Stories by Matt Masterson

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office announced it is adding a new position — hate crimes specialist — in response to the “growing need to address hate crimes amid a challenging global climate.”

The alleged sexual abuse in these cases occurred between 1996 and 2017 and the victims were all minors — some as young as 12 — when the alleged abuse occurred, according to the complaint.

Nearly 100 people are claiming in a new lawsuit that they were subjected to sexual abuse and assault as the hands of correctional officers and staffers at facilities in Chicago and across the state.

According to Chicago Police Department figures, 31 people were shot in 24 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Chicago police officials on Friday officially announced charges against 22-year-old Xavier Tate Jr., who now faces counts of first-degree murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen firearm.

Law enforcement officers have arrested the suspect accused of killing Chicago police Officer Luis Huesca.

Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws claiming the city has relied on its “constitutionally defective” parade permit ordinance to summarily deny permits that would allow groups to march during the convention.

Attorneys for the family of Da’Karia Spicer, 10, killed in a 2020 traffic crash are seeking to make public their deposition of former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who a day after the accident said she didn’t believe a police vehicle pursuit had led to the girl’s death.

Officials from the union and Chicago Public Schools began talks this week as the sides work to secure the first new teachers contract since former CTU organizer and educator Brandon Johnson was elected mayor.

“Luis left a great impression on not only everyone sitting here, especially his team, but he’s leaving an impression on the entire country,” Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said.

Protests began on the Evanston campus and at universities across the country in recent weeks amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The Chicago Police Department over the weekend announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for 22-year-old Xavier L. Tate Jr., who is being sought in connection with Huesca’s death.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 16 people were shot between Friday evening and Sunday night.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the R&B singer’s claim that the statute of limitations had passed and instead affirmed his convictions, stating that “(f)or years, Robert Sylvester Kelly abused underage girls.”

“Our approach understands that homelessness is not an issue of personal failing, but of historical discrimination and structural barriers that have driven inequality for Black families across the nation, and of course, right here in Illinois,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday.

Attorneys for the players on Wednesday announced that a judge has granted a motion to consolidate their various cases with that of ex-Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Officials are back to square one in the search for Chicago’s next U.S. attorney as President Joe Biden has nominated April Perry — the presumptive pick to succeed John Lausch — to instead become a federal judge.

Walter Payton College Prep checked in at No. 5 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of top high schools in the country.

The CPD released multiple surveillance footage clips of a man, who can be seen entering a pair of convenience stores. Investigators believe that man is connected to Huesca’s death.

Chicago police Officer Luis M. Huesca, who was fatally shot as he returned to his Gage Park home following his shift early Sunday, was among three people killed by gunfire across Chicago over the weekend.

Judge Pamela McLean Meyerson dismissed three counts brought by a group of 13 residents who live near the stadium who had asked the court to invalidate Evanston City Council’s 5-4 vote to change the city’s zoning law.

The city of Highland Park is planning to resume its annual Fourth of July parade — two years after a gunman opened fire on attendees, killing seven and wounding dozens more.

The measure would put a moratorium on the closure of selective enrollment schools and prevent CPS from altering its standards for admission to those schools until 2027 when a fully elected school board in Chicago is in place.

CTU leaders on Tuesday announced their contract demands as bargaining gets underway on a new deal as the union’s existing contract is set to expire in June.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguements in a case that could have wide-ranging impacts on bribery cases like the one involving former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 48 people were shot in separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, marking one of the most violent weekends in the city thus far this year.