Stories by matt masterson

Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg appears on “Chicago Tonight” on July 25, 2023. (WTTW News)

Chicago Watchdog Reaches Full Compliance With Consent Decree Obligations

Inspector General Deborah Witzburg on Wednesday said the court overseeing the federal consent decree has found that her office and its public safety section are in “full and effective compliance” with all applicable requirements.

(WTTW News)

Cook County Jail Detainee Dies While in Custody

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, 33-year-old Michael O’Connor was found unresponsive in his cell in the jail’s Residential Treatment Unit at around 4:30 p.m. Christmas day.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Police Board to Hold Evidentiary Hearings for 4 Cops Tied to Disgraced Ex-Chicago Sgt. Ronald Watts

The Chicago Police Board will move ahead with evidentiary hearings to determine “whether the officers violated any of the Chicago Police Department’s rules of conduct and, if so, the appropriate disciplinary action,” Vice President Paula Wolff wrote in her decision.

Former Ald. Ed Burke is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)

With Racketeering Conviction, Ex-Ald. Ed Burke Joins Long Line of Chicago, Illinois Leaders Found Guilty of Corruption

When former Chicago alderperson Ed Burke was convicted on racketeering, bribery and extortion charges, he became the latest Illinois politician and powerbroker to face accusations of corruption — but he’s far from the first in recent years.

Part-time faculty members at Columbia College hold a rally on Oct. 30, 2023. (WTTW News)

Part-Time Columbia College Faculty Ratify Contract Ending Record-Long Strike

The Columbia College Faculty Union (CFAC), which represents nearly 600 part-time faculty members, announced Thursday its members had officially approved the contract, which put an end to a record-long 49-day strike.

A migrant shelter located at 2241 S. Halsted Street. (WTTW News)

No Evidence of Outbreak at Pilsen Migrant Shelter After 5-Year-Old Boy Died of Medical Emergency, According to City

Cause of death still under investigation

According to Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Public Health, the cause of death for Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero, 5, remains under investigation, but it’s not connected to three other children who were hospitalized from the shelter Monday.

Michael Madigan, file photo (WTTW News)

Michael Madigan Seeking to Delay Racketeering Trial as Supreme Court Hears Case on Federal Bribery Statute

The defense teams for Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain are seeking to strike their upcoming trial date and delay all proceedings until the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling in a case that could rewrite the federal bribery statute.

(WTTW News)

Ex-Employee of Cook County Land Bank Authority Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Fraud Scheme

Mustafaa Saleh, 37, was sentenced last week to a year and one day in prison after he pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of wire fraud.

(WTTW News)

5-Year-Old Boy Dead After Falling Ill at Chicago Migrant Shelter

A Chicago police spokesperson said an investigation is underway, but it does not appear as though the boy’s death was criminal in nature.

Part-time faculty members at Columbia College hold a rally on Oct. 30, 2023. (WTTW News)

Part-Time Columbia College Faculty Announce Tentative Deal to End Record-Long Work Stoppage

College administrators and the Columbia College Faculty Union (CFAC) — which represents nearly 600 adjunct faculty members — jointly announced the tentative deal that would put an end to the record-long strike.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

1 Person Killed by Gunfire, 17 More Injured in Weekend Shootings Across Chicago: Police

According to Chicago Police Department data, 18 total people were shot in 17 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Former Ald. Ed Burke (right) watches former Ald. Danny Solis (left) testify in federal court on Dec. 12, 2023. (WTTW News)

‘A Financial Tuna’: Closing Arguments Continue in Ed Burke’s Corruption Case, as Prosecutors Focus on Old Post Office Allegations

Burke’s defense calls the government’s case ‘a bunch of noise’

Closing arguments continued Thursday in the high-profile corruption case of the longtime 14th Ward alderperson and Finance Committee chair, with prosecutors zeroing in on perhaps the most elaborate of four criminal schemes Burke is charged with.

(WTTW News)

‘ComEd Four’ Defense Asks for Delay While Supreme Court Hears Case That ‘Has the Potential to Upend This Case’

Four former Commonwealth Edison officials convicted of conspiring to bribe Michael Madigan are seeking to delay their sentencing after the U.S.  Supreme Court agreed to hear a separate case the defendants say “has the potential to upend” their own proceedings.

Former Ald. Ed Burke observes testimony about Chicago’s 14th Ward, which he represented for 54 years, during a federal trial on Nov. 17, 2023. (WTTW News)

‘This Was His Racket’: Closing Arguments Underway in Former Ald. Ed Burke’s Corruption Trial

Closing arguments began Wednesday, more than a month after proceedings began in Ed Burke’s landmark corruption case. Prosecutors painted the longtime 14th Ward alderperson as a “powerful and corrupt” politician who was motivated by greed to “get what he wanted for himself.”

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Family of 3 Boys Allegedly Abused by CPS Gym Teacher Suing School District

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three minor, unnamed victims, alleged that Federico Garcia Lorca Elementary School teacher Andrew Castro was able to continuously abuse the boys despite prior complaints of similar abuse.

FOP Lodge 7 President John Catanzara and Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability Presidemt Anthony Driver appear on “Chicago Tonight” on Dec. 11, 2023.

Heads of Police Union, Oversight Agency Debate Who Should Decide the CPD’s Most Serious Disciplinary Cases

The head of Chicago’s largest police union believes his officers in his union should have the right to go to arbitration over the most serious disciplinary decisions, but reform leaders believe doing so could “set us back decades.”

A memorial to the victims of the July 4, 2022, shooting in Highland Park. (WTTW News)

Alleged Highland Park Parade Gunman Will Represent Himself in February 2024 Trial

In a surprise move Monday, Crimo III told the court he wishes to proceed pro se and will act as his own attorney. The 23-year-old also invoked his right to a speedy trial — pushing what had been expected to be a February 2025 trial date up to Feb. 26, 2024.

Former Ald. Ed Burke in federal court before U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall on Nov. 16, 2023. (WTTW News)

‘Highly Unusual’: Jurors Hear More Testimony About Alleged Burger King Shakedown in Ed Burke Trial

Architect Warren Johnson took the witness stand Thursday afternoon, more than a month after trial proceedings got underway in former Ald. Ed Burke’s landmark corruption case.

Bullet holes can be seen on the vehicle the agents were driving in on July 7, 2021. (U.S. Attorney's Office)

Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Wounding ATF Agents in 2021 Shooting

Eugene McLaurin, 31, pleaded guilty to three counts of assaulting a federal officer and two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, more than two years after he opened fire on an unmarked vehicle in Chicago’s Morgan Park.

Urban Prep Englewood campus (artistmac / Flickr)

CPS Board to Vote on Charter Renewal for Urban Prep Academies Despite Ongoing Litigation

The Chicago Board of Education is expected to renew the campus agreement for Urban Prep charter schools located in Bronzeville and Englewood after a judge ruled that CPS violated its moratorium on school closures by attempting to take control of the schools.

Former Ald. Ed Burke in federal court before U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall on Dec. 5, 2023. (WTTW News)

‘I Felt a Little Weird’: Fast Food Official Testifies About Former Ald. Ed Burke Pitching His Property Tax Firm

A restaurant group official said he was “taken aback” when Ald. Ed Burke brought up possible work for his property tax law firm as the pair discussed driveway permits for a Burger King undergoing a remodel in Burke’s 14th Ward in 2017.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Shootings, Homicides in Chicago in 2023 Continue Declines Over Last Year’s Totals

New data from the Chicago Police Department on Tuesday shows that through the end of November, the number of homicides has dropped by 11% while shootings dropped nearly 13% compared to the same time in 2022.

Former Ald. Ed Burke in federal court before U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall on Nov. 16, 2023. (WTTW News)

Ed Burke’s Defense Team Calls First Witness, But Prosecutors Still Days Away From Resting Case in Corruption Trial

Gabriella Garcia-Martinez, a firm administrator with Burke’s property tax practice, was allowed to testify Monday because she is set to undergo a medical procedure that would make her unavailable for the remainder of the trial.

A photo federal prosecutors allege shows Joseph Pavlik in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Attorney’s Office)

Retired Chicago Firefighter Sentenced to Prison for Role in Jan. 6 Insurrection

Joseph Pavlik, 66, was sentenced to two months in prison, six months of home confinement and 24 months of supervised release. He also must pay a $6,000 fine and $2,000 in restitution.

Jussie Smollett pleads not guilty at Leighton Criminal Court Building, Thursday, March 14, 2019. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Pool / Chicago Tribune)

Appellate Court Upholds Jussie Smollett’s Disorderly Conduct Convictions, Sentence

In a 2-1 decision published Friday, the First District court rejected the actor’s claims that he had faced double jeopardy when a special prosecutor filed renewed charges against him after Cook County prosecutors dropped their initial criminal case.

Part-time faculty members at Columbia College hold a rally on Oct. 30, 2023. (WTTW News)

‘This Is an Anomaly’: Part-Time Columbia College Faculty’s Record-Long Work Stoppage Continues Into Second Month

Following the Thanksgiving break, faculty members represented by the Columbia College Faculty Union (CFAC) have entered the fifth week of the ongoing strike.