Stories by Matt Masterson

Johnson on Tuesday signed an executive order calling for a “full-force of government approach” to tackling the pervasive smoking problem on city trains and buses.

The amount of taxpayer funds spent on overtime by all city departments, including CPD, dropped in 2024 for the first time since 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic upended the city’s operations.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

Advocates say more must be done to assist domestic violence survivors amid an increase in those types of shootings and homicides.

Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. He was 76.

If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at constructions sites and in mines, and limit the government’s ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities such as movie stunts or animal training.

The latest domestic policy plan signed by President Donald Trump on July 4 will increase available funding by 12% for a key tax credit used by developers to offset a portion of construction costs.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he wants to give the White House “space” to release the Epstein information on its own, despite the bipartisan push for legislation that aims to force the release of more documents.

The Kansas City Royals plan to call up 45-year-old pitcher Rich Hill from the minors for a start against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, marking the left-hander’s 21st season in the majors.

The city’s watchdog on her decision not to seek a second term. And how new tariffs on Brazil could impact your morning caffeine fix.

President Donald Trump is threatening to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer and the source of 30% of U.S. coffee imports.

A new law will make it easier for police to remove squatters who are illegally staying at a residence. Law enforcement, real estate and property owner organizations supported the bill.

Despite the study's findings, members of the City Council’s Subcommittee on Revenue, facing a likely deficit of nearly $1.2 billion in the city’s 2026 spending plan, were not ready to fold and walk away from the table.

Temperatures are expected to soar between 92 and 97 degrees. High humidity will make it feel more like 105 to 115 degrees, the weather service said.

The reconstruction of the four Red Line stations includes new track, support structures, bridges and viaducts built along the section between the Lawrence and Bryn Mawr stations, which were more than a century old.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has died at age 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said.

Anne Pramaggiore was sentenced in a downtown Chicago courtroom to two years in federal prison, more than two years after she was convicted as part of the “ComEd Four” trial.

A group of 287 scientists and current and former NASA employees has issued a declaration lambasting budget cuts, grant cancellations and a “culture of organizational silence” that they say could pose a risk to astronauts’ safety.

President Donald Trump also said Sunday that he wants Cleveland’s baseball team to revert to its former name, the Indians, saying there was a “big clamoring for this" as well.

Darren Walker’s post-Ford Foundation future is starting to take shape, as the outgoing president is now set to join the Chicago-based Obama Foundation’s board of directors.

Layoffs and shakeups to immigration courts across the country — including here. And the City Council signs off on new ethics reforms after long negotiations.

At a union hall on Chicago’s South Side, a powerful Democratic Party organization decided who to endorse in the March 17 primary in one key statewide race.

The NASCAR Chicago Street Race, which is held downtown, originally agreed with the city to a three-year contract to host the racing event, with the option of an extension. However, the future of the event remains murky.

The study found students from lower-income families tend to earn less than those from wealthier families, even after they went on to earn similar credentials.

Applicants must be Chicago residents, be enrolled as a full time student in the fall at any Illinois college, university or vocational training program, and meet income eligibility requirements. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000.

Whether they work with the latest digital programs or cut up old magazines with scissors, artists can turn collage into a medium of beauty, darkness and humor.