A Cook County judge has not yet scheduled a date for the criminal trial of actor Jussie Smollett, but he did rule Thursday that attorneys for the former “Empire” star cannot call State’s Attorney Kim Foxx or her chief deputy to testify.

Alexandru Mihai, 19, was denied bail Thursday after his arrest on charges of attempted murder, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a controlled substance.

R&B hitmaker R. Kelly’s forced his girlfriends to write fake blackmail letters that he could use to defend himself in case he got charged with sexually abusing them, one of his accusers testified on Wednesday at his New York City trial.

Curtis Tyler, 30, was ordered held on $350,000 bond during a hearing Wednesday afternoon following his arrest on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, theft and public indecency.

A controlling R. Kelly barred his live-in girlfriends from watching a documentary series that portrayed him as a sexual predator and kept watch over them during an interview with Gayle King, one of the women testified Tuesday at the R&B singer’s sex-trafficking trial. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday declined to demand that indicted Ald. Carrie Austin (34th Ward) step down as chair of the City Council’s Contracting Oversight and Equity Committee or resign from the City Council. The committee is poised to convene a subject-matter hearing at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

This is a racketeering case. Prosecutors say R. Kelly physically, sexually and psychologically dominated children — girls and boys — and women, often recording sex acts with minors, and using a cadre of loyalists to do his bidding and recruit victims.

Protect Our Parks had asked the Supreme Court to issue an emergency injunction against construction of the Obama Presidential Center while litigation is still pending, citing the potential for “irreversible” alterations to Jackson Park.

A key accuser  at the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial returned to the witness stand on Thursday, weeping when a prosecutor asked her to read out loud from a journal entry describing how he allegedly beat and choked her the last time they were together in 2010.

Justin Cortes, 25, is facing a first-degree murder charge after he allegedly shot and killed Angel Figueroa, 38, in Humboldt Park earlier this month as the victim rode in a car with his girlfriend and daughter.

R&B star R. Kelly is a predator who lured girls, boys and young women with his fame and dominated them physically, sexually and psychologically, a prosecutor said Wednesday, while a defense lawyer warned jurors they’ll have to sift through lies from accusers with agendas to find the truth.

Jermaine Little, 35, was ordered held without bail after he was arrested on two counts of attempted first-degree murder along with charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated assault of a peace officer.

The federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters via heavy-handed criminal prosecutions in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the global movement that swept the nation last summer in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, according to a new report.

Most people know him for “I Believe I Can Fly,” the 1996 sing-along hit. Or possibly for a stinging parody by comedian Dave Chappelle. But starting this week, what prosecutors say was a not-so-secret dark side of R&B superstar R. Kelly will be presented in lurid detail for a jury in New York City.

Tangtang Zhao, 34, of Chicago, sold 125 authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccination cards to 11 different buyers for approximately $10 per card, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. 

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said the order bars “the city of Chicago and its entities” from releasing any materials related to the fatal shooting of police Officer Ella French under the Freedom of Information Act or the city’s transparency policy.