Stories by Matt Masterson

CTU leaders called the four-year deal a “historic achievement” that represents the fulfillment of promises Mayor Brandon Johnson made to transform CPS into a school district that offers a well-rounded education to every Chicago child and security to its employees.

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Ronan Farrow has uncovered stories of sexual harassment and assault, chronicled the decline of America’s soft power and explored how powerful people try to track and manipulate journalists.

“If I didn’t do this job, I’d pick another one and it wouldn’t be as interesting or challenging or as impactful,” said Toni Preckwinkle, who has led Cook County since 2010.

Chicago drivers with eligible ticket debt will be able to pay off their debt in the next three months without incurring any late penalties, interest or additional fees as part of a new program launched Tuesday by the mayor’s office.

“Working to relocate or displace the problem is not how we solve the problem,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Of course, we’re going to continue to make sure that there are accountability mechanisms in place to keep people safe.”

The center, at 24,000 square feet, is nearly five times the size of the office’s former Chicago Central DMV on LaSalle Street, which closed Friday and often experienced long lines and wait times because of its small size, according to a news release.

Six years ago, Illinois became the second state in the nation to offer subsidies to farmers for planting cover crops in the fall, an effort to reverse its status as one of the worst states for agriculture runoff.

A recent study highlighted continued barriers to entry into the trades, including unpaid internships and minority-based disparities, such as low participation from female and non-white apprentices in certain fields.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday the Justice Department will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing an insurance company CEO.

Employees across the massive U.S. Health and Human Services Department began receiving notices of dismissal on Tuesday in an overhaul ultimately expected to lay off up to 10,000 people.

After a 30-day warning period without fines and a 14-day blackout period, citations will begin being issued to the registered owners of vehicles going over the speed limit by six miles per hour or more.

For weeks, Trump has promoted April 2 as “Liberation Day” in America, when a number of hefty tariffs will be unveiled to implement his administration’s radical economic agenda. The United States has already announced a sharp increase in tariffs on all imports of steel, aluminum and cars.

Lawmakers see the legislation they are proposing as a way to level the hyper-competitive recruiting field if not gain an advantage. Their universities are going against schools from Florida, Tennessee and Texas, states where income is not taxed.

Carson Kelly homered in the fourth inning, had a two-run single in the fifth, doubled and walked in the sixth, and tripled in the eighth. The previous Cubs player to hit for the cycle was Mark Grace on May 9, 1993, against San Diego — before Kelly was even born in 1994.

The Trump administration is blocking millions in funding for Illinois health programs. And the U.S. Postal Service is facing massive cuts that could impact you.

State officials say the Trump administration is pulling back $477 million aimed at preventing infectious disease and treating mental health and substance abuse issues.

The United States Postal Service has been facing a slew of challenges for years following the rise of the internet and a subsequent decline in physical mail. And things recently got even more complicated.

Participating vendors at Saturday’s Trash Bash will be accepting everything from electronics and expired prescription drugs to musical instruments and eyeglasses.

A $25 million reconstruction project to improve accessibility at the Green Line’s Austin station on the West Side is underway amid broader funding uncertainty that stands in the way of efforts to make all rail stations on the Chicago Transit Authority fully accessible by 2038.

The U.S. needs more publicly funded research and development on agriculture to offset the effects of climate change, according to a paper out in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this month. But instead the U.S. has been investing less. 

Elon Musk and his political operatives have tried to shape the closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court race in ways that are not immediately obvious but could be critical to Tuesday’s outcome.

“Sunny Afternoon” tells the tuneful tale of the brothers Davies, Ray and Dave – bandleader and founder of The Kinks. They caught fire in 1964 with the influential hit “You Really Got Me,” but the blaze was nearly doused when they couldn’t capitalize on the British Invasion.

NASCAR officials have announced their traffic plan for the Chicago Street Race course, and, not surprisingly for a sport that emphasizes speed, set-up and tear-down will take fewer days than in 2024.

“We need a different vibe in this country and this party, and I want to bring it,” Kat Abughazaleh said.

Most economic analyses say average U.S. families would have to absorb the cost of his tariffs in the form of higher prices and lower incomes. But an undeterred Trump is inviting CEOs to the White House to say they are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new projects to avoid the import taxes.

U.S. immigration officials are asking the public and federal agencies to comment on a proposal to collect social media handles from people applying for benefits such as green cards or citizenship.