Stories by matt masterson

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at City Hall alongside Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates on June 8, 2023 (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)

CPS Educators and Employees to Get 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave

Mayor Brandon Johnson, along with Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, announced that the school district is in the process of expanding its paid parental leave up to 12 weeks for birthing and non-birthing parents.

A file photo shows a crime scene blocked off by the Chicago Police Department. (WTTW News)

Chicago Man Charged With Firing Gun At Police Officers During Pursuit

Antwon Harrison, 24, was held without bail during a hearing Wednesday after he was charged with two counts of attempted murder stemming from a shooting incident Monday evening.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez speaks at Orr Academy High School on June 7, 2023, beside Mayor Brandon Johnson. (WTTW News)

Mayor Brandon Johnson ‘Looking Forward’ to Continuing Work with CPS CEO Pedro Martinez

On the final day of classes for Chicago Public Schools students, Mayor Brandon Johnson again signaled that he may be planning to keep schools chief Pedro Martinez in that position moving forward.

(WTTW News)

Kim Foxx Says Her Office Won’t Oppose Requests to Waive Court Fees for Impoverished Defendants

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced Tuesday her office is adopting a new policy wherein prosecutors won’t oppose requests from impoverished individuals who ask a judge to eliminate certain fines or fees.

(WTTW News)

Southwest Employee at Midway Charged With Creating, Selling Nearly $2M Worth of Fake Travel Vouchers

DaJuan Martin, 36, was charged in Chicago’s federal court Monday with 12 counts of wire fraud stemming from the alleged fraud scheme. A second man, 46-year-old Ned Brooks, was also charged with four counts of wire fraud after he allegedly purchased several of these fraudulent vouchers.

(WTTW News)

CPS, Chicago Public Library Launching Summer Programs For Students

“The summer months are the perfect time to reinforce skills learned during the previous year and prepare them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the classroom and in life," Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement. 

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

9 People Killed in Weekend Shootings Across Chicago: Police

According to Chicago Police Department figures, 46 people were shot in 31 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Niolis Collazo (GoFundMe)

Judge Sets $5M Bond For Pair Charged With Fatally Shooting Waukegan Volleyball Coach

David Dejesus, 16, and Yahir A. Torrecilla, 17, have each been arrested and charged as adults with first-degree murder stemming from the fatal May 6 shooting of 23-year-old Niolis Collazo.

(WTTW News)

Shootings Rose in May, But Homicides in Chicago Remain Below Pace of Recent Years: Police

New crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department show that 229 people have been killed in the city year-to-date. That total is down about 9% from the same time last year (when there were 253 homicides) and down about 12% compared to 2021.

(WTTW News)

Brother of Reputed Gang Leader Charged After Allegedly Telling Witness ‘I’ll Get You’ During Trial

Federal prosecutors have charged Rosco Blackman with witness tampering following the comment he allegedly made during the ongoing trial of his brother Romeo Blackman, a reputed leader of the Goonie Boss street gang.

A 40-foot powerboat known as “Sea Hawk” and “Anchorman” allegedly used by Christopher Mike Garbowski to run illegal charter voyages along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Garbowski was sentenced this week to one year in federal prison. (U.S. Attorney’s Office)

Boat Owner Sentenced to Year in Prison for Running Illegal Charter Trips on Chicago River, Lake Michigan

Christopher Mike Garbowski, 37, was issued a year-and-a-day sentence after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of violating an order of the Captain of the Port.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

More Than 50 People Shot, 11 Killed, Over Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago: Police

The Chicago Police Department said 53 people were shot in 42 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday. One person was also fatally stabbed during the holiday weekend.

The Archbishop Quigley Center in Chicago. (WTTW News)

AG Raoul ‘Surprised and Dismayed’ by Cardinal Cupich’s Response to Child Sex Abuse Report

“At best, the cardinal’s claims of being blindsided are misleading,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “At worst, they are more of the same, a continuation of the church’s decades-long pattern of turning a blind eye and covering up allegations of child sex abuse to the detriment of survivors.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks about Memorial Day weekend safety plans on May 25, 2023. (WTTW News)

Brandon Johnson Touts Collaborative Public Safety Efforts Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago

The mayor was joined by several community leaders and city department leaders at 63rd Street Beach Thursday afternoon to outline Chicago’s public safety plan ahead of what has historically been a violent weekend.

(WTTW News)

CTU Leader Touts ‘Historic Reset’ in Labor Relations Between Union and Chicago Public Schools

Speaking before the Chicago Board of Education at its monthly meeting Wednesday, Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jackson Potter said the changes he’s seen in terms of district cooperation are “unprecedented.”

The Archbishop Quigley Center in Chicago. (WTTW News)

More Than 450 Catholic Clergy Members Sexually Abused Nearly 2,000 Children Across Illinois, Attorney General Investigation Finds

The results of that investigation, published by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, represents what he called the first comprehensive accounting of child sex abuse by members of the Catholic clergy in Illinois.

Security footage released by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service captured burglary suspects entering the office at 100 W. Randolph St. in Chicago on May 22, 2023. (Credit: U.S. Postal Inspection Service)

Chicago Police Seeking 18 People Believed to Have Broken into Post Office at Thompson Center

The Chicago Police Department said Monday it was searching for approximately 18 males who are believed to have attempted to break into the office.

The former Trumbull Elementary School at Ashland and Foster avenues closed in 2013. The building is now used by the Chicago Waldorf School. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Monday Marks 10 Years Since Controversial Vote to Close 50 Chicago Public Schools

Monday marks 10 years since the Chicago Board of Education's historic and controversial vote to close 50 public schools.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

No Bail For Brookfield Man Who Allegedly Shot 2 Teens Outside Chicago Public Library

Adam Avizius, 37, was arrested on a single charge of aggravated battery stemming from a shooting incident outside the library Tuesday evening.

The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago. (WTTW News)

Ex-Veterans Affairs Supervisor Pleads Guilty in Chicago to Kickback Scheme

Thomas Duncan, a 39-year-old ex-supervisor at the Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and 52-year-old Daniel Dingle each pleaded guilty in federal court this week to single counts of wire fraud.

Officer Aréanah Preston (Chicago Police Department)

Indiana Man Charged With Transferring Gun Found With Suspect in Killing of Chicago Police Officer Aréanah Preston

Corey Gray, 21, was charged in federal court in Chicago on Wednesday with one count of knowingly transferring a firearm to an individual who was neither a licensed dealer nor a resident of the same state as Gray.

Lindblom Math & Science Academy (Google Earth)

CPS Officials Stand by Decision to Pull Lindblom Math & Science Principal Following Investigation

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez did not get into specifics while speaking before the Chicago Board of Education Wednesday, but reiterated that principal Abdul Muhammad “had to be pulled” from the school “for multiple reasons.”

Officer Aréanah Preston (Chicago Police Department)

Funeral for Chicago Police Officer Aréanah Preston to be Held Wednesday

Chicago police Officer Aréanah Preston, 24, had just finished her shift and was returning home while still in uniform at around 1:45 a.m. on May 6 when she was killed outside her home in the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue.

(WTTW News)

Second Person Charged in May 2022 Shooting of Dakotah Earley in Lincoln Park

Chicago police announced criminal charges Tuesday against an 18-year-old man who was allegedly involved in the non-fatal shooting of Dakotah Earley last May. The teen was 17 when the shooting occurred, police said. 

U.S. Attorney John Lausch appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Dec. 8, 2022. (WTTW News)

Ex-U.S. Attorney John Lausch Heading Back to Private Practice at Kirkland & Ellis

During his time as U.S. Attorney, Lausch oversaw numerous high-profile investigations in Chicago, among them, the indictments of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on racketeering and bribery charges and longtime Chicago Ald. Ed. Burke.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

8 People Fatally Shot Over Weekend in Chicago: Police

According to Chicago Police Department data, 26 people were shot in 23 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.