Caroline Kubzansky

Caroline Kubzansky covers criminal justice with a focus on violence and its root causes for the Tribune. She previously worked as a general assignment reporter and started her career covering the northern suburbs. A graduate of the University of Illinois-Springfield's Public Affairs Reporting Program and the University of Chicago, she is a committed Chicago partisan and a native of Washington, D.C.

Jazmine Salas is escorted away from the microphone after her allotted time to speak was over at a Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability listening session at Thalia Hall, Jan. 8, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Residents, activists, officials demand police oversight board open inquiry into CPD’s actions during Midway Blitz

January 9, 2026 at 5:55 p.m.

Chicago residents, activists and elected officials demanded that the city's civilian police oversight board launch a thorough probe into how the Chicago Police Department has interacted with or assisted federal...

Protesters light candles at a memorial for Renee Nicole Good, 37, who was shot and killed by a federal agent while she was in her vehicle near the site of the shooting in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 7, 2026. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

Feds’ statements after Minneapolis driver killed by ICE officer echo pattern from Midway Blitz in Chicago

January 8, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.

The feds' statement recalls claims from DHS in the aftermath of two federal agent-involved shootings that took place during Chicago's "Operation Midway Blitz."

Man sought help on CTA bus on South Side after nearby shooting, police say

January 6, 2026 at 9:19 a.m.

When Chicago police boarded a CTA bus late Sunday night in Englewood, they found a man at the front of the bus with a fatal gunshot wound to the right...

Michael McClain, a lobbyist and longtime confidant to former House Speaker Michael Madigan, and his wife, Cinda McClain, leave the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after he was sentenced July 24, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Madigan confidant Michael McClain reports to prison

December 31, 2025 at 5:36 p.m.

A longtime ally and close confidant of disgraced former House Speaker Michael Madigan reported to a minimum-security federal prison camp Monday to serve his two-year sentence, federal prison records show.

People yell at U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and other agents while they stop at a gas station while conducting an immigration enforcement action, Dec. 17, 2025, in Evanston. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

‘Help is on the way’: Audio captures Border Patrol and 911 dispatchers before CPD response

December 30, 2025 at 2:44 p.m.

A 911 call shows that while Chicago police and emergency personnel did not assist Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino's caravan in its arrests or other immigration enforcement, local authorities coordinated...

Humboldt Park man charged with injuring two CPD officers in traffic crash: Police

December 30, 2025 at 10:39 a.m.

A Humboldt Park man is facing felony charges for allegedly crashing a stolen car into a Chicago police car in Wrigleyville Monday night and leaving the officers with serious injuries,...

St. Sabina suspends Sunday men’s basketball league after three are shot

December 29, 2025 at 1:25 p.m.

A man fired into a crowd outside the St. Sabina church gym after an argument erupted during a church basketball tournament, police sources said. Three men were wounded.

Federal agents detain a person while members of the community and activists protest near the 3900 block of South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago on Oct. 4, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

64 days in Chicago: The story of Operation Midway Blitz

March 14, 2026 at 11:46 a.m.

President Donald Trump's federal immigration enforcement operation led to most surreal autumn in Chicago history. What happened during those 64 days will be remembered for a long time.

A Jewel-Osco grocery store in Niles on Nov. 4, 2022. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune)

Bensenville man charged with attempted kidnapping of special-needs Jewel employee

December 26, 2025 at 6:10 p.m.

A Bensenville man is charged with grabbing a young woman with special needs while she working at a suburban Jewel-Osco and attempting to kidnap her, prosecutors said.

Janice McLee shuffles her position in her seat as a homeless man tries to get passengers' attention on a CTA Blue Line train to Forest Park on Dec. 16, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

CTA crime down slightly despite series of high-profile incidents in 2025

December 26, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Riders on CTA buses and trains have a low chance of being a violent crime victim, a Tribune review shows, despite high-profile crimes this year.

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