Stories by Matt Masterson

Opening statements were set to begin Monday morning at the Lake County Courthouse, where Crimo was accused of 21 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of attempted murder charges stemming from the 2022 mass shooting.

Under the new bill, families would be required to tell their school districts when they decide to homeschool their children, and the parents or guardians would need to have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Pulaski Day honors Casimir Pulaski, a Polish-born general who fought in the American Revolution. The holiday is observed in Illinois on the first Monday of March, near Pulaski’s birthday on March 6.

U.S. stocks slid Monday as investors braced for President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China to go into effect by the midnight deadline. The Nasdaq is down about 6.5% since since Trump took office on Jan. 20.

The measles outbreak is surging in West Texas, especially in under-vaccinated communities, but it’s not just coverage with the measles vaccine that is lagging behind. The use of other key vaccines in the childhood immunization schedule has decreased too.

In a lot of ways, the history of the North American beaver is interwoven with the history of Chicago.

From December 2024 through February 2025, Chicago notched less than a foot of snow.

An audit of the November election won by President Donald Trump in swing-state Wisconsin found that not a single vote was counted incorrectly, altered or missed by tabulating machines.

Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged that the reform effort, which began in earnest when the consent decree took effect six years ago, remains a work in progress.

How the congressional budget plan could cut health care for Illinois residents. And video captures a close call at Midway Airport.

Cuts to Medicaid would especially impact the most vulnerable in communities, such as low-income individuals and people with disabilities, according to state Democratic congressional members.

Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes over the crime that renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination in the Chicago area’s large and established Palestinian community.

Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace, along with the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees some aspects of the Chicago area’s transit systems, collectively face a $771 million funding shortfall in 2026 as federal pandemic dollars run out.

“I make the work so people feel seen and cared about and have a voice,” Kenn Cook Jr. said. “That’s what the work is — I just amplify the voice of people who live here and give them a chance to tell their own story, not letting that story be written for them.”

“I loved being the alderman of the 35th Ward,” Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 36, said. “But you can’t turn down a job like this when you love Chicago as much as I do.”

The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy — who had urged skepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.

Gov. JB Pritzker’s recently unveiled 2026 budget proposal includes a controversial cut. It proposes to get rid of two programs that allow immigrants without legal status to receive healthcare coverage.

NEW YORK (AP) — A grassroots organization is encouraging U.S. residents not to spend any money Friday as an act of “economic resistance” to protest what the group’s founder sees as the malign influence of billionaires, big corporations and both major political parties on the lives of working Americans.

Parents push back on the potential closures of some charter schools. Some undocumented immigrants are at risk of losing their health care coverage. And the leader of the Chicago Park District is stepping down.

After a career in city government spanning 35 years and five mayoral administrations, Rosa Escareño, general superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District, announced her resignation Wednesday.

Many undocumented families describe their lives as living in the shadows since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Mixed-status families who have called Chicago home for decades are feeling the impact of Trump’s promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.

The 21-member board at its monthly meeting Thursday voted to amend language in a revised resolution that would now aim to save five Acero schools: Cisneros, Casas, Fuentes, Tamayo and Santiago.

The report found more than 6,000 people enrolled in the state-funded programs were classified as “undocumented” despite actually having social security numbers. Some of those people were green card holders who would have instead qualified for health coverage like Medicaid or traditional insurance.

Gene Hackman, the prolific Oscar-winning actor whose studied portraits ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains and made him one of the industry’s most respected and honored performers, has been found dead along with his wife at their home. He was 95.

Say farewell to February and welcome March by embracing the seemingly limitless choices we have in the Chicago area. We reside in the metropolis of the Midwest, so make big plans.

Due to the surge in demand, the Secretary of State’s Office launched an online portal so residents can determine whether they need a REAL ID before the federal enforcement period begins. The office is asking residents to wait until after May 7 to apply if they do not have immediate travel plans.