Stories by Matt Masterson

The union’s House of Delegates approved a resolution Wednesday seeking “full support” from Chicago’s Board of Education and Mayor Brandon Johnson to declare May 1 as a “Day of Civic Action.”

Nearly two years after CPS removed police officers from campuses and implemented a new holistic approach to school safety, officials believe that shift could serve as a replicable model for school districts across the country.

Attorneys with Loevy and Loevy say a “broad coalition” is set to make a public call for a special prosecutor after Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “terrorized” Cook County communities last fall

The ASPIRA charter network intends to close two schools by April 3 due to what it says is a “lack of funding,” forcing hundreds of students to transfer mid-year while teachers and staff must now find new jobs.

Friday’s ceremony, billed as a “homegoing service,” served as a celebration of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s life and achievements with singing, dancing and numerous speakers who reflected on the many ways Jackson impacted their lives.

Olga Bautista, who serves as vice president of Chicago’s Board of Education following her appointment by Mayor Brandon Johnson, is resigning her position, she announced Wednesday.

Data from the Chicago Police Department shows there were 25 homicides and 81 shootings across February, increases of 19% and 8%, respectively, over the same month in 2025.

Chief Judge Charles Beach’s office said some residents have received fake notices purportedly sent by the court that threaten recipients with potential legal action.

CPS classes for K-12 students in the 2026-27 academic year will begin Aug. 24 and end June 11. The following year, they’ll begin Aug. 23 and run through June 9.

Tommy Schaefer, the man who allegedly conspired with his then-girlfriend Heather Mack to kill her mother at a luxury resort in Bali, said he intends to represent himself and pleaded not guilty to the crime.

Tommy Schaefer, the man who in 2014 allegedly beat to death Sheila von Wiese-Mack in Bali as part of a plot with her daughter Heather Mack to gain access to a $1.5 million trust fund, has been returned to the U.S. and is in federal custody.

Montoya Perry, 33, will be detained in the Cook County Jail pending trial after her arrest on felony murder and vehicular hijacking charges following the death of 28-year-old Daniel Figueroa.

Andrew Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, has announced that his office has been selected by the Department of Justice to serve as a lead prosecutorial partner on its Trade Fraud Task Force.

Increased investments in a violence intervention program that targets Chicago communities with the highest rates of gun violence has led to continued declines in the number of shootings and homicides, a new study found.

The Illinois Education Association on Monday published its annual State of Education report, which offers a glimpse into residents’ feelings on all aspects of the state’s public education system.

The University of Chicago is among dozens of universities and colleges that have agreed to terminate their partnerships with a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups get degrees in business.

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has implemented a new protocol that calls for the use of all available prosecutorial tools to support investigations into the use of force by federal immigration officers.

A federal judge on Thursday handed Fidel Marquez a two-year sentence of probation along with a $50,000 fine, more than five years after he entered a guilty plea to a bribery charge.

Rainbow/PUSH announced that Jackson, who passed away this week at the age of 84, will be laying in state at the coalition’s office — located at 930 E. 50th Street — on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 ahead of a funeral next weekend.

Richard Zuley, who spent 30 years as a CPD detective, testified that he never verbally or physically assaulted Anthony Garrett, who was sentenced to 100 years in prison following his conviction in the shooting death of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis.

Officials from Chicago and across Illinois expressed condolences and shared their memories of legendary Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 84.

Ofelia Torres, the 16-year-old whose cancer battle gained national attention last fall after her father was detained by immigration agents outside a suburban Home Depot, has died.

U.S. District Judge Manish Shah signed off on the restraining order Thursday in a lawsuit brought by attorneys general from four states including Kwame Raoul that sought to prevent the cuts.

Preckwinkle urged Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke to act “swiftly, proactively and transparently” in order to ensure accountability after agents have repeatedly used “excessive force."

The Board of Education is no longer working with Alma Advisory Group, which was hired last May to help guide the search for Chicago Public Schools’ next permanent CEO, according to a statement from six board members.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the new lawsuit, which was filed along with officials from California, Colorado, Minnesota after the Office of Management and Budget’s directive to cut grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a move that could be enacted as early as Thursday.