Stories by Matt Masterson

According to Chicago police, 24 people were struck in 20 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included 5-month-old Cecilia Thomas, who died Friday after being shot in South Shore.

On Monday, “Chicago Tonight” co-host Paris Schutz moderated the latest edition of our “Chicago Tonight: Voices” conversation in conjunction with “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness,” a new two-part documentary by executive producer Ken Burns.

The committee’s investigation has been ongoing during the hearings that started three weeks ago, and the panel has continued to probe the attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Among other investigative evidence, the committee recently obtained new footage of Trump and his inner circle taken both before and after Jan. 6, 2021 from British filmmaker Alex Holder.

More than 55% of the department’s 587 seasonal lifeguard positions were vacant as of Thursday, according to Chicago Park District data, eight days after officials announced the city’s 49 outdoor pools would not open on schedule — leaving Chicagoans to swelter during a record-breaking heat wave.

Miller is running for reelection in the state’s newly redrawn 15th Congressional District against GOP Rep. Rodney Davis with the former president’s blessing. She had been invited on stage to speak by Trump, who held the rally in Mendon, Illinois, to turn out the vote ahead of the state’s Tuesday primary.

The overarching themes of the three-day event revolved around the role of storytelling and art in criminal justice organizing. The summit included training sessions and workshops led by local activists, defense attorneys and media professionals with the aim of educating the invited participants on topics such as campaign strategies, effective storytelling, and enhancing alignment across communities.

Reaction to the Supreme Court overturning Roe V. Wade. Plus, the impact of inflation. A new office aimed at helping people returning home from prison. And an artist-in-residence at a public library.

The inflation rate reached 8.6% last month, the highest level in 40 years. Food and energy prices, in particular, have skyrocketed forcing the government to take action. The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates to bring down demand and this week President Joe Biden called on Congress to pause federal gas taxes for three months.

Abortion regulations are now left up to the states to decide. Anticipating the impending decision, several states have already issued abortion bans. Advocates for reproductive rights are worried about how the decision will impact those seeking access to safe abortions.

Willette Benford, who has served time in prison herself, has been appointed to serve as Chicago’s director of re-entry. It’s a newly created role that was part of a $13 million initiative to support reentry services for people leaving prison.

The Historic DuSable Museum has a new name. It’s now the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center.

Not many muralists can say their work is seen by hundreds of thousands of people every day, but Chicago artist Asend can make that claim. His towering work on the side of Carnivale Restaurant in the West Loop is hard to miss at its site overlooking the Kennedy Expressway.

The policy prohibits officers from pursuing people for only running from police nor can they pursue people for parking and ordinance violations and certain traffic offenses. The finalized version comes a year after officers shot and killed 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez and 13-year-old Adam Toledo in separate shootings that followed foot pursuits.

Reaction to CPD’s new foot pursuit policy and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Plus, closing out Pride Month with a look at what’s next for the LGBTQ movement. And cooling off with a craft cerveza.  

The Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade raises the question of whether the constitutionality of gay marriage could soon be on the table. Also, activists are mobilizing as about 12 states are proposing legislation affecting LGBTQ Americans. So, what’s next for LGBTQ rights? 

For lovers of a craft brew, Chicago’s beer steins overflow with options, you can belly up to more than 160 craft breweries in the city. But even here, it’s rare to find a microbrew crafted by Latinos. Lucky for Chicagoans, there’s a spot that offers brews with all the flavors of Mexico, created by a pair of hermanos from Hermosa.

A day after the Supreme Court’s bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils turned to resolve as several states enacted bans and supporters and foes of abortion rights mapped out their next moves.

Thursday evening’s bravura production was a major event in Muti’s penultimate season as the CSO’s music director. And it was a grand homage to both the composer whose work he has long cherished, and the orchestra he has embraced and nurtured since becoming its music director in 2010.

The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states put in place red flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged to be dangerous.

The Supreme Court overturns the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. Plus, former President Trump stumps in Illinois. And the governor's race heats up with election day right around the corner.

The agency charged with the investigation recommended two Chicago Police officers should be fired and seven disciplined for their role in an incident that injured a woman’s eye after she was pulled from her car at the Brickyard Mall during the unrest that swept the city after the police murder of George Floyd.

People identified as close contacts to someone suspected or confirmed with monkeypox are being offered the vaccine, as well as treatment with antiviral medication for those with more severe illness, according to city health officials.

Louis Lay Jr. and his wife Erica Beck were each held on $20,000 D-bonds during a hearing Friday, a day after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced an indictment that included dozens of charges filed against six current or former postal workers.

Abortion will remain legal in Illinois, thanks to a law signed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2017 that rolled back a measure that would have automatically banned abortion in Illinois if Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973, was overturned. 

The FDA said Juul must stop selling its vaping device and its tobacco and menthol flavored cartridges. Those already on the market must be removed. Consumers aren’t restricted from having or using Juul’s products, the agency said.

The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade.