Stories by Matt Masterson

Hundreds of mourners and members of the Chicago Police Department gathered at St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church to remember John Bartholomew, who was killed last month in a shooting inside Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital.

Federal agents were reportedly spotted at multiple Cook County courthouses Thursday morning in a move community activists are calling a “significant ramp up” of immigration enforcement in and around Chicago.

The remaining defendants in the “Broadview Six” criminal case no longer face felony charges after a federal judge Thursday morning officially dismissed the top count in the politically-charged case.

An ISP spokesperson confirmed an “initial investigation” is underway after the Franklin Park Police Department asked the state police’s Public Integrity Task Force to investigate Villegas Gonzalez’s death.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago on Tuesday announced Brandi Wright, 44, now faces a charge of wire fraud after she allegedly engaged in Paycheck Protection Program fraud in 2021.

Through the first four months of 2026, Chicago has seen 130 homicides, CPD data shows, up from the 120 recorded during the same period in 2025.

Labor unions, community groups and Chicago Public Schools students are among those gathering Friday afternoon in recognition of May Day.

Federal immigration agents engaged in unconstitutional uses of force including “extreme physical force" while White House officials routinely lied to conceal the motivations behind “Operation Midway Blitz,” an Illinois panel has found.

A Cook County judge on Thursday ordered Alphanso Talley, 26, be detained in jail pending trial on a litany of felony charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, robbery and kidnapping.

Federal prosecutors have dismissed felony conspiracy charges against the remaining members of the “Broadview Six,” and instead intend to proceed to trial on lesser misdemeanor counts in the politically-charged case.

An Illinois commission created to document alleged abuses committed by federal immigration agents has determined a Border Patrol agent had no justification when he shot Marimar Martinez in Brighton Park last year.

The Chicago Police Department on Monday announced the charges against 26-year-old Alphanso Talley. He now faces 20 felony charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday said it has upheld Madigan’s convictions on charges of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud reached after a four-plus month trial early last year.

The Accountability Commission has spent the last several months collecting evidence and witness testimony and is set to issue its final report by this week.

Cook County Chief Judge Erica Reddick on Friday heard arguments from petitioners who claim a special prosecutor must be appointed to investigate crimes committed during “Operation Midway Blitz."

A week ahead of May Day, Chicago Public Schools officials have outlined how classes will operate and what civic engagement students and staff can participate in on the annual labor holiday.

The order seeks to prevent insider trading by strengthening guardrails amid the rapid growth of online prediction markets and event-based gambling contracts, the governor’s office said.

The Chicago branch of the FBI on Tuesday said it is still seeking to arrest Joseph Matos, who is wanted for his alleged involvement in the 2021 killing of 19-year-old Chrys Carvajal.

A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit brought by Illinois and Chicago officials that sought to bar the Trump administration’s plans to deploy National Guard troops into the state.

Video evidence released Friday by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability showed for the first time what happened in the chaotic scene as officer Carlos A. Baker fatally shot Krystal Rivera.

The announcement comes after a push by the CTU and some Board of Education members to close schools and allow for demonstrations on the annual labor holiday.

Federal prosecutors charged Tim King, 59, in a three-count indictment accusing him of misusing Urban Prep funds to cover his own personal credit card expenses and then attempting to cover up that theft through falsified documents.

Barbara Deer, 51, and her son Kaleb Deer, 23, were identified by Cook County Medical Examiner records as the two people killed at a Homan Square home Tuesday.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed its own previous ruling and granted Pramaggiore and McClain bail pending a new trial. That ruling came just hours after attorneys for the pair asked the court to throw out their convictions.

For decades, Chicago’s Board of Education has been the only one in Illinois handpicked by the city’s mayor. And for just as long, education advocates have called for that board to be an elected body, representative of Chicago’s diverse residents. This fall, those advocates will get their wish.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago charged Michael Kovco, 29, with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. He was arrested last week and is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing Friday.