to present a balanced budget in October after his Budget Director Annette Guzman abruptly resigned this week.

There were 37 homicides in the city last month, the lowest total for any such month dating back to at least 1970. That total is down 18% compared to July 2025.

Chicago Public Schools principals and staff this week will begin training as the district is set to implement its holistic safety plan citywide — more than two years after police officers were removed from district campuses.