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.”

Texas National Guard members walk outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

National Guard ‘employed’ in the greater Chicago area — including Broadview — but no ‘official reports’ of activity

October 9, 2025 at 7:06 p.m.

National Guard troops were “employed” in the Chicago area early Thursday, according to a U.S. official, and Broadview officials said that apparently included a deployment to their village.

Standing in the rain near a reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement staging area, dozens of activists, elected officials and supporters hold, protest the ICE presence on the Southwest Side, at a news conference, in the Back of the Yards neighborhood in Chicago, Oct. 7, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Back of the Yards activists call on shopping plaza to block ICE operations on their property

October 7, 2025 at 3:21 p.m.

Activists said they have seen federal immigration agents repeatedly use the shopping center at 46th Street and Damen Avenue for staging, sometimes as early as 6 a.m.

Chicago police will respond to federal calls for help, Larry Snelling says, and denies cops were ordered to stand down

October 6, 2025 at 5:35 p.m.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling on Monday said CPD would respond to any call of a crime being committed following uproar over his department’s role in the aftermath of two...

Elizabeth Ruiz pleads with a U.S. Border Patrol agent for information about her son Anthony Ruiz as she is moved back behind police tape. Anthony Ruiz was detained as federal immigration agents conduct an investigation in the 3900 block of South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood on Oct. 4, 2025 (Peter Tsai/Chicago Tribune)

Federal agents shoot Chicago woman they accuse of ‘boxing in’ vehicle in Brighton Park

October 4, 2025 at 8:22 p.m.

Federal authorities shot a Chicago activist in Brighton Park on Saturday, but accounts differ on what happened before agents fired their guns.

Federal agents are on the scene where community members and activists protest after a protester was shot near the 3900 block of South Kedzie Avenue on Oct. 4, 2025, in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Trump authorizes 300 National Guard members to Illinois to assist with deportations over JB Pritzker’s objections

October 4, 2025 at 10:29 p.m.

President Donald Trump is calling in 300 members of the Illinois National Guard over Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections, the governor announced on Saturday.

Federal agents on board an armor vehicle ride toward protesters as dozens of protesters clash with federal agents and Illinois State Police troopers near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says ‘we’re here to stay,’ indicating ICE may expand in Broadview

October 4, 2025 at 8:02 a.m.

During a mostly under-the-radar appearance in Broadview, Noem criticized Illinois political leaders after she was not allowed to enter a municipal facility to use the restroom.

City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, a candidate for U.S. Congress in the 7th District, greets people on primary Election Day, on March 19, 2024, at Manny's Cafeteria & Delicatessen in the South Loop. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin will pay $30,000 to settle ethics cases

October 2, 2025 at 5:37 p.m.

Chicago's treasurer will pay a $30,000 fine to settle ethics cases linked to findings that she misused taxpayer resources and fired whistleblowers.

Community activist Andrew Holmes, second from right, attends a vigil for the daughter of Naikeeia Williams, center, after the girl was fatally shot in February 2017. “Whenever there was a photo opportunity, he was there,” Williams recently told the Tribune. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Prominent activist turned politician faces new scrutiny as lawsuit alleges sexual assault of teenage girl

September 28, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

A survivor of sex trafficking has sued anti-violence activist and Dolton trustee Andrew Holmes, alleging he sexually assaulted her at age 16.

A former official with Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, shown here on Sept. 23, 2025, has filed a lawsuit alleging the hospital knowingly performed organ transplants on unsuitable patients to boost Medicare billing. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Lawsuit accuses Loyola University Medical Center of doing risky organ transplants to boost revenue

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

Loyola University Medical Center performed organ transplants on unsuitable patients to boost Medicare billing, according to a federal lawsuit.

World No. 2-ranked chess player Hikaru Nakamura, right, walks 15-year-old Anjaneya Rao of Aurora through the various moves they made during a chess match in Iowa on Saturday. Anjaneya lost to Nakamura in 33 moves. (Gregory Royal Pratt/Chicago Tribune)

In a rare matchup, Waubonsie Valley’s Anjaneya Rao goes head-to-head with world’s No. 2-ranked chess player Hikaru Nakamura

September 8, 2025 at 5:39 p.m.

Waubonsie Valley High School sophomore Anjaneya Rao got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when World No. Hikaru Nakamura signed up to play in an Iowa chess tournament.

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