Casey Toner

Hundreds Of Lots Owned By 'City's Worst Landowner' Went Up For Sale. But Only A Fraction Have Sold Parcels that belonged to Suzie B. Wilson and her sister accumulated $15 million in city fines for rat-related violations. Hundreds are still sitting empty without any promise of redevelopment.

The latest on Chicago's "worst landowner" from Mina Bloom and @ctoner.bsky.social.

"Nobody wanted most of the properties... That leaves the city without the money it anticipated and homeowners still saddled with weed-strewn vacant lots."

blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/15/h...

@50plusdoner.bsky.social this u

Chicago Cop Who Killed Partner Says He's the Victim in Wicker Park Bar Fight Officer Carlos Baker told police he was harassed at a Wicker Park bar by two women — an off-duty cop and his girlfriend’s mother, who he said attacked him and referred to him as "a murderer."

The same police officer who killed his partner and allegedly later punched a female cop outside a bar, filed his own report saying that his girlfreind's mom actually punched him and called him a "murderer" illinoisanswers.org/2025/08/18/c...

Chicago cop who fatally shot partner Krystal Rivera is stripped of his police powers — but not for that The move comes days after the Chicago Sun-Times and Illinois Answers Project reported that Officer Carlos Baker was accused of attacking a female police officer at a Wicker Park bar last weekend.

After the alleged punch, the officer who killed his partner was stripped of his police powers chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...

Chicago cop who fatally shot partner Krystal Rivera accused of attacking female officer Officer Carlos Baker and a woman allegedly beat the other cop late Sunday at a Wicker Park bar after pushing her to delete videos taken on her cellphone, the Chicago Sun-Times and Illinois Answers Pro...

Then we wrote a few stories about the Chicago police officer who fatally shot his partner, whose name was on the paperwork for the stolen Glock, allegedly punching a female cop at a bar chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...

Family of Officer Krystal Rivera, shot in back by a fellow Chicago cop, wants an independent investigation The family is asking the Illinois State Police to take over the investigation as their attorney says the Chicago Police Department’s story of what happened doesn’t “pass the smell test.”

chicago.suntimes.com/2025/07/02/f... Since we published, the family of the Chicago police officer whose name was on the paperwork for the Glock and was subsequently killed by her partner, who had a lengthy disciplinary history, called for an independent investigation

Woman Shot With Glock Stolen From a Chicago Police Station Sues City, Says Cops Pilfered It The handgun was stolen from a room full of cops and ended up being used in crimes including the shooting of Twanda Willingham, who's suing.

A woman who was shot in the leg with the stolen Glock before it returned to CPD custody filed a lawsuit, claiming a cop stole it illinoisanswers.org/2025/07/30/w...

Chicago cop who inadvertently shot and killed his partner has a lengthy disciplinary record in a short career Officer Carlos A. Baker has had more than a dozen complaints against him, records show.

Later we wrote about the stolen Glock's connection to the first fatal shooting of a police officer by another police officer in Chicago in nearly 40 years. And the shooter's long disciplinary history in a short time on the force chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...

Chicago Cops Did Little to Investigate How a Gun a Judge Turned in to be Destroyed Ended up at a Crime Scene The revolver Cook County Judge William Stewart Boyd turned in at a CPD gun buyback resurfaced at a fatal police shooting in Cicero in 2012.

The genesis for the story: a look into CPD's whitewash of an investigation into how a judge's gun went from a police buyback to the scene of a fatal police shooting in Cicero illinoisanswers.org/2025/04/04/j...

Gun stolen from a roomful of Chicago cops ended up being used in a series of shootings Records obtained by the Illinois Answers Project and the Sun-Times found the Glock handgun should have been destroyed after it was turned in to police at a buyback at St. Sabina Church.

Our follow up about the Glock stolen from a room full of cops being used in a series of shootings chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...

‘Where is the Glock?’ Gun turned over to Chicago police wound up in the hands of a teenager The Chicago Police Department has used gun buybacks to get thousands of guns off the street, but at least two of them have resurfaced at crime scenes.

chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog... ICYMI

Her team did "The Twitter Files" 👎. My team did "'Where is the Glock?' Gun Turned Over to Chicago Police Wound up in the Hands of a Teenager" 👍. Put me in charge of CBS News, I will do a good job

What an awful time for the Internet.

A mural that can be seen on the Kennedy has been blasted as "AI slop" by local artists and commuters. blockclubchi.co/428g9tg

Say More with Mary Dixon & Patrick Smith Hear what Chicago’s talking about — and chime in on topics that matter to you — from tariffs to construction, the Bears to “The Bear.” Weekday mornings at 10am

Two absolute pros and outstanding people behind the mics for this new show on @wbez.org www.wbez.org/say-more-wit...

The Official Charity Of The Savannah Bananas Has A Hard Time Explaining How Its Money Is Spent | Defector Bananas Foster describes itself as “the official non-profit of Banana Ball,” the barnstorming baseball league that hosts the Savannah Bananas. Its mission, per executive director Jolie Chabala, is…

The official charity of the Savannah Bananas has a hard time explaining how its money is spent: defector.com/the-official...

In 2023, a Minnesota homeowner argued that the County violated her Fifth Amendment rights by taking her home and pocketing more than the $15,000 she owed in back taxes. Following the ruling, states rushed to reform their laws to avoid legal fallout.

All except Illinois.

(🖊️ Sidnee King Pineda)

Lawsuits Pile Up as Illinois Lags on Reforming Tax Sale Laws Illinois is the only state yet to reform its law after the Supreme Court found unconstitutional a process that can cost homeowners their residences.

NEW: Illinois is the only state that has yet to reform its tax sale laws after the Supreme Court found unconstitutional a process that can cost homeowners their residences.
illinoisanswers.org/2025/09/11/l...

BREAKING: Timothy C. Evans, chief judge of the Cook County circuit court system for 24 years, has lost his re-election bid to Judge Charles Beach, 2 courthouse sources just told me.

The vote this afternoon was Beach 144 and Evans 109, one of the sources said.

Awaiting official statement

Judge Won't Lift Order Barring Release of Body-Cam Footage of Officer Krystal Rivera's Killing Judge Barbara Lynette Dawkins declined to lift the order, even though prosecutors and defense attorneys had no objection to the move.

Strange, in court this morning. In the middle of a hearing, judge took a phone call from her "boss," then came back and ruled that documents + videos would remain secret despite prosecutors + defense agreeing the secrecy order could be lifted. When asked, chief judge's office refused to comment.

I love that it's just like 6 people from Australia building the world's most popular, thoughtfully crafted game and selling it using the Fugazi ticket model

I'm pleased to report Silksong is a blast

10 years after state budget impasse, human services in Illinois again brace for ‘tsunami’ By CASEY TONER, HANNAH MEISEL & MOLLY PARKER This story is a collaboration between the Illinois Answers Project and Capitol

Your weekend read: @hannahmeisel.bsky.social and others look back on the state government impasse capitolnewsillinois.com/news/10-year...

There's a lot in here about the state of the human services sector in Illinois, and I think that @ctoner.bsky.social doesn't lose sight of the ball here: The human services sector exists to moderate the risks of daily life that we all face. When it is shredded it makes life miserable.

That was one of my takeaways, that repeated itself a million times throughout the impasse. Life dealt the Stegles the cruelest of circumstances and the State of Illinois removed the tiniest of mercies available to them in service of the world's dumbest and most disasterous political crusade.

10 Years After State Budget Impasse, Human Services in Illinois Again Brace for ‘Tsunami’ Nonprofits hurt by impasse boosted budgets with federal funding — now endangered by Trump.

illinoisanswers.org/2025/08/28/i... Judy Stegle has been the primary caretaker of her daughter Courtney since '97 after a catastrophic car crash. She's been unable to get help from the state/insurance to buy a lift to help her move Courtney. Clearly, someone could/should step up to make this happen?

10 Years After State Budget Impasse, Human Services in Illinois Again Brace for ‘Tsunami’ Nonprofits hurt by impasse boosted budgets with federal funding — now endangered by Trump.

A look at the people still left in the cold from Illinois budget impasse 10 years later with an eye towards the federal Medicaid cuts coming soon w/ @hannahmeisel.bsky.social and Molly Parker illinoisanswers.org/2025/08/28/i...

Chicago Police Told State Officials Officer Krystal Rivera Was Shot by an ‘Armed Suspect,' Not Her Partner After Rivera was killed in June by Officer Carlos Baker, officials told the Illinois Department of Labor she’d been gunned down by a barricaded suspect. The police still haven’t corrected that.

CPD told state safety regulators that Ofc. Krystal Rivera had been shot by a suspect when she'd actually been shot by her partner.

The IL Dept. of Labor can, but doesn't, investigate police shootings. No attempt anywhere to correct the record or explain why. No comment from state or CPD. #chicago

Chicago Cop Who Killed Partner Says He's the Victim in Wicker Park Bar Fight Officer Carlos Baker told police he was harassed at a Wicker Park bar by two women — an off-duty cop and his girlfriend’s mother, who he said attacked him and referred to him as "a murderer."

Our latest about the Chicago cop who killed his partner earlier this summer during a chase into a Chatham apartment and then was accused of attacking a female cop at a bar. He says he was punched in the eye by his girlfriend's mom @schuba.bsky.social @peternickeas.bsky.social

Chicago cop who fatally shot partner Krystal Rivera accused of attacking female officer Officer Carlos Baker and a woman allegedly beat the other cop late Sunday at a Wicker Park bar after pushing her to delete videos taken on her cellphone, the Chicago Sun-Times and Illinois Answers Pro...

Officer Carlos Baker has been stripped of his police powers.

Baker fatally shot his partner Krystal Rivera and was accused of attacking a female officer this week. He's also under investigation for allegedly seeking video of that incident and claiming he was investigating it.
tinyurl.com/2rdx49ms