Alvarez Hopes Focus On Domestic Violence Leads To Better Services For Victims
Cook County's top prosecutor says she hopes the focus on domestic abuse due to problems in the NFL brings changes for victims here, reports WBBM's Nancy Harty.
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Cook County's top prosecutor says she hopes the focus on domestic abuse due to problems in the NFL brings changes for victims here, reports WBBM's Nancy Harty.
Although numbers are vague, the crime of human trafficking presents a real challenge to law enforcement and welfare agencies, who have teamed up to try to raise awareness of troubled children who end up being manipulated or forced into prostitution.
Cook County prosecutors were taking another step Wednesday toward possibly releasing a man from prison - 15 years after he confessed to two murders.
The letter to Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said the prosecution of Willie Johnson could discourage other people from recanting prior testimony.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Sheriff Tom Dart have sought alternate arrangements such as home monitoring for inmates charged with non-violent crimes, but Alvarez expressed reservations to a broad-brush approach to releasing such inmates.
The Cook County State's Attorney has been re-evaluating a 1982 murder case to see if the right man is in prison, and WBBM has learned there are developments in the case.
Former Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine has said he doesn't remember one of his top prosecutors raising concerns about the innocence of a man who was freed from death row in 1999, in a case that became a catalyst to end the death penalty in Illinois.
Alstory Simon confessed to the murders of two people, but has since said his confession was coerced.
The Chicago police union has asked the Cook County State's Attorney's office to examine a milestone double murder case, to see if the right man is behind bars.
Opening arguments are set to begin Monday in the trial for two men accused in the 2009 shooting death of Chicago police officer Alejandro Valadez.
Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has written a scathing letter to Gov. Pat Quinn, saying the state board that looks into police torture allegations has acted illegally.
Racketeering and conspiracy charges were filed against 23 defendants who are primarily top leaders and members of the Black Souls gang, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said.
Authorities have captured a convicted murderer from Indiana who was mistakenly released from the Cook County Jail earlier this week.
Keith Williams, 52, allegedly served his prostitutes crack and heroin twice a day on a silver platter, but prosecutors say he was one brutal master.
Anita Alvarez is as frustrated as anyone else, claiming she's doing the best she can, with what she has to work with.
Alvarez said there were no Illinois charges pending against convicted murderer Steven Robbins, because a January 1993 arrest warrant for armed violence and cocaine possession had been dismissed in 2007.
Last month, Kenneth Williams received a letter from the state's attorney's office demanding he resign because he's a felon. He was convicted of forgery in Indiana in 1985.
Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has suspended two prosecutors for failing to approve criminal charges against a man who had threatened to set his kids on fire after filling a bathtub with gasoline – then actually set them on fire three months later.
There are about 40,000 drunk driving arrests in Illinois each year.
Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez wants a "complete and thorough, top-to-bottom" review of alleged hazing abuses at Maine West High School.
Several hundred people who all shared something in common -- the violent loss of a loved one -- gathered Saturday at the UIC Forum to share, remember and heal.
The Cook County State's Attorney has announced the indictment of six people - all accused of using their positions in Chicago area school districts to steal money from taxpayers.
Investigators say they have cracked the case of an auto theft ring that stole some 200 vehicles in Chicago.
Jennifer Hudson recently befriended the victim of another horrendous crime, according to a report Tuesday.
A 35-year-old man has been accused of forcing 12 girls into prostitution, and addicting them to heroin.
The surging New York Yankees used another big inning to beat the Chicago White Sox 10-5 on Wednesday night.
The flames from the cross burning in the middle of Grant Park were visible to anyone driving or walking down Columbus Drive.
Police said the suspect was a former employee of the facility.
Chicago police said the woman, along with two other suspects, fired multiple shots at officers while fleeing an attempted traffic stop in Brighton Park on April 25.
The suspect is facing multiple felony charges, including first-degree murder and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved a plan to buy the city's Greyhound bus station in the West Loop to avoid its possible closure.
Lawmakers have a busy summer of negotiations ahead of them with pressure from both the governor's office and their constituents to craft data center regulations that stakeholders and legislators can live with.
The agreement, as read by senior U.S. officials, allows Iran to immediately begin exporting oil and petroleum products.
After more than a decade since it was announced, the Obama Presidential Center and Library officially opens to the public in Chicago's Jackson Park on June 19, 2026.
Lawyers for the "Broadview Six" are trying to uncover communication between the White House and Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office regarding prosecutorial misconduct in their now-dismissed case.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
A new study from the Cook County Treasurer's office underlines growing concerns about the impact the Illinois megaprojects bill could have on the county's property tax base and overall fiscal health.
As thousands of Chicagoans wrap up road trips over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, gas prices in the city have reached the highest levels seen in four years.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
After Bruce Willis was diagnosed with dementia, his wife Emma Heming Willis found a new purpose as a health advocate.
The North Shore suburb of Wilmette this week became the latest Chicago-area municipality to discover mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus this year.
Dr. Peter Stafford was working with a missionary group in the Congo when he came down with the virus last month.
While 330 Ebola infections are confirmed in central Africa and huge challenges remain, hundreds more suspected cases "have been cleared out," the WHO says.
June is World Infertility Awareness Month, and Northwestern Medicine on Monday shared the story of a woman who is celebrating the birth of her second child after a tumor disrupted her fertility.
Daley's Restaurant, known as Chicago's oldest, has served Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood for more than 130 years.
Walgreens is set to close in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on Thursday, and there's growing concern about where families will get their medications.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Tom Dreesen, a pioneering actor and comedian and Chicago-area native, died Wednesday.
Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from the "Star Wars" sequel "The Empire Strikes Back" is expected to sell for at least $1 million at an upcoming auction.
Rio de Janeiro's Military Fire Department said one of the helicopters crashed in the parking lot of a car dealership, where several electric vehicles were parked, igniting a fire.
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker addressed the Class of 2026 at Northwestern University at their commencement ceremony at the United Center Sunday.
Forty years ago last weekend, crowds turned out for the Chicago Blues Festival — an event studded with a roster of stars for a spectacle that's still talked about today.
Splitter says there are two best jobs in the world—being a basketball player, first, followed by coaching.
The Chicago Piping Plovers announced a contest on social media to name the offspring of Imani and Sea Rocket. They're looking for names that reflect Chicago's "heritage, culture and diversity.”
The rock musician from Maywood played saxophone, flute, clarinet, and guitar. Variety says he had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for years.
The family of a man who was shot and killed by police in Elk Grove Village back in 2023 has won a $10.5 million settlement, attorneys announced Wednesday.
Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon is tracking the latest in First Alert Weather.
Five years after Chicago police officer Ella French was shot and killed in the line of duty, COPA released bodycam footage showing the late officer's final moments.
The suspect is facing multiple felony charges, including first-degree murder and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.
The flames from the cross burning in the middle of Grant Park were visible to anyone driving or walking down Columbus Drive.
Police said the suspect was a former employee of the facility.
Chicago police said the woman, along with two other suspects, fired multiple shots at officers while fleeing an attempted traffic stop in Brighton Park on April 25.
Kindbody entered into an agreement with a cryogenic storage facility in Massachusetts, but not all patients received the email.
A Chicago woman says a life insurance policy she paid into for 25 years was cancelled over a $112 shortfall that she never knew existed, and now, at 82 years old, she's uninsurable.
The Crisis Alternative Response Evanston, or CARE, team responds to calls that, before July 2024, would have been lumped into police calls.
The system will provide all heating, cooling, and ventilation for the high school's new physical education facilities and contribute to the school system, saving the district nearly $400,000 a year.
The forecast for a summer reopening of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is growing cloudy, as negotiations continue between the owners and landlord, after the safety net hospital abruptly shuttered its doors in March.
The surging New York Yankees used another big inning to beat the Chicago White Sox 10-5 on Wednesday night.
He says that, though his career ended early, coaching was a way to stay involved.
The three-game series wraps up Wednesday with Rockies LHP Sean Sullivan facing Cubs RHP Javier Assad.
Spencer Jones homered in the second inning, Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt each added a two-run drive in the fourth, and the Yankees rocked the White Sox 12-2 on Tuesday night.
Former NHL player Kyle Calder has died at age 47. The Alberta native spent a majority of his 10 years in the league with Chicago and also played for Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles and Anaheim.
A sport-utility vehicle rammed into a Shell gas station mini mart in what was believed to be an attempted crash-and-grab burglary in Chicago's East Pilsen neighborhood.
Luigi Mangione's lawyers will argue that he was suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance when he allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the series of murders known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
A man from Chicago's south suburbs was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison last week for running an online chat group that trafficked in child pornography.
Chicago police on Tuesday released surveillance images of three attackers who they say beat a man on a downtown CTA Blue Line platform last week.
