Stories by Amanda Vinicky

With longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan pausing his campaign for another term as speaker, Democratic members of the Illinois House are scrambling as the other contenders for the job attempt to secure the necessary votes.

After a nearly interrupted 36-year reign as speaker of the Illinois House, state Rep. Michael Madigan is suspending his campaign for another term — but that doesn’t mean he’s giving up.

On the day that Illinois reached the unfortunate milestone of surpassing one million cases of the coronavirus, we go to one of the Chicago communities bearing the brunt of the pandemic. 

For members of Illinois’ congressional delegation, Wednesday was an unprecedented —  and for some, scary — experience.

Many people in the state are clamoring for the coronavirus vaccine. But some of those who have the chance to get the shot aren’t taking it, including employees at various state government-run veterans homes.

State driver service facilities will reopen on Tuesday for the first time since mid-November.

In the first year since Illinois legalized recreational marijuana, the Illinois State Police expunged 492,192 non-felony cannabis arrest records, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office announced on Thursday.

A top legislator who in 2010 came close to becoming Illinois’ governor and who had only a couple of weeks left as the Senate’s top Republican is instead stepping down from the General Assembly, effective Friday.

At some point, Christmas trees get brown, the needles fall off, and it’s time for them to go. But that doesn’t necessarily mean tossing your tree in the trash.

Friday marks one year since it became legal to buy and use marijuana in Illinois. But what about the thousands of people who previously got in trouble for possessing, smoking or selling pot? 

Illinois’ recreational marijuana program was set up to right the wrongs of a war on drugs by giving a leg up to those from disadvantaged communities or who had been punished for low-level drug crimes. But nearly a year later, social equity applicants remain locked out.

Nearly 80,000 people left Illinois last year, according to just-released data estimates. In the past decade, nearly a quarter million people have moved.

All Illinois hospitals and health departments promised the first round of the COVID-19 vaccine now have it, but state officials are worried future shipments will be smaller than expected.

A Chicago woman has filed a lawsuit against the city, and expects to take more legal action after she says Chicago police forcefully, and wrongly, raided her home and then sought to stifle the video evidence.

Illinois’ 20 members of the Electoral College played their part Monday in getting former Vice President Joe Biden to the White House, despite President Donald Trump’s continued attempts to overturn last month’s election results.

Who will be the next speaker of the Illinois House? For the first time in decades, there’s no clear answer. Longtime Speaker Michael Madigan still wants the job — but at least 19 of his fellow Democrats say they won’t support him. We check in with some of the first to defect.

Tired of politics as usual? A pair of lawmakers say there’s a way to keep officials on their toes: allow voters to recall them. 

Illinois driver’s license facilities have been closed since mid-November, and they’ll remain that way through the beginning of 2021. Here’s what you need to know if you’re driving on an expired license. (Hint: It may not be expired after all.)

The main orchestrators of an alleged bribery scheme targeting Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan officially began fighting the charges on Wednesday.

The Illinois law at the heart of the Commonwealth Edison bribery plot was a “profit machine” for the utility, according to a report released Tuesday by the Illinois Public Interest Research Group.

Upwards of 267,000 people have so far died in the U.S. from the novel coronavirus, and experts have fatalistic predictions about more infections throughout the winter. But it’s not just the coronavirus that’s killing people.

According to the latest data from state health officials, the city of Chicago has 921 intensive care unit beds, and more than 200 are currently available. But in some regions, the numbers are much different. 

The growing number of coronavirus infections has some area hospitals on edge. We visit the Illinois Medical District to see how hospitals are coping with the surge — and how they’re prepping for more cases.

As of Thursday evening, 16 Democrats elected to be part of the Illinois House next year have publicly said they will not support Michael Madigan for what would be a historic 19th term in the powerful position.

A close confidant of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Commonwealth Edison’s first female CEO are among those indicted Wednesday in connection with a bribery scheme.

Chicago Public School Local School Council members are up for election this week. What are LSCs and what power do they have?