Stories by Matt Masterson

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, 70, has been moved from the Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia where she has been serving her 4.5-year sentence. Her attorney confirmed she will serve the rest of that sentence under home confinement.

The number of cars on the road in recent weeks has dropped dramatically, but officials and analysts say those who are on the road may not be driving safely.

Watch the May 6, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

There hasn’t been a lot to get excited about in 2020, but one bright spot has been the moon, specifically the string of supermoons we’ve enjoyed this spring. 

Public transit systems nationwide are grappling with a new reality — drastically plummeting ridership and revenue caused by a stealthy virus that’s also sickening and killing transit workers.

Not long ago, driving with an expired license could have led to a ticket. An expired vehicle registration? That might have led to a fine. That’s no longer the case, due to the coronavirus. What else is being impacted.

When local artists were asked by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office to sing their remake of a Chicago classic, musician Wyatt Waddell decided to recreate the song altogether. 

The pandemic has put a record number of people out of work. How are artists making ends meet, and what are the city’s arts groups doing to survive the stay-at-home order and the economic downturn?

Illinois’ 14th District includes the Rogers Park neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy says the pandemic has been particularly challenging for some residents in this diverse community. 

As the group most at risk from the virus, older adults are advised to stay indoors as much as possible. But they’re also the group most at risk of mental health problems due to social isolation. 

When the coronavirus shut down much of the economy in early March, the Rogers Park Community Response Team was formed. How the group is addressing the needs of residents during the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit African American and Hispanic and Latino communities especially hard in terms of infection and death. We speak with U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly about health disparities, funding and more.

Brewers from Begyle and Dovetail had to cancel their joint street fest, which benefits The Friendship Center food pantry, so they offered to shave their heads to raise funds instead. Now it’s time to face the razor.

The community is marked by waterfront apartment buildings, Loyola University and a racially and economically diverse population. We see how the pandemic is changing daily life in Rogers Park.

The plume of dust that coated homes in Little Village after the demolition of a smokestack included mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other pollutants, according to a lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

A plan is in place to reopen Illinois, even as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise. “We have to figure out how to live with COVID-19 until it can be vanquished,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday.

A pair of educators are suing the Chicago Teachers Union and the Board of Education, claiming their First Amendment rights “to stop subsidizing CTU and its speech” have been violated by an “unconstitutional policy” forcing them to pay union dues.

Having inspired successive generations of African American journalists, pioneering activist Ida B. Wells has finally received her due.

Watch the May 5, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

State tax revenue dropped $2.74 billion in April due to the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. 

The death of Greg Zanis, announced by his daughter, Susie Zanis, and confirmed by the mayor of the community where Zanis lived, was expected after a recent announcement that he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and did not have long to live.

A high-profile effort to convince Illinois lawmakers to change the way the state draws congressional and state legislative districts has fizzled out after the coronavirus pandemic shut down the General Assembly.

The Urban Muslim Minority Alliance has been working to help Lake County residents get out of poverty since 2004 with GED classes, job preparedness training, a food pantry and more.

The industrial history of north suburban Waukegan has created a legacy of environmental issues for residents. We speak with Celeste Flores of Clean Power Lake County and Faith in Place.

An industrial town with a large working-class population, Waukegan is one of Illinois’ oldest communities. It’s also seen the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Lake County, with at least 1,214 residents testing positive.

It’s been a Chicago institution since it opened in 1957. Since then, the Old Town School of Folk Music has expanded its curriculum and, now, its online offerings. We stop by to see how it’s adapting to the changing times.