DCFS charges 9 year old $30K, would-be adoptive mom says money is needed for child's future
"A lot of the foster kids end up being homeless, they say. I can see why. DCFS is taking their money from them."
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"A lot of the foster kids end up being homeless, they say. I can see why. DCFS is taking their money from them."
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."
Speaking live on CBS News Chicago's morning news on Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson touted an improving economy and falling crime in the city and credited his administration with the success.
A serious crash involving Illinois State Police is under investigation in Cicero, Illinois, on Wednesday.
A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed in West Garfield Park early Wednesday morning.
A man was charged with attempted murder after a woman and a Chicago police SWAT officer were shot in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood on Monday.
A night after losing the series opener 10-3, the Rangers (51-50) finished with a season-high 18 hits and avoided falling below .500 for the first time since June 27.
Speaking live on CBS News Chicago's morning news on Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson touted an improving economy and falling crime in the city and credited his administration with the success.
Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey is calling for greater transparency over nongovernmental organizations that receive at least $10,000 in state grants by making them subject to public records and open meetings requests.
Two independent Latino candidates seeking to run for retiring U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's seat in Congress won't appear on the ballot in November.
New search data shows "fascism" drew roughly 264,700 monthly searches nationally in 2026, but in Illinois the most-searched word definition was "bias."
President Trump is imposing 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, from hockey equipment to alcoholic beverages, escalating the trade dispute between the two countries.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
A new Northwestern Medicine study on long COVID shows women show more neurological symptoms than men.
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, the CDC said.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois are both seeking rate increases that would raise monthly bills by as much as $28, while their parent companies seek regulatory approval to merge — a deal a consumer watchdog says would give one company control of nearly all regulated water customers in the state.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is the first film shot entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras, and Cinemark Seven Bridges in Woodridge is 1 of roughly 30 theaters nationwide equipped to show it that way.
Brenda Fricker won an Academy Award for 1989's "My Left Foot," played the Pigeon Lady in "Home Alone 2" and appeared in "A Time to Kill" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer."
The actor's agent said he was providing more information following news reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods."
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," died Monday at 78, his family says.
The 46th Taste of Chicago is cashless for the first time, accepting only credit cards, with a drone and fireworks show scheduled for approximately 9:15 p.m. Friday near Buckingham Fountain.
Mayor Brandon Johnson joins Marissa Perlman and Audrina Sinclair to talk about a rebound in tourism and economic activity in Chicago, fighting crime, teen takeovers, and the 2027 election.
A serious crash involving Illinois State Police is under investigation in Cicero, Illinois, on Wednesday.
A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed in West Garfield Park early Wednesday morning.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon has the extended forecast.
A man was charged with attempted murder after a woman and a Chicago police SWAT officer were shot in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood on Monday.
A man was charged with attempted murder after a woman and a Chicago police SWAT officer were shot in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood on Monday.
A bar on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park community was shut down by Chicago police Tuesday morning, days after a fight broke out at a party in the bar and led to a fatal shooting.
Speaking live on CBS News Chicago's morning news on Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson touted an improving economy and falling crime in the city and credited his administration with the success.
A serious crash involving Illinois State Police is under investigation in Cicero, Illinois, on Wednesday.
A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed in West Garfield Park early Wednesday morning.
Record heat and major air quality issues created by wildfire smoke were key topics as some of the top climate leaders from around the world gathered in Chicago this week for the Aspen Institute's annual climate summit.
Police say a man and a woman were last seen speaking with the victim before the shooting.
Neighbors in the Avalon Park neighborhood said their community has been plagued by squatters, weeds, rats, and water leaks – all thanks to an abandoned home that's been sitting vacant for years.
Chicago has been feeling the heat this week, with highs in the 90s the past five days, but officials are making moves to cool off some of the hottest parts of the city, specifically Chicago Park District fieldhouses where many turn to keep cool.
Gene Rush survived throat cancer, but he didn't survive a trip to the Porter County Jail over 4th of July weekend. His family said jail staff failed to provide lifesaving medical care.
A night after losing the series opener 10-3, the Rangers (51-50) finished with a season-high 18 hits and avoided falling below .500 for the first time since June 27.
Chicago collected 11 hits while improving to 23-10 in its last 33 games, bouncing back nicely after losing 8-6 in 10 innings in the series opener on Monday night.
Head coach David Braun is excited about what an intimate environment can do for his team.
The WNBA All-Star Game is being held in Chicago on Saturday, with the city hosting events in celebration.
All eyes are on Chicago as the city gets set to host the WNBA All-Star Weekend for the second time.
A bar on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park community was shut down by Chicago police Tuesday morning, days after a fight broke out at a party in the bar and led to a fatal shooting.
A man was shot and wounded early Tuesday in the Wentworth Gardens public housing development just south of Rate Field.
Charges were pending Tuesday morning for a man accused of shooting a woman and a Chicago police SWAT officer in Chicago's Albany Park community the day before.
A man stabbed two tourists near the ancient Acropolis in Athens, Greece's top tourist attraction, police said.
A man was shot and killed in a fight in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood Sunday night.
