Officer convicted of murder in slaying of Laquan McDonald
A white Chicago officer was convicted of second-degree murder Friday in the 2014 shooting of a black teenager that was captured on shocking dashcam video that showed him crumpling to the ground in a hail of 16 bullets as he walked away from police.
Chicago mayor welcomes help, warns against deploying troops
A day after President Donald Trump declared he was ready to “send in the Feds” if Chicago can’t reduce its homicides, Mayor Rahm Emanuel warned against deploying the National Guard, saying it would hurt efforts to restore trust in the police.
Judge refuses to release four accused of beating disabled youth
A Chicago judge refused to allow four black people caught on cellphone footage taunting and beating a mentally disabled white man to post bail and leave jail, saying they are accused of such “terrible actions” that they are a danger to society.
Hate-crime charges filed in attack on mentally disabled man
Four black people were charged with hate crimes Thursday in connection with a video broadcast live on Facebook that showed a mentally disabled white man being beaten and taunted, threatened with a knife and forced to drink from a toilet.
1 of Chicago’s bloodiest years ends with 762 homicides
One of the most violent years in Chicago history ended with a sobering tally: 762 homicides, the most in two decades in the city and more than New York and Los Angeles combined.
Chicago mayor fires police chief in wake of video release
Rahm Emanuel sought for months to keep the public from seeing a video that shows a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times.
Protest over Chicago teen’s shooting ties up retail district
Hundreds of protesters blocked store entrances and shut down traffic in Chicago’s ritziest shopping district on Black Friday to draw attention to the 2014 police killing of a black teenager who was shot 16 times by a white officer.
Officer charged with murder in teen’s death; video released
The white officer who shot a black Chicago teen 16 times has been charged with murder and jailed. The graphic video of the slaying has been made public. And in the hours after the footage was released, protesters seemed to honor pleas for restraint.
Kids get codeine in ER despite risks, guidelines
Despite recommended limits on codeine use in children, the potent painkiller is prescribed for children in at least half a million emergency room visits each year, a study suggests.
‘Miracle’ no deaths in airport train crash
The crash of a Chicago commuter train that derailed and plowed up an escalator at one of the world’s busiest airports would have been far worse, and likely fatal, had it not happened how and when it did, a transportation expert says.
Images show woman on train with alligator
CHICAGO — After tracking down a small alligator skulking in a baggage claim area at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, authorities are now hunting for its
Cops: Wounded gang member behind Chicago shooting
CHICAGO — A Chicago man who was clipped in the leg by gunfire went looking for revenge, leading fellow gang members to a crowded park,
Jesse Jackson Jr. sentenced to prison
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison Wednesday for illegally spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items, the judge scolding the son of the famed civil rights leader for using the money as a “piggy bank” and sentencing his wife to a year as well.
Sentencing delayed for Jesse Jackson Jr., wife
CHICAGO — A federal judge on Monday postponed the sentencing hearing for former Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, noting it was being
Would-be Chicago bomber gets 23 years
CHICAGO — A judge raised the specter of the Boston Marathon on Thursday as he sentenced a young Lebanese immigrant to 23 years in prison
Jackson Jr.’s district has history of corruption
They elected a Harvard-educated Rhodes Scholar and ended up with a congressman who was convicted of having sex with an underage campaign worker. They voted for the son of a famous civil rights leader and got someone who illegally spent campaign funds on everything from furniture to Bruce Lee memorabilia.
Chicago district disappointed in Jackson Jr.
Residents in this swath of sprawling Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs have brimmed with loyalty to Jesse Jackson Jr. over the past 17 years, giving him an enthusiastic majority each election — even after questionable links to ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, reports of an extramarital affair and a bizarre five-month medical leave.
Chicago considers bullet tax to curb violence
As Chicago struggles to quell gang violence that has contributed to a jump in homicides, a top elected official wants to tax the sale of every bullet and firearm — an effort even she acknowledges could spark a legal challenge.
Chicago police find about 1,500 pot plants in city
In Chicago, a bustling urban metropolis where skyscrapers are as likely to sprout up as anything a farmer might plant, someone decided there was just enough room to grow something a little more organic: Marijuana.
Chicago students returning to class
Students prepared to return to class today after Chicago teachers voted to suspend their first strike in a quarter century, shutting 350,000 children out of school, disrupting the daily routines of thousands of families and making the city’s schoolyards a flashpoint for union rights and public school reforms across the country.