Stories by Matt Masterson

With remote learning in place through the rest of the school year, the district is telling students they won’t be negatively impacted by “circumstances beyond their control” as in-person instruction has been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are high school students really learning during this time of stay-at-home orders and remote learning? Maybe more than lesson plans intended.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces a divided City Council determined to help shape the city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic that has likely created a financial crisis for Chicago, four aldermen said Thursday during an interview for “Chicago Tonight.”

As part of our series of virtual art tours, we visit a collection of artwork that highlights the richness of Mexican art in Chicago.

The city is asking residents to donate handmade face masks for the city’s most vulnerable populations ahead of a statewide requirement for people to keep their faces covered in public.

A onetime tree nursery became a bucolic place of rest and recovery for tuberculosis patients on Chicago’s North Side. Geoffrey Baer has the story of a decadeslong battle against a contagion.

A day before a modified stay-at-home order takes effect in Illinois, officials used their daily press briefing to discuss efforts to ramp up coronavirus testing across the state, and to urge residents to stay home and wash their hands frequently.

The Chicago Police Department says the expansion will help streamline operations and control in order to meet public safety needs and increase collaboration between detectives and patrol officers. 

The 2-1 ruling by a panel of the appeals court extends a nationwide injunction blocking the Department of Justice from withholding the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant from sanctuary cities like Chicago.

Watch the April 30, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The nation’s top infectious disease expert said Thursday that new cases of the coronavirus are a certainty as states begin to roll back restrictions. 

The layoffs amount to 1 in 6 American workers and encompass more people than the entire population of Texas, or more people than live in the New York and Chicago metropolitan areas combined.

Sixty-eight percent of Americans say they highly trust the information that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing about the virus, 66% trust their doctor or health care provider, and 52% said the same about their state or local government, according to a recent poll.

The number of detainees within the Cook County Jail is reaching historic lows during the COVID-19 pandemic. But as that number drops, the number of those being held on electronic monitoring devices has steadily risen.

Chicago’s airports have seen a steep reduction in traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic, but flights are still taking off and landing in the city everyday. 

Wedged between Chicago and O’Hare, Rosemont is known for its outlet malls, convention center and close proximity to the state’s largest airport. 

An assignment in Peru turned into a nightmare for Chicago artist Sharon Bladholm, who was trying to get back home when the coronavirus pandemic hit. 

O’Hare International Airport is one of the engines of Chicago’s economy. But what happens when that engine is operating at about 5%? We check out the scene at one of the world’s busiest airports.

The last time Illinois lawmakers were in Springfield, the coronavirus had not yet been declared a pandemic. After nearly two months, Republican legislators are amplifying their calls to return.

Custodial workers are on the front lines of the coronavirus, but some of them say they’re not being treated as such. We speak with two workers who have more than 40 years of combined experience at Stroger Hospital.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned with certainty since the arrival of COVID-19 in the U.S., it’s that nothing is certain — least of all for the health care workers on the front lines of the crisis.

With critical protective equipment in short supply, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday the state has a new system to decontaminate N95 masks, allowing them to be used up to 20 times.

With fewer humans out and about during the coronavirus pandemic, Canada geese are more relaxed during this spring’s nesting season, according to researchers at Ball State University. 

Chicago officials acknowledged that renters are being hit by the coronavirus pandemic “10 times harder” than property owners — and called on landlords and banks to be compassionate and flexible when demanding payments.

State Rep. John Cabello claims the governor “had no legal authority to act in ordering isolation or quarantine of citizens,” according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday — the second legal challenge to the governor’s stay-at-home order meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Star Farm in Back of the Yards makes up for in ambition what it lacks in size. Founder Stephanie Dunn’s mission is to use urban agriculture as the means of creating a healthier, more resilient community.