The first trial for one of the hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions begins this week, with jury selection starting Monday in the case against Guy Wesley Reffitt. The trial may be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced late Friday students and staff will no longer be required to wear masks in Illinois schools as of Monday, after the Illinois Supreme Court declined to take up his request to overturn an appellate court decision that prompted school districts across Illinois to drop their requirement that students and teachers wear face coverings to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Though cameras weren’t allowed during Smollett's trial late last year, Cook County Judge James Linn issued an order Friday allowing media organizations to film inside his courtroom during the actor's upcoming March 10 sentencing.

Officials with the Chicago Department of Public Health rejected the permit because of the “potential adverse changes in air quality and quality of life that would be caused by operations, and health vulnerabilities in the surrounding communities.” 

Hader Garcia, 18, was arrested and charged this week with one count of first-degree murder stemming from the fatal Dec. 18 shooting of 36-year-old ​​Richard Robinette. Garcia was denied bail during a hearing Friday afternoon.

The ruling declared the governor’s appeal moot because a General Assembly committee declined on Tuesday to reissue rules from the Illinois Department of Health requiring masks to be worn in school buildings. 

Joseph Igartua, 37, has been charged with one count of reckless discharge of a weapon and three counts of stalking. All of those charges are felonies and Igartua was ordered held without bail during a hearing Thursday.

The Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee voted 13-7 to send the recommendation from city attorneys to the full City Council for a final vote on Wednesday. 

The Chicago City Council is set to pay $1.4 million to the family of a toddler who was struck and killed by a car driven by a man being chased by police.

City officials said they would announce no later than Sunday whether they will issue the final permit Southside Recycling needs to start operations.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago announced charges against Jennifer McBride and William Jackson, who along with former principal Sarah Jackson Abedelal, allegedly submitted false overtime slips to conceal the purchase of iPhones, iPads and approximately $30,000 in gift cards.

Elbert Duncan was denied bail during a hearing Tuesday following his arrest on a single count of aggravated battery stemming from a nonfatal shooting outside a South Side liquor store Feb. 1. A woman walking nearby was shot and killed moments later.

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson was found guilty on all seven counts in what was the first trial of a sitting member of the Chicago City Council since 1999.

Jerry Harris, 22, entered a guilty plea on charges of knowingly receiving child pornography and engaging in illicit sexual conduct during a remote hearing before a Chicago judge Thursday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy is facing a felony charge after he allegedly made a “violent threat” online about Lincoln Park High School.

Federal prosecutors have been laying out their case that Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th Ward) committed crimes when he filed false tax returns and lied about how much he borrowed from a now-failed bank.