CTA has announced that it is partnering with Miller Lite to offer free rides, which will be available across the city on both trains and buses from 10 p.m. Sunday until 4 a.m. Monday.
Stories by matt masterson
Chicago Watchdog Reaches Full Compliance With Consent Decree Obligations
Dec 27, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Cook County Jail Detainee Dies While in Custody
Dec 27, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Police Board to Hold Evidentiary Hearings for 4 Cops Tied to Disgraced Ex-Chicago Sgt. Ronald Watts
Dec 22, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
With Racketeering Conviction, Ex-Ald. Ed Burke Joins Long Line of Chicago, Illinois Leaders Found Guilty of Corruption
Dec 21, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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 Columbia College Faculty Ratify Contract Ending Record-Long Strike
Dec 21, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
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
Dec 19, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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 Seeking to Delay Racketeering Trial as Supreme Court Hears Case on Federal Bribery Statute
Dec 19, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Ex-Employee of Cook County Land Bank Authority Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Fraud Scheme
Dec 19, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
5-Year-Old Boy Dead After Falling Ill at Chicago Migrant Shelter
Dec 18, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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 Columbia College Faculty Announce Tentative Deal to End Record-Long Work Stoppage
Dec 18, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
1 Person Killed by Gunfire, 17 More Injured in Weekend Shootings Across Chicago: Police
Dec 18, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
‘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’
Dec 14, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
‘ComEd Four’ Defense Asks for Delay While Supreme Court Hears Case That ‘Has the Potential to Upend This Case’
Dec 14, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
‘This Was His Racket’: Closing Arguments Underway in Former Ald. Ed Burke’s Corruption Trial
Dec 13, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.”
Family of 3 Boys Allegedly Abused by CPS Gym Teacher Suing School District
Dec 12, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Heads of Police Union, Oversight Agency Debate Who Should Decide the CPD’s Most Serious Disciplinary Cases
Dec 11, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.”
Alleged Highland Park Parade Gunman Will Represent Himself in February 2024 Trial
Dec 11, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
‘Highly Unusual’: Jurors Hear More Testimony About Alleged Burger King Shakedown in Ed Burke Trial
Dec 7, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Wounding ATF Agents in 2021 Shooting
Dec 6, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
CPS Board to Vote on Charter Renewal for Urban Prep Academies Despite Ongoing Litigation
Dec 6, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
‘I Felt a Little Weird’: Fast Food Official Testifies About Former Ald. Ed Burke Pitching His Property Tax Firm
Dec 5, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Shootings, Homicides in Chicago in 2023 Continue Declines Over Last Year’s Totals
Dec 5, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Ed Burke’s Defense Team Calls First Witness, But Prosecutors Still Days Away From Resting Case in Corruption Trial
Dec 4, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Retired Chicago Firefighter Sentenced to Prison for Role in Jan. 6 Insurrection
Dec 1, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.
Appellate Court Upholds Jussie Smollett’s Disorderly Conduct Convictions, Sentence
Dec 1, 2023 | Matt Masterson
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.