Stories by Amanda Vinicky

A state commission is soliciting submissions for a new Illinois flag.

For the second time, Democrats are trying to elect a woman to the White House over former President Donald Trump. Delegates who’ve been in Chicago since Monday will hear Thursday night from their “joyful warrior,” Vice President Kamala Harris.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) on Wednesday stopped by the Illinois delegation breakfast.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker worked hard to bring the Democratic National Convention to Chicago, and Tuesday he got a reward: a primetime speech during the DNC, putting him in the national spotlight for the biggest address of his political career.

“It is incredibly disheartening to see a local church leader who once aligned himself with our cause participate in such a deeply anti-life, anti-family event as the DNC,” Illinois Right to Life president Mary Kate Zander said in a statement.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and close confidants began plotting to bring the Democratic National Convention to Chicago all the way back in 2021. Now that it is here, the governor is in the spotlight. 

In the middle of his second term, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker hinted during a speech to party faithful Monday morning that he’s game to run again.

Chicago is under pressure to secure a bus depot in short order to avoid Greyhound’s travelers this winter having nowhere warm and sheltered to wait for their bus, store their luggage or go to the bathroom.

The best weapon to protect your eyes from the sun? Sunglasses. While many sunglasses promise “100% UV protection,” WTTW News was dubious. We wanted to put them to the test.

For the Illinois agricultural community, along with craft, gardening and baking enthusiasts, the Illinois State Fair is like a combination of Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Olympics and a carnival.

A month after a downstate sheriff’s deputy killed a woman in her home, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton are calling for the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Cambell.

Want to rent an apartment? You’ll need identification. A valid driver’s license or ID is also typically needed to get a job, apply for benefits or visit the doctor. That can present an obstacle for individuals who’ve been in prison or jail, during which time their IDs were lost or expired.

“It’s an honor to be asked, even if some of those questions are like a colonoscopy,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said of the vetting process. 

Harris was serious enough about Pritzker that the two-term billionaire governor reportedly met twice with her campaign. The attention around the vetting process only gave a boost to Pritzker’s national profile, something national politicos say is a huge boon for any potential future aspirations.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who has all but sealed the Democrats’ nomination after President Joe Biden last month abandoned his bid for reelection, has to choose her running mate before Aug. 7 when the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to confirm the ticket on a roll call vote.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law Wednesday that forbids employers from disciplining or penalizing workers who don’t participate in meetings “if the meeting or communication is to communicate the opinion of the employer about religious matters or political matters.”

PsiQuantum, which is set to receive $200 million in tax incentives for its work in Illinois, will serve as the anchor tenant of a quantum campus on the city’s Southeast Side that, at the behest Pritzker, the state is allocating $300 million from this year’s budget to build.

“Whatever happens in this process that I understand is going on, my job is to make sure that we win in November — so I’m going to work hard to do that,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told journalists Thursday amid reports he’s being considered for the Democratic vice presidential nomination.

Illinois’ leading Democrats are following President Joe Biden’s lead in backing Vice President Kamala Harris following the president’s surprise announcement Sunday that he was ending his reelection bid. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is among them.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker stayed mum on his endorsement plans when news first broke that President Joe Biden was dropping out of his reelection race, but a day later the Illinois governor joined with other leading Democrats in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Dysfunction has seeped into their party,” U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said. “I think their convention is going to be much different than this convention, in terms of the unity of what we’ve seen here. The chaos, the dysfunction and what’s going to happen in Chicago, I think could be really, really problematic.”

For the entirety of the Republican National Convention, a five-piece band has filled the arena with musical interludes. The keyboardist makes his home in southern Illinois.

Applause broke out Monday morning as Illinois delegates got word during their meeting at the Republican National Convention that a judge dismissed the federal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden should “pass the torch to a new generation of leadership,” U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider said Thursday, making him the second Democrat in Illinois’ Congressional delegation to call for the president to sit out a run for reelection.

On Thursday morning, the Illinois GOP announced the three candidates for the state chair post. The decision comes as a Republican lawmaker is voicing concerns that a leadership change ahead of November’s elections will serve to further harm the minority party’s political chances.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday said “of course” President Joe Biden is mentally and physically up to serving for another term. But the governor left open the door to a White House run if there is an opening, refusing an opportunity to dismiss that possibility by saying it’s a hypothetical.