Lori Lightfoot addresses CTA crime as cases rise
Madi Garcia, Contributing Writer
March 8, 2020
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled a plan to fight crime on the CTA on Friday, Feb. 28. The announcement comes after several high-profile crimes over the last month. The new initiative will add an additional 50 police officers to patrol CTA platforms, stations, trains and bus stops, bringing the tot...
Chicago police boost mass transit presence amid crime spike
February 29, 2020
A spike in crime on Chicago's rail system and some recent high profile outbursts of violence has prompted the city's police department to put 50 more officers in trains and on platforms and assign four detectives to investigate nothing but Chicago Transit Authority crimes, officials announced Friday. Hours...
Loop crime escalates
Nate Burleyson and Cailey Gleeson
February 23, 2020
Following last Monday’s shooting that killed 24-year-old Edward Charleston and injured two others in the tunnel connecting the Jackson Red and Blue Lines, police charged 23-year-old Torrez Cathery on Friday. Cathery was found in Oak Park. The suspect has 22 prior arrests on his record, according...
Shooting at Jackson Red Line stop kills one, injures two
Cailey Gleeson, Nation & World Editor
February 17, 2020
A man was killed and two others injured in a shooting early Monday morning in the tunnel connecting Blue and Red line Jackson stops, according to the Chicago Police Department. The shooting occurred just after 2 a.m. in the 200 block of South Dearborn Street, police said. The man pronounced dea...
CTA Red and Purple Line Modernization Project continues
Bianca Cseke, Online Managing Editor
February 16, 2020
Three Red Line stops on the North Side have been closed for the past few weeks because of the CTA’s Red and Purple Line Modernization project. The Bryn Mawr, Thorndale and Granville stops are closed on weekends to allow for preparatory track work, which includes building new track interlockings near Th...
CTA holiday trains, bus gearing up for season
November 25, 2019
The Chicago Transit Authority’s holiday train will soon roll into service. The six-car train decorated with holiday scenes, lights and LED displays will begin service Friday on all CTA lines. Santa and his reindeer will ride along and greet children and their families. Saturday riders will get t...
Recently paroled robber held without bond in fatal stabbing near Wintrust Arena
July 24, 2019
A recently paroled armed robber is being held without bond in the stabbing death of a man aboard a Chicago Transit Authority train. Tony Polk is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 54-year-old Troy Johnson, who authorities said was trying to protect another passenger from a knife-wielding...
The price we re-pay for transportation
Allegra Acosta & Cailey Gleeson, Contributing Writers
February 4, 2019
Nothing compares to the terror felt when you dig around your wallet at the Fullerton L stop, only to discover that your beloved Ventra pass is nowhere to be found. Not only will you have to shell out money to pay for your impending ride, but also you’ll have to pay a fine of $50 to have your pass replaced. It’s...
CTA raises awareness for Chicago’s low blood supply
Marty O'Connell, Contributing Writer
January 28, 2019
If you’re waiting for the Red Line in the coming weeks, you might notice a peculiar advertisement wrapped around the train cars: a message that, in big bold letters, declares the train cars the “Blood Line.” This is part of a blood drive campaign the company Vitalent formed to run throughout the c...
CTA upgrades surveillance cameras following crime spike in 2018
Carina Smith, News Editor
January 14, 2019
The Chicago Transit Authority is still in the process of installing a number of new high-definition security cameras across the rail system following a number of incidences of criminal activity. The cameras are a part of the Safe & Secure program that was announced earlier this year by Mayor Rahm...
Family of student who died after being struck by CTA still looking for answers
Amber Colón, Editor-in-Chief
April 30, 2018
He was born laughing. Maria Quiroz, mother of DePaul student Ricardo Quiroz, said that her son will be remembered as someone who was always very happy. Quiroz, 24, was struck by a CTA Red Line train on Sunday, April 15 at 8:01 a.m. on the Near North Side. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hosp...
CTA to use ride-sharing tax to upgrade security
Brian Pearlman, Copy Editor
March 12, 2018
The CTA is getting a new set of security upgrades funded in part from the city’s ride-hailing service fee, according to an announcement made Feb. 27. The $33 million worth of improvements include upgrading more than 3,800 older security cameras to new high-definition versions, as well as adding 1,00...
