Stories by Amanda Vinicky

A new state commission has just over three months to come up with recommendations on how Illinois can “improve public trust in government.” On Monday, the group had its initial meeting in Chicago.

They appear to be marbled, speckled, dipped and dyed, with names like “Red Glitter” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” We visit a poinsettia farm and learn what it takes to cultivate the crop in time for the holidays.

A new Chicago mayor and Illinois governor. A massive teachers strike. A Hollywood actor who put the city’s criminal justice system on the world stage. Those and more top stories of the year from our “Chicago Tonight” reporters.

Among the new laws taking effect in 2020 is a program that seeks to give Illinois children a leg up, before they’re even able to crawl.

Illinois’ income tax will hold steady in 2020 and despite warnings from Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago’s new budget avoids a major property tax hike. But before you go on a holiday shopping spree, a word of caution.

A bombshell announcement from Mayor Lori Lightfoot – with few specifics. Our politics team digs into that story and more in our weekly roundtable.

Starting Jan. 1, parking meter rates will increase across Chicago, peaking at $7 per hour in the Loop. While the city doesn’t collect that revenue, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration estimates it will save $7.9 million with the plan. Here’s how.

State Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, hasn’t made a public appearance since the FBI raided his home and offices in September. He will step down on Jan. 1, 2020.

Taking an Uber or a Lyft, dining out, and parking at a metered spot will cost Chicagoans more come January, on account of the new city budget approved Tuesday by the City Council, following a nearly two-hour debate.

Candidates hoping to make it on the March 17 primary ballot have another week to collect the required signatures from local registered voters, but those hoping for the coveted first spot filed that paperwork Monday morning.

When he signed a law that will make it legal for adults to use marijuana starting in 2020, Gov. J.B. Pritzker proclaimed it to be the most equity-centric in the nation. But is it? And what exactly does that mean?

“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett is back in the headlines as the state’s attorney whose office cleared him of charges announces she’s running for re-election. Our politics team digs into that story and more in our weekly roundtable.

By this time next week, Chicago alderman will have voted on the city’s next budget. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is optimistic that her budget will pass, even as progressive groups say she’s breaking campaign promises. 

Senators have been scrambling since Senate President John Cullerton made a surprise announcement that he’ll resign in the new year, leaving vacant one of the most powerful positions in state politics.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot failed to beat the odds in Springfield, with legislators on Thursday adjourning for the year without taking up a fix she says is needed before the city can move forward with a casino.

One of the most powerful figures in Illinois politics is giving up his position.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot isn’t folding her cards just yet on a new casino tax structure, though a deal proved elusive Wednesday. That leaves just one remaining day in the veto session for a framework to be finalized and get through both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly.

Blistery winds and falling snow Monday didn’t prevent members of the George L. Giles American Legion Post 87 from the journey they’ve made every Veterans Day for the past 93 years along Martin Luther King Drive to the Victory Monument. 

The latest member of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office isn’t a human. She’s a dog. We meet the new Labrador retriever, Hatty.

The shocking indictment of state Rep. Luis Arroyo has overshadowed the Illinois legislature’s fall veto session. Still, consequential legislation advanced, including a bill that will lead to a prohibition of a chemical used to sterilize medical equipment.

The wheels are in motion to remove state Rep. Luis Arroyo from office, a day after the Chicago Democrat was indicated on a federal bribery charge. 

Illinois lawmakers returned to Springfield on Monday for the start of the fall veto session, but any new legislation could be overshadowed by a bribery charge filed against Democratic state Rep. Luis Arroyo. 

The powerful Illinois House speaker is named in a federal subpoena. Our politics team tackles that story and Mayor Lightfoot’s budget proposal in our weekly roundtable.

Bargaining sessions between the Chicago Teacher's Union and the city started late and ended early on Thursday, the first day students missed classes with their teachers on strike, causing Mayor Lori Lightfoot to question the union’s sense of urgency. 

Consolidating scores of local firefighter and police pension funds could save Illinois taxpayers between $820 million and $2.5 billion in the next five years, according to a report published by a state task force.

Besieged Illinois Sen. Martin Sandoval resigned his post chairing the chamber’s transportation committee Friday, the same day the Senate released an uncensored version of a search warrant for Sandoval’s office in Springfield.