Defense attorneys used Englewood's violent reputation to argue for William Balfour's innocence. more ›

While prosecutors and defense attorneys made their cases quickly in court, the jury deliberated the case 18 hours over three days, were sequestered two nights, and were split 9-3 in favor of conviction only hours before the verdict was announced. more ›

William Balfour, 31, could face a maximum sentence of life in prison. more ›

Defense attorneys are expected to present a brief case focusing on a lack of physical evidence to link Balfour to the murders and Jason Hudson's drug activity. Closing arguments could begin as early as tomorrow. more ›

The murder trial of William Balfour — the brother-in-law of actress-singer Jennifer Hudson accused of killing her sister, mother and nephew — continues this week. Here is a roundup of what is going on in the court. more ›

Day two of the trial of William Balfour, accused of murdering the mother, brother and nephew of singer-actress Jennifer Hudson, ended with Hudson and sister Julia leaving the courtroom as prosecutors presented evidence detailing the murders. more ›

Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson was the first witness to testify today in the trial of William Balfour, who is accused of murdering Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew. more ›

These will be the first concerts in the festival's history where admission to the Petrillo Band Shell will be charged, after the City Council approved a measure Wednesday to charge a $25 admission. more ›

Jury selection began today for the trial of William Balfour, who is charged with killing three members of Jennifer Hudson's family. Apparently potential jurors "gasped" when told what the case was. more ›

A judge has ruled that Balfour may change his Krusty the Clown haircut before jury selection begins Thursday. He will also be allowed to wear civilian clothes instead of his jail uniform. more ›

Prosecutors have revealed new information about the 2008 murders of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew, and the Oscar winner is listed as a witness in the case against William Balfour, her sister's estranged husband. more ›

Jennifer Hudson will sing a tribute to Whitney Houston at tonight's Grammy Awards, a person was killed after crashing head-on into a CTA bus, and other news. more ›

Attorneys for William Balfour—the man accused of killing Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew—are seeking access to Hudson's cell phone records, and Hudson might be a witness in the upcoming trial. more ›

The selected songs cover a broad swath of the musical spectrum, with upbeat pop numbers like Florence and the Machine's "You Got the Love," and cool classics like known Obama favorite, "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green. Sandwiched in between are a few head-scratchers like Ricky Martin, or clear Red State pandering cuts like "My Town" by Montgomery Gentry. more ›

William Balfour is accused of killing singer Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew in 2008 and faces 77 counts, including first-degree murder, home invasion and aggravated kidnapping. more ›

On Jennifer Hudson's birthday we're in for some toasty temperatures. more ›

President Obama took to the Aragon Ballroom to attempt to put the recent debt ceiling discussions behind him and to raise some money for his reelection campaign. more ›

Man, there's gonna be one hell of a celebrity void come May when Mayor Daley leaves office and Oprah leaves town. Oh, Oprah, we're gonna miss your bug-eyed, spastic responses to questions, like when NBC5's Mary Ann Ahern asked you if you had an opinion on who would be the next mayor. You said you gave it "some serious thoughts," but didn't say what those thoughts were. You're a veritable Sphinx, O. more ›

Exactly one year ago today, the bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, and her brother, Jason Hudson, 29, were discovered inside their home on the South Side. Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found a few days after in a car on the West Side 10 miles away from his home. All three victims had been shot to death. William Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia, was charged for the killings with first-degree murder, allegedly killing the three family members because he was upset that Julia was dating someone else. Balfour pleaded not guilty and is still in jail. more ›

• The tragic story of a 9-year-old boy who died while visiting a South Side construction site with his father today.
• Chicago Public Schools are pushing for a $43 million property tax increase; that breaks down to about $18 more a year for property owners.
• That fuel surcharge on city cabs goes back into effect on Thursday.

The attorney for William Balfour, the man charged with the murders of Darnell Donnerson, Jason Hudson, and Julian King (actress/singer Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew, respectively), has quit the case. Joshua Kutnick insists he believes his client is innocent but says he doesn't have the money for such a high-profile case. Said Kutnick, "It's the kind of case that involves intense hours. I was gathering all resources, but I couldn't finance it." Balfour is expected to receive new representation, a court-appointed public defender soon, soon. more ›

Bitching and moaning about how terrible the Grammys are is just as tired as the awards show itself, so we'll do our best to avoid it. This year's show had its share of highs (the Radiohead/USC Marching band collab, the chance of MIA giving birth on stage and forcing Lil Wayne to deliver the baby) and lows (Queen Latifah calling the group of Kanye, Jay-Z, TI, and Lil Wayne "The Rap Pack") but we still had a reason to watch as some Chicago-based artists were up for some awards. more ›

• Joey "The Clown" Lombardo is the latest mobster sentenced in the Family Secrets trial: Joey received life.
• Uriel Soto-Castro, the man who hit three teens with his car on Friday, is facing aggravated drunken driving charges from the incident; none of the teens' injuries were considered life-threatening.
• The Sun-Times uncovered some rather disproportionately high salaries for some area educators.

Prosecutors today informed suspect William Balfour that he has been formally indicted in the murders of Darnell Donerson, 57, Jason Hudson, 29, and Julian King, 7, the mother, brother, and nephew of actress/singer Jennifer Hudson. Balfour was informed of the indictment at a court appearance this morning. Balfour was indicted on three counts of first degree murder as well as a count of home invasion. Thanks to the indictment, prosecutors don't have to present detailed evidence at a preliminary hearing. more ›

Between now and Wednesday, we're counting down the top 8 local stories that captivated us in 2008. more ›

Singer/actress Jennifer Hudson took to her MySpace blog this week to issue a quick note of thanks to fans for support since the triple murders that claimed her mother, brother, and nephew. In the post, Hudson said:

I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. My sister and I take great comfort and strength from your love and concern. jhud

William Balfour, the "person of interest" in the Hudson murders, will remain in police custody. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board considered testimony from William Balfour's girlfriend that she saw him with a gun on the day of the shootings matching the murder weapon as evidence enough to revoke his parole and keep him in police custody while investigators continue to examine how he's connected to the triple-murder. The Parole Board also ruled the June 19th drug arrest as grounds for revoking Balfour's parole even though it was considered so at the time, something that is sure to come under intense scrutiny if Balfour is charged in the Hudson slayings. more ›

William Balfour, the "person of interest" in the killings of the mother, brother, and nephew of Jennifer Hudson, is scheduled for a parole hearing this morning that many news outlets are touting as something that could allow Balfour to "go free." The parole hearing, which was to happen at 9 a.m. this morning in Stateville, will determine if there is enough evidence in the Hudson case to constitute a violation of Balfour's parole and keep him in custody while police continue their investigation; charges still haven't been filed in the late October incident. In the latest development, the Trib is reporting law enforcement sources as saying Balfour has not only admitted to being in the Englewood home of Hudson's family (where Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found shot) the morning of the shooting, but is saying that Balfour's current girlfriend claims Balfour admitted to being involved in the killings. more ›

An estimated 2,500 mourners paid their respects yesterday morning at the funerals of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson; her brother, Jason; and her nephew, Julian King. Oprah, Missy Elliot and Queen Latifah were in attendance, as well as Hudson's former American Idol colleague Fantasia Barrino, who also sang a tribute during the service. more ›