Stories by Matt Masterson

Martin Molina was held without bail Friday on a charge of first-degree murder in the “extremely vicious” killing of 42-year-old Felipe Villalobos-Calderon, who died after being struck multiple times in the head and neck with a machete.

With its cherry trees finally in full bloom, thousands of people have been flocking to Jackson Park daily. But hurry, the breathtaking blossoms won’t last for long.

The inspector general released an audit earlier this week that found that the department’s rules designed to prevent discrimination and sexual harassment are “insufficient.” 

“Our young adults have a key role to play in bringing this pandemic to an end,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement Friday announcing state-supported mass vaccination sites will have appointments available specifically for college students starting this weekend.

In all, 888 cases involving the variant, known as B.1.1.7, have been found in samples of COVID-19 positive tests from Illinois since Jan. 15, officials said. 

Chicago Public Schools high school students will return to the classroom on Monday if teachers agree to the framework announced Thursday by the district and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Feelings about Adam Toledo’s killing are particularly raw in Little Village, where Toledo’s family lives. We spent the day talking with residents and local leaders about their community, and the fatal shooting of the 13-year-old who called it home.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability delivered on its promise to publicly release video of the fatal police shooting of Adam Toledo within 60 days, but the agency’s work has just begun. What’s next for the investigation.

Police and city officials have been preparing for anticipated demonstrations following the release of videos showing the police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, as well as a verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged in the death of George Floyd.

The United States opened more distance between itself and much of the rest of the world Thursday, nearing the 200 millionth vaccine administered in a race to protect the population against COVID-19, even as other countries, rich and poor, struggle with stubbornly high infection rates and deaths.

The Biden administration announced Thursday the U.S. is expelling 10 Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions against dozens of companies and other people, holding the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year's presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot pleaded for calm Thursday, hours before city officials released body camera footage showing the police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Little Village. Lightfoot said Toledo did not shoot at police, but she declined to discuss the details of what the videos show in advance of their release. 

Police body camera footage released Thursday shows 13-year-old Adam Toledo turn toward a Chicago police officer and put his hands in the air an instant before the officer shoots him. Toledo, a seventh-grader who attended Gary Elementary, died at the scene.

The county has seen virus-related hospitalizations increase for 10 consecutive days; and for three days, the availability of intensive care unit beds has dipped below 20%, according to public health data reported Thursday.

Daunte Wright’s family members joined with community leaders Thursday in calling for more serious charges against a white police officer in Wright’s death, comparing her case to the murder charge brought against a Black officer who killed a white woman in nearby Minneapolis.

 In the modest bungalows and two-flats of Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, there’s never a shortage of needed home repairs staring residents in the face. And then there is the less obvious but more ominous problem lurking in their pipes.

The city releases police body camera video of the moment 13-year old Adam Toledo was shot by a Chicago police officer. We’ll have the latest, plus reaction from Toledo’s community and protesters.

Robert Kelly has been held in Chicago, where he’s facing a potential second trial in the fall in a separate federal case related to a sprawling sex crimes investigation.

The partnership announced Thursday will help better prepare surgeons, nurses and medics ahead of deployments by keeping their skills sharp while also supporting patients who need critical care.

The defense at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd  rested its case Thursday without putting Chauvin on the stand, presenting a total of two days of testimony to the prosecution’s two weeks.

A federal judge denied a motion Wednesday that would have prevented city officials from issuing the final permit needed by General Iron to set up operations on the Southeast Side. 

President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will withdraw remaining U.S. troops from the “forever war” in Afghanistan, declaring that the Sept. 11 terror attacks of 20 years ago cannot justify American forces still dying in the nation’s longest war.

A prosecutor said Wednesday that he charged a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.

George Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance as a result of his heart disease, a forensic pathologist testified for the defense Wednesday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, contradicting experts who said Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen from the way he was pinned down.

Video of Adam Toledo’s fatal shooting by police is set to be released. An update on the Obama Presidential Center. CPS parents on an elected school board. An exhibit of digital art-turned-sculpture.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to set aside about half of the $1.9 billion the city of Chicago expects to get from the American Rescue Plan signed by President Joe Biden in March to cancel high-interest debt.