Stories by Matt Masterson

Jose Alvarez, 67, was held without Thursday following his arrest on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery. Those charges come days after prosecutors say he fatally shot 48-year-old Karina Gonzalez and 15-year-old Daniela Alvarez, and wounded his 18-year-old son.

Brandon Johnson announced that Jianan Shi, the executive director of Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education since 2019, will serve as the board’s president after former president Miguel del Valle stepped down after his term expired last week.

According to police figures, there were nine people killed across Chicago between Friday at 6 p.m. and Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. during a busy holiday weekend. In total, 57 people were shot in 45 separate shooting incidents during that time.

Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting that left seven dead and 48 more wounded, and 22-year-old Robert Crimo III remains in custody after being indicted on 117 felony charges — including 21 counts of first-degree murder.

According to data from the Illinois EPA, Chicago’s Air Quality Index was at a 185 as of Thursday morning, placing it in the “unhealthy” range. That means older adults, people with heart or lung disease and children and teens should avoid strenuous outdoor activities.

April Perry, who currently serves as senior counsel overseeing Global Investigations and Fraud and Abuse Prevention at GE HealthCare, has been nominated to become the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois after John Lausch stepped down earlier this year.

The district’s budget for the 2024 fiscal year will contain $4.8 billion in school-level funding, which officials said is an increase of more than $240 million over last year.

Miguel del Valle, who has led Chicago’s Board of Education since 2019, announced he will be leaving his post at the end of this week.

Attorneys for 35-year-old Carlishia Hood announced the lawsuit Tuesday morning, claiming the arrest of Hood and her son was an “obvious rush to judgment” by police following the fatal June 18 shooting.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez notified Jones College Prep parents and families Monday that Joseph Powers has retired after serving as the high school’s principal since 2008.

A spokesperson for the Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office confirmed it had dropped first-degree murder charges against Carlishia Hood and her son stemming from a fatal June 18 shooting.

According to Chicago Police Department figures, 29 people were shot in 25 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included at least three teenagers who were killed by gunfire.

Interim Police Superintendent Fred Waller said he met with local business leaders to assure them the police department has safety plans in place for the parade and other Pride events this weekend.

Condelarious Garcia, 20, faces four counts each of aggravated reckless driving and failure to report an accident, as well as a misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended license and multiple traffic citations.

Carlishia Hood, 35, and her teenage son have each been charged with first-degree murder stemming from the fatal Sunday night shooting of Jeremy Brown at a West Pullman restaurant.

Austin High School will remove one of its two school resource officers, while Marshall High School has voted to remove both of its SROs. Even so, the contract total will actually increase slightly due to increased salaries for the CPD officers assigned to schools.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 75 people were shot in 51 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday, which marks one of the most violent weekends of the year to date. That included three separate mass shootings.

Classes may be finished, but beginning Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools will offer free meals to students at hundreds of school buildings throughout the city during the summer months.

The board in a 5-3 vote Thursday moved to terminate Sgt. Alex Wolinski, finding that he committed multiple rule violations and a “failure of leadership … so serious as to be incompatible with continued service.”

Lake County Judge George Strickland said during a status hearing Friday that he intends the trial of Robert Crimo Jr. to begin sometime in late October or early November.

“This is an important moment for our district, not only because of the change in mayoral leadership; but because, with the election of ten board members in November 2024, the Chicago Board of Education will begin its transition from fully appointed to fully elected,” the advocates wrote in the June 14 letter.

Ayca Sarialioglu, 29, was arrested and charged with felony counts of failing to report an accident involving injury and leaving the scene of a traffic accident involving injury. She also faces a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol stemming from the incident Monday.

According to the Chicago Police Department, the boy was charged Wednesday with two counts of robbery and a single count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.

According to the Chicago Fire Department, the victims were all transported to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the bus refused medical assistance.

Chicago Public Schools unveiled its budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, which officials say will boost per-pupil spending by nearly $1,000 and reduce the number of schools that will see decreased funding, compared to spring projections.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 31 people were shot in 26 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included the four people killed and three teens who were wounded in a shooting at a CTA station Sunday afternoon.