Stories by Matt Masterson

Chicago Public Schools students are quickly approaching winter break, but some eighth-graders may have a little homework left to finish before the end of the week: fill out high school applications.

One change expected to hit individuals in states like Illinois particularly hard: A $10,000 limit on the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted from your federal taxes. Previously, that deduction was uncapped. 

Watch the Dec. 20, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Thirteen veterans have died of Legionnaires' disease since 2015 at a state-run veterans home in Quincy. A new report by WBEZ reveals Illinois' top health official warned of the seriousness of the outbreak days before it was made public.

After a storied career of bringing down drug kingpins such as Mexico’s Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Chicago’s top federal drug enforcement official Dennis Wichern is calling it quits.

From the quirky coming-of-age story “Lady Bird” to the latest in the Star Wars saga, we have some holiday movie reviews.

Starting Thursday, Cook County probation officers will have a new place to refer some of the 20,000 people on probation. For many of them, finding work is critical to staying out of trouble with the law.

Geoffrey Baer shines a light on a pair of hooded statues at Union Station and some old-fashioned security technology in this week’s edition of “Ask Geoffrey.”

With 2017 drawing to a close, here’s a look at some of the top education issues to watch in the year to come, including CPS’ new leader, school closures and the hotly debated topic of tax credit scholarships.

Ring in the new year with live music, comedy, ice-skating, yoga and bubbly and brews. Here are 10 New Year’s Eve parties in and around Chicago. 

A throng of tubas, holiday cocktails, last-minute shopping ops and satirical songs usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

A government watchdog group is calling for oversight of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios and the way his office assesses property values. 

Watch the Dec. 19, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

An exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago features the artistic outpouring of Russian artists after the October Revolution of 1917, the coup that brought the Soviet Union into being more than a century ago.

Hedy Weiss reviews alternative holiday shows on Chicago stages—with not a “Nutcracker” or “Christmas Carol” in sight.

Tough talk about segregation from MacArthur “genius” grant recipient and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.

It might sound like an episode of “The X-Files,” but a story reported Saturday by the New York Times sheds light on an official Pentagon program that researched and investigated unidentified flying objects.

Burr Ridge physician Dr. Robert Marshall tells us why he’s running for governor and discusses his plans for Illinois.

An off-duty police officer shot and wounded a would-be carjacker Monday evening in the Bronzeville neighborhood, according to the Chicago Police Department, which is dealing with an unprecedented spike in vehicle thefts this year.

Former Wisconsin politician Cathy Stepp “will bring a fresh perspective” to the EPA, agency chief Scott Pruitt said Tuesday. But the announcement drew blunt criticism from the group’s national employee union.

Author Kate Hennessy discusses her new book about Dorothy Day, her Catholic activist grandmother.

Individuals often drift in and out of the SNAP system intermittently, but the number who suddenly lost benefits spiked last month to 41,000 after recipients apparently missed a Nov. 5 deadline.

Watch the Dec. 18, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

It’s been three months since Hurricane Maria dealt a devastating blow to Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territory is still struggling.  How one young mother and her sons are restarting their lives in Chicago.

They’ve strutted across high-end runways and for fast-fashion TV commercials. Now, the Hiplet dancers are showing Chicago Tonight how they’ve worked for their success.

A new illustrated biography takes a close look at the life of the Chicago architect, preservationist and restorer of architectural masterpieces.