Stories by Matt Masterson

Wednesday marked the launch of a new union organizing drive by non-tenure eligible and adjunct faculty at the Evanston-based university after two years of organizing conversations.

What’s so eye-catching about dead wood? A stump in a Chicago neighborhood has been turned into a tribute to longevity.

Republicans are growing increasingly grim about their chances in November, with aligned groups pumping money into reliably GOP states.

Illinois became the first Midwestern state and the 13th state overall to legalize medically assisted death. Deb Robertson hoped she’d live long enough to see the law passed.

A federal judge will hear oral arguments and could rule as early as next week on a request from the former “Broadview Six” defendants as they seek a special prosecutor to investigate potential wrongdoing that led to the collapse of the high-profile case against them earlier this year.

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

A legal challenge over the Chicago Police Department’s disciplinary process. And competing renters’ rights ordinances make their way to City Council.

The Illinois Supreme Court will hold oral arguments Thursday amid a legal dispute between the city of Chicago and the city’s largest police union that has lasted for more than two years.

Here’s a breakdown of what the two proposals to rewrite Chicago’s 40-year-old landlord-tenant law would do and what’s at stake.

Once slated to be part of the Lincoln Yards megadevelopment, the 31-acre site along the Chicago River is now set to be more than 3,700 homes and 970,000 square feet of office, retail and hotel space as part of the $3 billion Foundry Park.

The 1913 artwork “Woman with a Fan” by cubist painter Jean Metzinger is returning to the family of Jewish art collector after the museum discovered it was part of a forced sale during World War II.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy quickly turned Monday’s disruption that hit every major airport in the New York area into the latest example of why he’s asking Congress for $20 billion more to pay for the next phase of the air traffic control overhaul.

Some healthcare policy experts are calling for more transparency on how the Trump administration decided to cut hundreds of thousands of enrollees — and question how many people may have been wrongly cut from the program.

A key City Council panel unanimously voted to require firms that win lucrative city contracts to disclose whether they are also helping carry out President Donald Trump’s effort to implement the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history.

A former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher alleged in an explosive social media post earlier this month that AI companies are building a tool that could become “out of control” and pose a threat to human existence by 2030.

Collin Corbett supports social issues that align with many Democrats while describing himself as fiscally conservative but also supporting a service tax.

Shedd Aquarium shared the disheartening news of another death among the beluga whales it rescued this summer from a defunct marine park in Canada.

Both Chicago-area universities fell slightly in the new rankings, coming in a tie for ninth place, but they remained the highest-ranked schools both in Illinois and the Midwest as a whole.

What’s behind the skyrocketing cost of diesel? And the head of the Smithsonian on his decision to step down amid battles with the Trump administration.

Diesel surpassed $6 per gallon for the first time in U.S. history earlier this month, according to data from AAA. Today, diesel sits at $6.51 per gallon, an all-time high. A year ago, it was $3.69. The cost of diesel rose 42 cents last week alone.

Lonnie Bunch was named secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 2019. He began his career at the Smithsonian at the National Air and Space Museum in 1978 and took on a new role in 2005 to lead the development of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The Chicago region is drying out after a soggy stretch that saw multiple rounds of storms dump upwards of half a foot of rain on some municipalities.

Twelve states and Hollywood writers challenging Paramount’s buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to settle their lawsuits on Monday, effectively paving the way for the $81 billion mega merger to cross the finish line, with some new commitments from the company.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritkzer says he has lost 80 pounds while using a “life-changing” GLP-1 medication since he was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration after they were barred from covering the White House over the weekend.

Since the start of 2026, Chicago taxpayers have paid $46 million to resolve eight lawsuits filed by the families of those killed or seriously injured during a police pursuit that violated Chicago Police Department policy, records show.