Stories by Matt Masterson

According to Chicago Police Department data, there were 36 homicides recorded throughout May 2025, a total that’s down 38% compared to the same month last year and down nearly 50% compared to May 2023.

President Donald Trump’s big bill making its way through Congress will cut taxes by $3.75 trillion but also increase deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires carried another day of poor air quality south of the border to the Midwest, where conditions in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were rated “very unhealthy” Tuesday.

Edmund White, the groundbreaking man of letters who documented and imagined the gay revolution through journalism, essays, plays and such novels as “A Boy’s Own Story” and “The Beautiful Room is Empty,” has died. He was 85.

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

The mayor reacts as state lawmakers fail to fund public transit. And the latest on COVID-19 vaccine guidelines.

At issue is a lower court ruling that found the Republican and two presidential elector nominees did not have standing to sue. The Supreme Court will likely hear arguments in the case in the fall.

Federal health officials issued new guidance last week on who should have the COVID-19 vaccine, and it no longer includes healthy children and healthy pregnant women.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration sent Congress a long-awaited request for lawmakers to cancel more than $1 billion in federal funds earmarked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that disburses taxpayer funds to local NPR and PBS stations across the country.

In all, Chicago taxpayers spent $120.3 million since January 2019 to resolve 31 lawsuits filed by Chicagoans injured during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

Bradley Lund, 8, had been in a Springfield hospital since the collision at YNOT Outdoors five weeks ago, according to the Sangamon County coroner.

Chicago’s Office of Inspector General published a new report that found numerous issues with the city’s Gun Offender Registration Ordinance, which requires anyone convicted of certain firearm-related charges to register during their release from custody or sentencing.

About three-quarters of U.S. infants consume formula during the first six months of life, with about 40% receiving it as their only source of nutrition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite desire from Native Americans in Illinois, the ban on Native imagery for mascots in K-12 schools stalled in the Senate after it made its way out of the House.

The Hair Braiding Opportunity Act would have amended the Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology Act of 1985 to strike a 300-hour training requirement, $30 initial licensing fee and $5,000 penalty for practicing without a license for hair braiders.

Over the past month, Trump has said he’d like to target two specific and very different companies — Apple and Mattel — with tariffs aimed at their key products over comments by their CEOs.

A naturalized U.S. citizen who pleaded guilty to receiving military training from the Islamic State group was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison.

Team owner Joe Mansueto will personally pay for the stadium, it was announced. Groundbreaking could take place in late 2025 with the stadium ready for play by the 2028 season.

Illinois lawmakers worked right up to the May 31 deadline to pass a $55.2 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. State Democrats say the plan accounts for an uncertain future, while Republicans say more cuts are needed to address what’s ahead.

State lawmakers react to the new budget. And Jeremy Piven is bringing his stand-up comedy home to Chicago.

There was only a single performance of an exhilarating CSO concert this past Saturday evening. It attracted a packed house with a wonderfully enthusiastic audience.

According to authorities, the unknown male suspect robbed a Huntington Bank located in the 1400 block of West Fullerton Avenue just after 9:30 a.m., then robbed a Fifth Third Bank in the 5900 block of North Broadway around noon.

This year marks the eighth year the Pride train is running on the Red Line.

Meteorological summer in Chicago is kicking off with a mini heatwave, following a chilly and dry end to spring.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s comments and his plan to swiftly study its causes, have splintered a community of millions of people living with autism. For some, they were an overdue recognition of the day-to-day difficulties for families. To others, Kennedy deeply misrepresented the realities of their disability.

President Donald Trump faces the challenge of convincing Republican senators, global investors, voters and even Elon Musk that he won’t bury the federal government in debt with his multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package.