Stories by Matt Masterson

Disney II Magnet High School, Prosser Career Academy and Walter Payton College Prep are among the 325 schools recognized nationally for their “overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.”

A 27-year-old tow truck driver who was was attempting to provide service in the 100 block of West 57th Street was among those fatally shot over the weekend. According to police, there were 45 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

A Cook County judge has ordered Nathaniel Butler Sr. to be held without bail following his arrest in connection to the killing of 35-year-old Jerome Jenkins. That ruling came a day after Butler’s two sons were also held without bail.

In a follow-up to its June 2020 report, the Chicago Office of Inspector General on Thursday found the CPD still cannot ensure it is producing all relevant records in its possession for criminal and civil litigation.

The Chicago Public Schools graduate and former CPS chief financial officer under then-CEO Arne Duncan is expected to take control of the nation’s third-largest school district later this month, becoming the first Latino CEO within CPS.

A Chicago police sergeant who says he blew the whistle on a superior who was using department resources to protect his own home during the height of last year’s unrest now claims he has been retaliated against for reporting the misconduct.

Officials are asking for the community’s help in identifying a suspect wanted for a possible hate crime after the man allegedly struck a victim in the head at a CTA Red Line station on the North Side last month.

At least 60 people were shot in 40 shooting incidents across the city between Friday evening and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included a pair of mass shootings and the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Kaden Ingram.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and interim Chicago Public Schools CEO Jose Torres on Thursday unveiled a new Chicago Families Forward Fund, which they say will distribute more than $9 million in assistance to CPS families before the end of the fall semester.

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown on Friday announced that officers serving on the department’s Community Safety Team will be moved into new units centered on gang investigations, homicides, carjackings and narcotics.

Nestor Soto, who already faces an upcoming trial for the killing of his brother, will now be held without bail after he allegedly stabbed a friend inside his own home after a night of drinking. Soto, 42, is the former owner of a Bucktown restaurant.

Marina Verbitsky, 46, allegedly told staff at a Florida airport that there was a bomb inside her checked luggage after she’d been informed she would not be able to get on to her scheduled flight.

Dennis Green, 38, faces attempted first-degree murder and other charges after he allegedly shot a CTA bus driver in the jaw following a physical altercation with the driver, who asked Green to exit the bus at the end of its downtown route Saturday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Tuesday that 19 counterfeit vaccination cards were recovered from a parcel that was en route to an Ohio address during an inspection at O’Hare Airport on Aug. 31.

Officers Jeffery Shafer and Victor Guebara face felony charges after they allegedly beat a teenage boy as he laid on the ground following a pursuit in a stolen vehicle in Woodlawn earlier this year.

Crime data released Wednesday by the Chicago Police Department shows the city has recorded 524 homicides and 2,344 shootings so far in 2021. Those totals are up 3% and 9%, respectively, over the same time period last year.

The Chicago police officer seen in a video grabbing a woman as she attempted to leave North Avenue Beach with her dog Saturday has been placed on administrative duties while the incident is investigated.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she was “deeply concerned” by the altercation between a white male officer and Nikkita Brown, a Black woman. The incident is now under investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Among the five people who were fatally shot over the weekend in Chicago, three were killed or discovered dead within a 30-minute time frame early Sunday, according to police.

Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan announced that a juvenile has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Yvonne Ruzich, who was killed as she sat in her car outside her work in the early morning hours of Aug. 16.

A Cook County judge has not yet scheduled a date for the criminal trial of actor Jussie Smollett, but he did rule Thursday that attorneys for the former “Empire” star cannot call State’s Attorney Kim Foxx or her chief deputy to testify.

Alexandru Mihai, 19, was denied bail Thursday after his arrest on charges of attempted murder, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a controlled substance.

With the new school year set to begin Monday, Chicago Public Schools interim CEO Jose Torres said he believes the district has done enough to protect both students and staff amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.

Curtis Tyler, 30, was ordered held on $350,000 bond during a hearing Wednesday afternoon following his arrest on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, theft and public indecency.

Fewer than 1 in 10 ShotSpotter alerts between 2020 and 2021 resulted in evidence of a gun-related criminal offense being found, according to a new report from Chicago’s independent watchdog.

Police Superintendent David Brown said Officer Carlos Yanez Jr. has been transferred from the intensive care unit into a rehab unit, weeks after he was shot multiple times during a traffic stop.