Gregory Royal Pratt

Raised in Little Village, Gregory Royal Pratt is an investigative reporter. He has been a finalist for the Livingston and earned recognition from the National Headliner Awards, the Lisagors, and Scripps Howard. He is the author of “The City is Up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost a City in Crisis.”

Officers investigate the South Chicago Chapel funeral home where 56 bodies were discovered in the 2900 block of East 95th Street on Aug. 6, 2026. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Missed opportunities, incomplete investigations preceded discovery of 56 bodies at funeral home

August 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The ongoing investigation into South Chicago Chapel is just the latest grim incident involving the so-called death care industry and highlights weaknesses within state law and enforcement.

Deja Young, left, hugs Corrine Young as they wait for news on their deceased relative, Keith Young, at the Cook County medical examiner’s office on Aug. 7, 2026. Keith’s visitation had been planned for Aug. 6, 2026, but his body never showed up to the church. (Arthur Maiorella/Chicago Tribune)

Agonized families await answers after remains recovered from Chicago funeral home: ‘It’s unimaginable’

August 8, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Records obtained by the Tribune reveal a harrowing scene at the funeral home and a history of problems at a previous crematorium run by its owners.

Sen. Dick Durbin cheers with dreamers on July 22, 2026, at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in Washington during a mock graduation event to commemorate Durbin’s long advocacy for the Dream Act, a path to citizenship for undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children. Tereza Lee, right, was his inspiration for the legislation. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin sees DREAM Act slipping away: ‘We’ve been on this bill for 25 years’

August 2, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

With less than six months left in his legislative career, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is coming to terms with the idea that the DREAM Act — what he describes as...

Dr. Ayoub Sayeg, a plastic surgeon, arrives at the Daley Center in Chicago for an Aug. 19, 2025, court hearing concerning a $56 million verdict in the death of patient Idalia Corcoles. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Plastic surgeon’s license suspended after Tribune investigation exposed 8 deaths

July 24, 2026 at 5:23 p.m.

Dr. Ayoub Sayeg's actions “constitute an immediate danger to the public,” according to state records recently provided to the Tribune.

Bartender Belmiro “Tyler” Barros III at Pressbox in Chicago’s Printers Row neighborhood on July 9, 2026. He grew up in Massachusetts and has family from Cape Verde. The Cape Verde national soccer team performed well during their run in the World Cup. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago man reflects on Cape Verde roots: ‘The world now knows who we are’

July 11, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Bartender Belmiro Barros has spent much of his life telling people about his family’s homeland. The World Cup has made that job easier.

Glenna Broderick, right, and Joie Allen, center, along with other circus performers delight the crowd at the Elgin 4th of July parade on July 4, 2026, in Elgin. The two-hour parade featured community organizations and businesses, politicians, sports leagues and dancers, to name a few. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Fireworks, parades and community mark America’s 250th in Chicago

July 4, 2026 at 5:52 p.m.

Crowds fanned out across the Chicago area Saturday to celebrate the Fourth of July, marking 250 years of American independence with colorful parades, beach days and backyard barbecues.

Illinois regulators have been investigating plastic surgeon Ayoub Sayeg, shown before a court hearing at the Daley Center in August 2025, for more than five years after receiving a complaint about the death of patient Idalia Corcoles. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois to audit plastic surgeon case after Tribune investigation

June 8, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has been investigating plastic surgeon Dr. Ayoub Sayeg since 2020.

Despite 8 patient deaths and a $56M jury verdict, state allows Chicago plastic surgeon to keep operating

June 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

More than five years after Illinois regulators started investigating him over a patient death, the plastic surgeon remains open for business with a clean medical license.

Larry Gephart, right, assists Jose Angel Miranda, of Nicaragua, who was released from the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, with a phone call from an attorney outside the facility on May 14, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

ICE releases some immigrants without a way back home. These volunteers are waiting to help.

May 30, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

From California to New Jersey and Minnesota to Texas, advocates across the country are figuring out ways to get released detainees back home.

Mather High School senior Ricardo Hernández-Navarrete flashes a smile as he walks on stage before receiving his diploma during his graduation ceremony at Loyola University Chicago on May 28, 2026. Ricardo was detained by ICE in March and released this week just in time for graduation. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

After two months in ICE detention, CPS senior free to walk Mather High School graduation with classmates

May 28, 2026 at 8:19 p.m.

Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete and his mother were arrested by ICE agents at a routine check-in in March.

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