DCFS worker charged with stealing more than $1M and spending it at a casino
Shauntelle Pridgeon was responsible for reviewing and approving daycare providers for children under DCFS' supervision.
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Shauntelle Pridgeon was responsible for reviewing and approving daycare providers for children under DCFS' supervision.
A member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking is speaking out about the treatment of foster children.
The teenage girl already had a history of being trafficked for sex – and DCFS placed her in a home with someone now accused of forcing her into prostitution.
Why were they there? The reason, the suit said, was that the state was out of placement beds.
Of the kids dying from abuse and neglect between July 2021 and June 2022, many died from natural causes. But 18 were homicides and 30 were accidents.
We have now uncovered new documents that may reveal there may have been more to the motive behind Amaria's murder.
State Rep. Lakesia Collins grew up in the DCFS system, but she was not aware how overwhelmingly often Illinois foster parents are cleared of abuse and neglect allegations.
This news is not sitting well with the family of the 8-year-old girl, whose mother is charged with her murder.
Surveillance video captured footage of what happened – but the 8-year-old's mom is not allowed to see it.
The higher court did say however, that the lower court judge – former Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy - was trying to address a widespread problem and that Smith has fallen "woefully short."
Foster parents accused of abuse and neglect have the vast majority of their allegations closed without findings against them.
"Hunter was the life of the party," said Hunter's uncle and former foster father, Keil Quigley. "He always had a smile. He had beautiful blue eyes."
The agency investigated allegations of violence, sexual abuse – and finally, the death of a child this past August.
We have been asking every day for five weeks to find out how he died and who dropped the ball.
"At what point is enough is enough? Obviously, whatever they are doing isn't working."
Three different downstate counties investigated this family over the years, but now there are questions over whether they all knew what was going on by neighboring agencies.
"I just want to know what happened to him. I just want to know what happened to my child."
DCFS cares for over 20,000 children with an annual budget of $1.5 billion.
9 children have since died in the care of DCFS since December.
Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert submitted 12 pages Monday of what he calls systemic failures by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
This latest case involves a 15-year-old girl who has been stuck in a psychiatric hospital even though she was cleared to be released on Jan. 14.
DeMarcus Osby spoke out only to CBS 2's Chris Tye about the child welfare system that he says failed his daughter.
Two months – that is how long it took for the state's child welfare agency to make contact with a child who was flagged at risk for neglect.
The eight-year-old's final words: "momma stop."
An 11-year-old abused girl, considered a risk to herself and others, has spent two months in what's considered a shelter and has been waiting months longer for a secure residential treatment center placement.
It's more than dance. On Saturday, performers with the Mandala Makers Festival will put on a show that blends many elements of Indian culture for Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.
Michael Busch had two hits and two RBIs, helping Colin Rea and the Chicago Cubs top the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5.
A man was in custody after a woman was found strangled to death on Thursday night in northwest suburban Schaumburg.
The FBI and police in west suburban Naperville were investigating an armed robbery at a Bank of America branch on Friday morning.
A man was charged after loaded guns and drugs were found inside a Country Club Hills home on Tuesday.
Elmwood Park, Center Cass, Oak Lawn Hometown, and Atwood Heights are among the Illinois districts being investigated by the Justice Department over classroom instruction on gender and sexuality.
Negotiations over a $500 million dollar government aid package for Spirit stalled after bondholders balked at the terms.
The longest shutdown of a federal department in U.S. history came to an end on Thursday when President Trump signed a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security following a breakthrough on Capitol Hill.
The Coast Guard will run out of funding to pay personnel on May 1, with the first missed paychecks expected May 15.
Illinois lawmakers are not planning to pursue a constitutional amendment on redistricting after a key U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to Chicago has been charged with making a false bomb threat that forced an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport last month, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Skyrocketing property taxes continue to be a hot-button issue in Cook County — particularly since last fall, when many residents saw their tax bills increase by 100% or more.
The second-largest physicians' group in the U.S. has issued a surprising switch in breast cancer screening recommendations.
A new $48 million wellness center opened Thursday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life for people on the West Side of Chicago.
La Rabida Children's Hospital went all out for Earth Day on Wednesday, with volunteer cleanup efforts by staffers and activities for patients and families.
It has been several weeks since West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, abruptly shut down — and then on Wednesday, it just as swiftly partially reopened, with some services available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 80% of deaths related to pregnancy are preventable, and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
Activists worldwide will commemorate "May Day," also known as "International Workers' Day," on Friday.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
The Holiday Club in Chicago's Buena Park neighborhood will soon be going out of business, as the building that houses the popular bar is set to be torn down.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
The only remaining location of Pal Joey's pizzeria in Batavia, Illinois, will soon be going out of business, its owner announced this week.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
Spirit Airlines is making plans to cease operations as soon as Saturday, barring last minute intervention, CBS News has learned.
It's more than dance. On Saturday, performers with the Mandala Makers Festival will put on a show that blends many elements of Indian culture for Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.
CPS left it up to individual schools to participate in May Day events, but sources say only a few took advantage of district-provided buses, with most principals opting out.
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with shooting and killing a man while the victim was driving in March in northwest suburban Palatine, causing him to crash into several parked cars and a dumpster.
A man was in custody after a woman was found strangled to death on Thursday night in northwest suburban Schaumburg.
The Chicago Teachers Union was among the groups demonstrating, with members calling for affordable housing, smaller class sizes, more school resources, and broader economic justice.
As many as 150,000 Illinois SNAP participants will lose their benefits on Friday due to new, stricter eligibility rules in the Trump Administration's "One Big Beautiful Bill."
A second man was charged in the dollar store robbery that led last weekend's shooting at Swedish Hospital.
Negotiations over a $500 million dollar government aid package for Spirit stalled after bondholders balked at the terms.
It's more than dance. On Saturday, performers with the Mandala Makers Festival will put on a show that blends many elements of Indian culture for Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.
An elderly woman has essentially abandoned her home of three decades because of constantly broken elevators at her high-rise condo building on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
Violent retail crime is on the rise in Illinois, according to a new report from the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association.
A top administrator in the Libertyville school district has been placed on leave after a fiery school board meeting focused on how the district handled allegations of grooming leveled against a former teacher.
Potholes along one stretch of road in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood are so bad, people say they damage their cars just getting to work.
There are so many issues with the DNA evidence in the case that Payne's conviction has been overturned, and a retrial has been ordered.
Michael Busch had two hits and two RBIs, helping Colin Rea and the Chicago Cubs top the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5.
The Kentucky Derby will see a full field of 20 horses in the first leg of the 2026 competition for horse racing's Triple Crown.
Seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins has only been with the Sky for about three weeks, but it's clear she's already one of the leaders of the team.
The Cubs have won 12 of their last 15 games.
Reese is all smiles as she returns to Chicago to face her former team, the Sky, in preseason action on Wednesday night.
Chief Geoff Guttschow, who has an autistic child who drives, says the Blue Envelope Program gives officers a tool to recognize when a driver may need additional communication support.
A woman has been charged with shooting a 15-year-old boy outside an indoor track facility near Gately Park in Chicago in 2024, after getting into a fight with another woman during a back-to-school event in the Pullman neighborhood.
Sexual abuse charges were filed this week against a Park City, Illinois, police officer.
Attorneys for the man convicted of the murders of two girls in Delphi, Indiana, have filed a new brief with the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn his case.
Attorneys for a woman convicted of killing her 69-year-old landlord in Chicago's Arcadia Terrace community have filed an appeal.
