Stories by Matt Masterson

“We extend our sincere gratitude to leaders in Washington — and especially our Chicago delegation — who have prioritized the needs of public school students throughout the country,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson said in a statement.

Whether you loved it or hated it, a school picture day was something everyone had growing up. But that isn’t the case for some Chicago-area students during the pandemic. How one local couple is recreating the tradition.

Despite Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city attorneys backing off their request for sanctions, the lawyer representing Anjanette Young may still find himself in hot water with a federal judge.

Experts say employers can require employees to take safety measures, including vaccination, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you would get fired if you refuse.

Watch the Dec. 22, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Retired Judge Ann Claire Williams of the Chicago-based law firm Jones Day will lead an outside investigation of the February 2019 raid that left a Chicago woman handcuffed and naked as well as the city’s handling of the raid’s aftermath.

Chicago officials failed to consistently evaluate the way the city repaired and rebuilt roads, bridges, bikeways and other infrastructure since 2019, according to a new audit by Chicago’s watchdog.

Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months. But preliminary numbers suggest that the United States is on track to see more than 3.2 million deaths this year, or at least 400,000 more than in 2019.

Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Monday night that would finally deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has long been the standard-bearer of the December theater season. But a subsequent and far less familiar novella is now receiving a bravura solo rendition courtesy of Remy Bumppo Theatre.

Are the days numbered for the Blackhawks team name and logo? According to the team’s new CEO the answer is no, but some Native American groups are pushing back. Two community leaders debate the issue.

A chocolateria has made its way to Chicago by way of local coffee company Dark Matter. On the menu? Mexican drinking chocolate that just so happens to be made with cacao beans from Mexico. We visit Sleep Walk for a taste.

When a suspect is taken into police custody, they are supposed to have the right to a phone call, but data from the Cook County Public Defender’s office shows that isn’t always the case. A new proposal aims to tackle the problem.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday that all of the officers involved in the February 2019 raid that left a Chicago woman handcuffed and naked have been placed on desk duty.

On the first day of winter, Cook County officials touted the benefits of spending time in nature, encouraging people to discover the nearly 70,000 acres of forest preserves this season — safely.

The advisory urging Chicagoans at stay home in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 has been extended for 21 days, expiring the day before the first Chicago Public Schools students are set to go back to in-person class.

Credit card company Capital One plans to have local employees work in its downtown office or remotely. Crain’s Chicago Business editor Ann Dwyer has details.

Watch the Dec. 21, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The CTA hopes to fund about half of the $2.3 billion project — the largest in the agency’s history — with grant money from the Federal Transit Administration.

Reports from Britain and South Africa of new coronavirus strains that seem to spread more easily are causing alarm, but virus experts say it’s unclear if that’s the case or whether they pose any concern for vaccines or cause more severe disease. 

A divided Supreme Court has dismissed as premature a challenge to President Trump’s plan to exclude people living in the country illegally from the population count used to allot states seats in the House of Representatives.

The president-elect took a dose of Pfizer vaccine Monday at a hospital not far from his Delaware home, hours after his wife, Jill Biden, did the same. The injections came the same day that a second vaccine, produced by Moderna, will start arriving in states.

White Sox manager Tony La Russa says he doesn’t have a drinking problem. He also says he has to prove that with his behavior.

New rules requiring nonprofit organizations to register as lobbyists will not take effect until at least April 1 amid an outcry about the impact of the new regulations and delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.

Planning for college during a pandemic. A victory for opponents of the planned closure of Mercy Hospital. Remembering victims of gun violence during the holidays. Plus, a Kwanzaa throwback.