Stories by Matt Masterson

The governor is experiencing “mild symptoms” and has been prescribed Paxlovid, an antiviral medication used to treat the disease.

A cultural preservation organization announced Tuesday that the house will receive a share of $3 million in grants being distributed to 33 sites and organizations nationwide that are important pieces of African American history.

Doctors in Wisconsin are teaming up with Illinois abortion care providers. Previewing this week’s final Jan. 6 hearing. A labor dispute brewing for Starbucks employees. And checking in on the city’s tourism industry.

Summer travel is heating up. A survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association shows that nearly 70% of Americans are planning to travel this summer. But what about tourism here in Chicago?

If you were planning to buy a new home, should you do it before rates rise again?  What if you need to upgrade your car? And is it good to pay off your credit card completely, or should you carry a small balance to boost your credit score?

A Ricketts family member takes on Google with a new search engine. New developments in Potbelly’s tortured history with a federal loan program.  And the Loop’s shopping district loses another big-name store in Old Navy.

A local Emmy-winning jazz vocalist is committed to ensuring students have the opportunity to pursue paths in performing arts, no matter the medium. Arts Correspondent Angel Idowu takes us to the West Loop for “Timeless Gifts: A Musical Revue.”

After a year-long investigation, the House Jan. 6 panel is seeking to wrap up what may be its last hearing, even as its probe continues to heat up. The committee says it continues to receive fresh evidence each day and isn’t ruling out additional hearings or interviews with a bevy of additional people close to the president.

Claims against Starbucks include unfairly disciplining employees who backed organizing efforts, threatening retaliation against pro-union workers and forbidding staffers from discussing terms and conditions of their employment.

Teaming up with Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Wisconsin doctors and their patients are traveling to Illinois for abortion care.

Funeral services for the seven people killed by a gunman at an Independence Day parade will conclude Monday as family and friends gather in suburban Chicago to remember Kevin McCarthy.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot criticized the Chicago Board of Ethics on Monday for acting “as judge, jury and executioner” when investigating officials for violating the city’s ethics ordinance.

Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez, who were released in 2016 after serving 23 years in prison for the murder of Rodrigo Vargas, would each get $10.25 million if the settlement is approved by the City Council. 

Some people are concerned about what they say are deteriorating conditions at the high-quality habitat where the endangered plovers Monty and Rose raised their three successive broods of chicks between 2019 and 2021. 

At 81, Dr. Anthony Fauci has served more than five decades under seven presidents, advising every American president since Ronald Reagan.

So-called “sideshows” have popped up all over the city in recent weeks, where hundreds of people gather to watch cars spinning “doughnuts” — sometimes in a ring of gasoline set on fire.

U.S. airlines have canceled more than 100,000 flights this year, with 30,000 cancellations just since Memorial Day weekend, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware.

According to Chicago Police Department data, there were 22 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

The nearly 80-page report was the first to criticize both state and federal law enforcement, and not just local authorities in the South Texas town for the bewildering inaction by heavily armed officers as a gunman fired inside two fourth-grade classrooms at Robb Elementary School, killing 19 students and two teachers.

The findings from both Republican- and Democratic-controlled states run contrary to claims made by former President Donald Trump and his allies who have intensely criticized their use and falsely claimed they were a target for fraud.

A museum in West Town is paying tribute to the city’s South Chicago neighborhood in a new solo exhibition by a self-taught historian. Arts Correspondent Angel Idowu introduces us to Roman Villarreal.

Community members ask why the response to Highland Park was different than responses to deadly weekends in Chicago. Plus, Blackness is Golden and a poetic tribute to powerful Black men and women. 

“When Blackness was Golden!: Observation from the front line” is a memoir by Pemon Rami. It’s a coming of age story that gives readers a look into the civil rights movement in Chicago and an era when Black culture and excellence were on the rise.

A Chicago spoken word artist is celebrating Black men and women with a collection of poems praising and acknowledging their accomplishments. Harold Green’s “Black Roses and Black Oak” are odes to celebrities, leaders and changemakers.

Seven people were killed and 46 others injured in the mass shooting. That same holiday weekend, eight people were killed and 60 others wounded in shootings across Chicago. As support pours in for Highland Park, some Chicago residents are left wondering why the gun violence in the city doesn’t receive the same attention.

Highland Park city council member Andres Tapia was present at the parade, and posted his personal account of the events on LinkedIn. Tapia said that publicly sharing his experience and talking about seeking help for the trauma he endured was important for him to do as a community leader.