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.
An Arlington Heights school canceled classes on Monday after a police officer lost his gun on the school campus.
The Cubs trailed 3-0 in the fourth before Suzuki tied it with a three-run drive off Chase Petty, Chicago's longest homer of the season.
Whether it's paying a mortgage or paying a landlord, the price to keep a roof over your head keeps climbing.
The Evanston Skokie School District 65 needs to slash over $6 million, and the future is uncertain for the district-run childcare program.
The Living Wage for All Act would gradually increase the minimum wage to $25 an hour by 2031.
A federal appeals court blocked a FDA rule that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail.
With 60 field organizers, 15 offices, and high-seven-figure spending planned, Iowa Democrats are making their most aggressive midterm investment in years as they target open seats for governor and U.S. Senate.
The 81-year-old former New York City mayor has been hospitalized for pneumonia, his spokesperson said.
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.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
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.
Thirty years ago, Advocate Children's Hospital created a specialized team to transport the smallest patients to get life-saving care. On the anniversary of the Neonatal Pediatric Transport Team, they unveiled some a new ambulance.
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.
Thousands of people marched from the West Loop to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on Friday for May Day, with activists calling for workers' rights, stronger labor protections, and increased school funding.
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.
Police are investigating a liquor store burglary in Lincoln Park.
Someone on social media called him out for the shorts. Pritzker responded, "They were in at the time, I swear!"
Temperatures on Tuesday return to the middle and upper 50s. The latest in First Alert Weather.
PAWS Chicago tells CBS News Chicago that 13 of the 25 rescued pups had neuter surgery on Monday to get them ready for their forever homes.
For the first time in nearly a month, Iran fired on the United Arab Emirates, a key U.S. ally, launching a missile and drone attack.
Questions remain about how the man charged with killing Chicago police officer John Bartholomew and shooting his partner last month was able to get a gun into Swedish Hospital after he was arrested for an earlier armed robbery.
An Arlington Heights school canceled classes on Monday after a police officer lost his gun on the school campus.
Whether it's paying a mortgage or paying a landlord, the price to keep a roof over your head keeps climbing.
The Evanston Skokie School District 65 needs to slash over $6 million, and the future is uncertain for the district-run childcare program.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
Rideshare drivers say it's getting difficult to continue working as gas prices surpass $6 in the city.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
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.
The Cubs trailed 3-0 in the fourth before Suzuki tied it with a three-run drive off Chase Petty, Chicago's longest homer of the season.
Graham previously served as the Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Atlanta Hawks.
Chicago's Derek Hill hit a two-run shot that tied it at 3 in the seventh.
At 22-12, the Cubs are a season-high 10 games over .500.
The White Sox broke through against Michael King (3-2) in the sixth and then chased the Padres' top starter in the seventh.
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.
