Stories by Heather Cherone

In a statement from Bears Chairman George McCaskey posted Friday afternoon, the team confirmed they will be heading to Hammond, Indiana, with an exact site still to be determined.

It is now up to Circuit Court Judge Adrienne Davis to decide whether there is enough evidence to uphold the conviction of Anthony Garrett in connection with the murder of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis, who was shot and killed by a sniper at Cabrini-Green in 1992.

Officials with the federal Bureau of Prisons on Tuesday confirmed that Burke, 81, had been transferred from the Federal Correctional Institution in Thomson, Illinois where he’d been serving his sentence to a halfway house run by the bureau’s Chicago Residential Reentry Management office.

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.

Chicago Board of Education President Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson resigned under pressure Thursday after a series of antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial social media posts generated a wave of outrage that stretched from the Chicago City Council to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

One source told WTTW News the bugs were maggots, while another said crickets were used to spoil the Indiana delegation’s breakfast. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker stayed mum on his endorsement plans when news first broke that President Joe Biden was dropping out of his reelection race, but a day later the Illinois governor joined with other leading Democrats in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

COPA in a statement said preliminary evidence “appears to confirm” that Reed fired first before officers responded by firing 96 shots in a matter 41 seconds. The agency has recommended to CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling that four of the officers involved be relieved of their police powers during the pendency of this investigation.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday rejected using state funds to continue building a migrant base camp in Brighton Park, citing environmental concerns.

After a weeklong delay after an attorney tested positive for COVID-19, a jury was picked Thursday to decide the federal corruption trial of former Ald. Ed Burke and his two co-defendants.

If convicted of those charges, Robert Crimo III faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, said Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart. Crimo will also face “dozens” of more charges to account for each of the 38 victims who were wounded, as well as those who were “psychologically harmed,” Rinehart said.

Former state Sen. Tom Cullerton pleaded guilty to embezzlement Tuesday morning, more than two years after he was charged with fraudulently receiving salary and benefits from a labor union despite doing “little or no work.”

Michael Madigan, who served as speaker of the Illinois House for 36 years, led a criminal enterprise disguised as a political organization that was devoted to enriching himself and his associates, prosecutors alleged Wednesday.

The Chicago Teachers Union is set to vote Tuesday evening on a labor action that would see its 25,000 members work fully remotely beginning Wednesday. If that measure is approved, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said he’ll have no choice but to cancel classes.

The Chicago Police Department has announced changes to its search warrant policy that will go into effect later this month following widespread calls for reform after a botched raid at the home of Anjanette Young in February 2019.

Though Illinois will soon see increased restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, some Chicago Public Schools students and teachers are set to head back to the classroom. The head of CPS and Mayor Lightfoot discuss the plan.