Stories by Matt Masterson

The final two alternates were selected Monday, meaning opening statements in the trial of Madigan and his longtime confidant Michael McClain went forth at the Dirksen Federal Building with a 12-person jury and six alternates.

ProPublica has traced these mass-mailed newspapers to a “pink slime” network known for misinformation and its financial ties to right-wing super PACs and billionaires.

Eboni Booth’s deeply moving 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Primary Trust” is now receiving its Chicago premiere at the Goodman Theatre.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen faces a challenge this year from Republican Judge Joe McGraw in what analysts say is the only "competitive" congressional race in Illinois. Sorensen narrowly won the seat in 2022 after the district was heavily redrawn, but he enjoys a big fundraising advantage over McGraw.

The presidential race in North Carolina is playing out in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and alongside a governor's race in which the Trump-endorsed GOP nominee, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, has seen his campaign collapse amid multiple controversies, potentially splintering GOP unity.

Thelma Mothershed Wair worked in the East St. Louis, Illinois, school system for 10 years as a home economics teacher and for 18 years as a counselor for elementary career education before retiring in 1994. 

Voters in Chicago and suburban Cook County can look up their voter information online, where voters can verify their voter registration, locate their polling place, view a sample ballot and check the status of a vote-by-mail ballot.

The designated “landing zone” for buses from Texas at Polk and Desplaines streets in the West Loop will only operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting Tuesday and close by the end of the year, officials announced.

This week’s schedule of overnight lane closures is a repeat of last week’s as pavement marking continues on sections between LaSalle Drive and Hollywood Avenue.

The city of Chicago has spent more than $4 million paying outside attorneys to fight a lawsuit that slams the city for failing to make its affordable housing program accessible. In addition to the legal costs, the case could also jeopardize the city’s chance at millions of dollars in grant money. 

Demolishing the record set in each of the past three years, $1.3 billion poured into the city’s 127 TIF funds in 2022, according to a report from Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough.

What a possible White Sox sale could mean for Chicago. And CPS board members skip out on the City Council.

Homewood residents and supporters gathered at Homewood Brewing Company, 18225 Dixie Highway, to attend a ribbon-cutting celebration for the brewpub, which is holding a soft opening Friday and Saturday before operating at extended hours next week.

For 23 years and through more than 80 productions, Hell in a Handbag has brought slightly raunchy but good-humored fun to a variety of stages. They’ve dragged themselves from the tiny space in Mary’s Attic to the mainstage at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St.

The State Board of Elections said Friday that a record 353,166 people cast ballots at more than 400 early voting sites statewide on Thursday, compared to 348,599 on the first day in October 2020.

Michigan is one of three “blue wall” states that, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, will help decide the election, and the diverse voting blocs are key to winning the state.

Stink bugs — officially, brown marmorated stink bugs — aren’t fans of the cooler fall temperatures and have started heading indoors to over-winter. Don’t freak out, experts said.

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and possession of a handgun after a minor collision on Thursday.

This weekend, Runway Latinx is bringing a fusion of fashion designers together to close out Chicago Fashion Week.

Last week, the Acero charter network announced it would close seven campuses by the end of the school year — impacting more than 2,000 students and 270 teachers. The charter school network cites declining enrollment, rising personnel and facility costs, and a $40 million deficit. But parents and teachers are fighting back, calling for Chicago Public Schools to absorb the closing schools. 

The Great Lakes are likely to see more precipitation this winter, according to a newly released seasonal outlook from the Climate Prediction Center.

Parents weigh in as seven charter schools are set to close at the end of the school year. And what's behind an uptick in HIV cases among young, gay Latino men.

Latinos account for the largest share of new HIV diagnoses and infections among men who have sex with men — more than any other ethnic and racial demographic, according to an analysis from KFF News-Associated Press. There are over 22,000 people living with HIV in Chicago and the city saw 700 new HIV diagnoses in 2022.

The Secretary of State’s office is deploying 15 kiosks located in Chicago, the suburbs and downstate in Mariano’s, Jewel-Osco, Kroger and Meijer grocery stores. The kiosks will print vehicle registration stickers for customers immediately on site. Customers seeking a driver’s license or state ID card renewal will receive a temporary document at the kiosk to use while their new card is mailed to them.

Joffrey Ballet’s U.S. premiere of “Atonement” tells the impassioned story of a lie that alters the course of love and history. Cathy Marston, the acclaimed British choreographer behind “Atonement,” is best known for narrative ballets.

Two bison calves were born at Midewin in recent weeks, coming as quite a surprise considering that female bison typically give birth between April and June.