Stories by matt masterson

Police vehicle file photo. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

2 Innovations High School Students Killed in Afternoon Loop Shooting: Police

Two teen boys were fatally shot as they left their high school Friday afternoon in the Loop.

(WTTW News)

Instituto del Progreso Latino Charter Teachers Announce February Strike Date

Chicago Teachers Union-backed educators at a pair of Instituto del Progreso Latino charter schools could go on strike early next month after more than two years of bargaining.

Prussing Elementary (Google Earth)

CPS Board Approves $800K Payouts to Settle 2015 Prussing Elementary Carbon Monoxide Leak Lawsuits

The seven-member board voted unanimously in favor of the agreements, which would settle a pair of lawsuits filed by Prussing parents after at least 71 students and seven adults were taken to the hospital as a result of the leak.

Karol and Agnieszka Chwiesiuk (U.S. Attorney's Office)

Chicago Police Officer, Sister Avoid Jail Time Following U.S. Capitol Breach Convictions: Reports

CBS News reported a federal judge in Washington D.C. sentenced Karol and Agnieszka Chwiesiuk each to three months home detention and three years probation after they were found guilty last year on multiple misdemeanor charges.

Prussing Elementary (Google Earth)

CPS Could Pay $800K to Settle Lawsuits Stemming From 2015 Carbon Monoxide Leak That Hospitalized Dozens of Students

Chicago education officials this week could vote to approve more than $800,000 in payments to settle a pair of lawsuits filed in response to a 2015 carbon monoxide leak at a Northwest Side elementary school that left several dozen students and staff members hospitalized.

(WTTW News)

‘They’re Gone’: Tinley Park Father Accused of Killing Wife, 3 Adult Daughters

Maher Kassem, 63, was detained in jail following a hearing Tuesday after he was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder.

(WTTW News)

3 Teens Wounded, 1 Man Killed in Weekend Shootings Across Chicago: Police

According to the Chicago Police Department, eight people were shot — one fatally — in seven separate shooting incidents between Friday evening and Sunday night.

(WTTW News)

CPS Revising Asset Management Policy After 77,000 Electronic Devices Reported Missing

The Chicago Board of Education will take public comments on proposed changes to the district policy. That move comes weeks after CPS Inspector General Will Fletcher published investigatory results showing that $23 million worth of electronic devices had been unaccounted for.

Snow blankets Chicago, Jan. 12, 2024. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

CPS Classes Will Resume Wednesday After Bitter Cold Led to Tuesday Cancellation

CPS announced classes will be in session for all students Wednesday as the frigid temperatures the city has seen this week have begun to dissipate.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

6 People Killed by Gunfire Over the Holiday Weekend Across Chicago: Police

According to the Chicago Police Department, 18 people were shot in 16 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday.

A resident walks down a snowy sidewalk in the North Park area on Dec. 22, 2022. (WTTW News)

CPS Cancels Tuesday Classes Amid Dangerous Cold

“We have been carefully monitoring the forecast over the past 24 hours, and have determined that given frigid temperatures predicted for tomorrow, and a Wind Chill Warning from the National Weather Service that wind chills that could reach -30 degrees, it will be unsafe for staff and students to travel to school,” the school district said in a statement.

The Dirksen Courthouse is pictured in Chicago. (Capitol News Illinois)

Chicago Financial Advisor Allegedly Told Elderly Clients To Invest in Her Film Company. Now She’s Facing Fraud Charge

Helen Grace Caldwell, 58, was charged in Chicago’s federal court Thursday with wire fraud. Her arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Federal Prosecutors Oppose ‘ComEd Four’ Defendants’ Push for Sentencing Delay

Federal prosecutors have once again expressed their opposition to any delay in sentencing for the “ComEd Four” defendants, arguing it’s “wishful thinking” that an unrelated case making its way before the U.S. Supreme Court could put those verdicts in jeopardy.

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

Online Fundraiser Launched to Provide ‘Stable Housing’ for Family of 5-Year-Old Boy Who Fell Ill at Pilsen Shelter and Died

The GoFundMe campaign organized on behalf of the parents of Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero has raised more than $6,000 out of its $25,000 goal as of Thursday afternoon.

(WTTW News)

Attempted Murder Charges Filed in Shooting That Left Chicago Police Officer Wounded

Deshawn Lucas, 33, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and unlawful use of a weapon, as well as individual counts of aggravated battery and burglary.

Robert E. Crimo III, left, is escorted into a courtroom during a hearing before Judge Victoria A. Rossetti at the Lake County Courthouse, Waukegan, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh, Pool)

Alleged Highland Park Parade Gunman’s Upcoming Trial Delayed

The February trial date for alleged Highland Park parade gunman Robert Crimo III has been removed, with a new trial date coming either later this year or in early 2025.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

$23 Million in Missing Devices, Criminal Charges and Sexual Abuse Investigations Detailed in CPS Watchdog’s Annual Report

Those findings were among numerous cases highlighted in an annual report published Tuesday by CPS Inspector General Will Fletcher, which examined investigations undertaken by his office between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

3 People Killed by Gunfire Over the Weekend Across Chicago: Police

Police officer wounded in early Monday shooting

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

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

‘ComEd Four’ Sentencing Won’t be Held Before Late February, But Defense Teams Continue to Seek Longer Delay

The four former Commonwealth Edison officials convicted last year of conspiring to bribe ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will not be sentenced until at least next month, but the delay could last much longer.

Former Illinois House Michael Madigan leaves the Dirksen Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2024. (WTTW News)

Michael Madigan Makes First In-Person Court Appearance as Federal Racketeering Trial Pushed Back to October

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan appeared in court in person for the first time Wednesday, as a judge pushed back his upcoming federal racketeering and bribery charges to October.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Shootings, Homicides in Chicago Drop 13% in 2023 and Returned to Pre-Pandemic Levels, But Violence Numbers Remain Among Highest in Recent Decades

There were 617 homicides and 2,450 shootings across Chicago throughout 2023, according to Chicago Police Department data, with both totals hitting their lowest marks since 2019.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Police to Deploy Additional Officers Downtown, Throughout City for New Year’s Eve Festivities

“We know it’ll be a busy night,” Commander Jon Hein said Friday. “We ask everyone to please ensure that you have a safe night and if you’re going to celebrate, do that responsibly.”

Chicago Fire Department crews on the scene after a high-rise fire in the 1000 block of West Foster on Dec. 29, 2023. (WTTW News)

At Least 2 Hospitalized After Chicago Firefighters Rescue Residents From Uptown Building Blaze

Chicago firefighters rescued multiple people from a fire that broke out on the sixth floor of an Uptown high-ride Friday morning.

Chicago City Hall. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Mayor Johnson Taps New Leaders for OEMC, Department of Housing

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday announced two new appointments, tapping Jose Tirado to serve as OEMC’s new executive director and Lissette Castañeda to serve as commissioner for the Department of Housing.

University of Illinois basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. is pictured during a Dec. 17, 2023, game. (Credit: Illinois Fighting Illini)

Illinois Basketball Star Terrence Shannon Jr. Charged With Rape in Kansas, Suspended From Team

The university confirmed that the Douglas County District Attorney’s office in Kansas issued an arrest warrant for Shannon on Wednesday. He has since turned himself in to police in Lawrence, Kansas, posted bail and is now returning to Illinois.

(WTTW News)

CTA Once Again Offering Free Bus, Train Rides on New Year’s Eve

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.