Stories by Matt Masterson

The Chicago Board of Education on Thursday voted to approve the settlement with the school’s former interim principal John Thuet and assistant principal Michelle Brumfield.

The board voted 12-7, with one abstention, late Thursday following a contentious debate between board members who were split on how best to fund city schools while keeping costly cuts out of the classroom.

Cesar Ramirez, 47, received his sentence this week after he pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated kidnapping stemming from the October 2022 incident. He was initially charged with numerous felonies that also included attempted aggravated sexual assault, attempted aggravated sexual abuse and aggravated battery.

Gov. JB Pritzker said he’s received no word from the Trump administration following reports it intends to use the Naval Station Great Lakes outside Chicago to house federal immigration agents or National Guard troops.

Chicago Public Schools is set to finalize its fiscal year 2026 budget this week, but questions remain about how the cash-strapped school district intends to plug a $734 million shortfall.

A federal judge in Chicago sentenced Yousef Abu Alhawa to 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and tax charges.

President Donald Trump signed an order threatening to freeze federal funding to governments and jurisdictions that have eliminated the use of cash bail as a means of holding defendants in jail pretrial. Local officials say the system put in place in Illinois in 2023 is working.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said he takes Trump’s statement seriously, but claimed the city has not received any word from federal authorities about the deployment of any additional law enforcement into Chicago.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros announced Friday the creation of a new section within the Northern District of Illinois’s Criminal Division that will be dedicated to the prosecution of health care fraud.

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability announced it has begun accepting applications for the role of chief administrator in the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Former Northwestern University football coach Pat Fitzgerald and his attorneys announced the “satisfactory settlement” Thursday, though terms of the agreement were not immediately known.

For the first time in seven years, NASCAR will be returning to the 1.5-mile speedway in Joliet with an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on July 4, 2026 and a Cup Series race scheduled for July 5.

In Illinois, there are numerous security checks in place to ensure the accuracy and security of mail-in voting, according to Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the state’s Board of Elections.

Chicago Public Schools students returned to their classrooms Monday for the start of the new academic year, as district officials continue working to finalize a budget proposal to close a $734 million funding gap.

A Chicago Police Department spokesperson confirmed that Officer Carlos Baker has been relieved of his police powers, effective Friday.

The letter came after several board members voiced concerns about the district’s proposed spending plan, one CPS officials have pledged would keep any cuts out of the classroom.

Judge Scott Larson said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “failed to present a legal basis” for the Illinois court to consider civil arrest warrants filed in a different state.

“The choices we have are difficult ones,” CPS chief budget officer Mike Sitkowski told the Board of Education, “and it’s very difficult for us to be able to make cuts of this magnitude and keep the impact off of our schools.”

Former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson faces first-degree murder and other charges in Sonya Massey’s killing.

The Texas representatives, who are entering their second week of their quorum break, stood with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in Chicago Monday, days after a pair of bomb threats were called in to their St. Charles hotel.

Kristi Noem, whose office oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), visited suburban Lombard on Friday to criticize Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, whom he claimed have “worked so hard to protect these dangerous criminals” through their refusal to cooperate with ICE officials.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Elias Rodriguez, 31, with several new counts including murder of a foreign official, hate crimes, first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill more than two months after he allegedly killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside the Capital Jewish Museum.

Authorities are investigating after a threat was allegedly made Wednesday against Texas House Democrats who fled to Illinois in an effort to block a Republican redistricting effort in their home state.

Jay Doherty, the longtime City Club president and consultant for utility giant ComEd, will be headed to prison for his role in a yearslong conspiracy to bribe ex-Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan.

Launched in 2018, CPS based its SCS model around engaging academic curriculum, high-quality teaching, wrap-around supports, restorative justice discipline, parent engagement and inclusive school leadership.

Chicago police, along with the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, announced the child was found with their mother after they had gone missing in 2018.