Stories by Matt Masterson

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.

After a drowning in Lake Michigan near a Rogers Park beach earlier this month, longtime community activist Jim Ginderske decided to take action in the name of public safety. Now, a local alderperson is joining the effort.

The city’s travel advisory now covers 48 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands, officials said Tuesday.

From mom-and-pop outfits to big-box stores, the coronavirus pandemic has significantly impacted businesses in Chicago and beyond. We talk with local Latino business owners and entrepreneurs about their experiences. Watch the full discussion.

Louisiana communities beginning the huge task of clearing debris and repairing the damage inflicted by Hurricane Ida are facing the dispiriting prospect of weeks without electricity in the oppressive, late-summer heat. 

The United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan late Monday, ending America’s longest war and closing a chapter in military history likely to be remembered for colossal failures, unfulfilled promises and a frantic final exit.

Rescuers in boats, helicopters and high-water trucks brought hundreds of people trapped by Hurricane Ida’s floodwaters to safety Monday and utility repair crews rushed in, after the furious storm swamped the Louisiana coast and ravaged the electrical grid.

As part of our “Firsthand: Living in Poverty” series, we hear about the current state of food insecurity in Chicago — and possible solutions to the problem.

The e-commerce giant recently began installing lockers inside Chicago parks, and says the lockers are a “secure and convenient” option. But that so-called convenience has proven controversial. 

For the first time in 17 months, Chicago Public Schools students returned to the classroom for full-time, in-person learning Monday. At some schools, the mayor was there to welcome them back.

The White House says more than 116,000 people have so far been evacuated, but not everyone has been able to escape. Hundreds of Afghan refugees could settle in the Chicago area, and local immigrant groups are working around the clock to try and make that happen.

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.

Ed Asner, the burly and prolific character actor who became a star in middle age as the gruff but lovable newsman Lou Grant, first in the hit comedy “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and later in the drama “Lou Grant,” died Sunday. He was 91.

While Mayor Lori Lightfoot contends Chicago is “fiscally bouncing back,” Chicago’s top financial officials made it clear at a hearing Monday that the city’s finances are still mired in the deep hole created by the economic catastrophe of the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s the last summer weekend to squeeze in a family vacation, but the delta variant of COVID-19 is discouraging Labor Day weekend travel. Crain’s Chicago Business editor Ann Dwyer takes us behind the headline of that story and more.

The 1975 cult classic has just been added to Millennium Park’s outdoor film series. And while it wouldn’t be a proper “Rocky Horror” screening without audience participation, the city has some dos and don’ts when it comes to your DIY props.

After several days of  testimony from women claiming they were groomed and sexually abused by R. Kelly, a man took the witness stand at Kelly’s sex-trafficking trial in New York City on Monday to say the R&B star exploited him in the same way when he was a high school student.

Some of the biggest school systems in the U.S. are taking a hard line with teachers and staff members who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19: Get a jab or lose your job. 

Hiccups, hope and trepidation on the first day of school. Chicago immigrant groups prepare to resettle Afghans. Debating Amazon lockers in local parks. Hurricane Ida relief. And remembering Ed Asner.

The European Union recommended Monday that its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. because of rising coronavirus infections there.

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.

According to the National Weather Service, drier air is moving into the region, bringing with it more comfortable weather.

Jacob Blake was shot seven times on Aug. 23, 2020 by Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey. A year later, he feels nothing is different in terms of policing and the general divisiveness of the world, but he’s determined to change that.

A U.S. drone strike blew up a vehicle carrying “multiple suicide bombers” from Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate on Sunday before they could attack the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul’s international airport, American officials said.

It’s been more than a year since Chicago Public Schools students have sat inside their classrooms full time. Now, with mask mandates, vaccine requirements for staff and other COVID-19 safety protocols in place, CPS children are about to embark on a year unlike any other.

Renters across the country may soon face eviction now that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration’s extension of the eviction moratorium. We discuss resources available to local renters.