Stories by Matt Masterson

The percentage of Chicago Public Schools students accessing materials and getting grades has steadily risen during the remote learning period, but new data shows some high-need populations have fallen behind.

It’s a big day for NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX as they send humans into space Wednesday, the first crewed launch from American soil since 2011 and the first by a private firm.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the coronavirus death toll in Illinois stood at 5,038 people. “These are real people whose lives came to an end because of this pandemic,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, speaking from East St. Louis.

More than 1.2 million unemployment claims have been processed in Illinois since March, and many people are filing for unemployment insurance for the first time. Here are some tips to help you navigate the process.

Watch the May 27, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

After hearing oral arguments last week, appeals court judges are questioning whether a lawsuit against the construction of the Obama Presidential Center has any standing in federal court.

A new virtual art gallery is starting a conversation on why the current stay-at-home order isn’t ideal for everyone, as it explores race and social class issues.

When legislators returned to Springfield last week after more than two months away because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sen. Robert Martwick was not among them – at least at first. 

With 49 shot and 10 killed over Memorial Day weekend, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is ripping her new police superintendent’s strategies. “This was a fail and whatever the strategy is, it didn’t work,” Lightfoot said.

Ald. Anthony Napolitano says he respects Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s responsibility to see the coronavirus pandemic from a bigger perspective when it comes to allowing businesses to reopen, but hopes she’ll act soon to loosen some restrictions. 

Illinois legislators wrapped up a whirlwind special session that stretched to the wee hours of Sunday morning. A look at what they accomplished. 

The city appears poised to follow the lead of cities like New York City, Oakland and Seattle by designating miles of Chicago roadways as “shared streets for physical distancing.”

Documentary filmmaker Gordon Quinn was diagnosed with COVID-19 and spent a month in the hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator multiple times. He shares his story.

The far northwest side neighborhood is home to city workers, like first responders, teachers and trades workers. We visit Edison Park to see how residents, businesses and others are coping with the pandemic.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday he would extend the ban on evictions in Illinois past Friday, when the latest version of his stay-at-home order is scheduled to expire.

Watch the May 26, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Illinois appears to have passed the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, with the rate of confirmed cases of the coronavirus dropping significantly, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday.

Southeast Side residents have created guidelines for the types of development they want to see in their neighborhoods, outlining their priorities in a blueprint for developers. 

Contact tracing is “one of the most important weapons that we have in this fight” against the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday.

Chicago fishermen are adjusting to COVID-19 regulations keeping them off Chicago's lakefront, a popular fishing spot.

Chicago saw its most violent Memorial Day weekend in five years, despite a stay-at-home order meant to keep people inside during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

There are roughly 175,000 immigrants in U.S. meatpacking jobs. The industry has historically relied on foreign-born workers, but now that reliance and uncertainty about a virus that's killed at least 20 workers and temporarily shuttered several plants fuels concerns about possible labor shortages to meet demand for beef, pork and chicken.

Black Chicagoans are almost six times more likely to die from the new coronavirus than white residents, according to state and city health officials. We talk about the city’s ongoing health disparities with the Rev. Marshall Hatch of New Mount Pilgrim Church.

Memorial Day is traditionally a time to honor dead members of the armed forces. But this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a new war for many veterans.

Public pools will look very different this summer if they open at all with the coronavirus threat still looming.

On Monday, Illinois recorded its fewest number of deaths linked to the coronavirus since early April, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Statewide, 4,884 people have died across 100 counties.