Stories by Amanda Vinicky

A U.S. Supreme Court decision last year opened the door to state-authorized sports betting, and Illinois is hurrying to take advantage of it. 

Half of Chicagoans believe the city is “on the wrong track,” according to a new WTTW/Crain’s Temkin/Harris poll, which also indicates that Lori Lightfoot will win the April 2 runoff election to become Chicago’s next mayor.

Illinois’ marijuana industry is growing like a weed, but could banking regulations lead to its collapse? State Treasurer Michael Frerichs says the cash-based business is “now ripe for theft, fraud and tax evasion.”

With corruption scandals roiling Chicago politics, both of the candidates for mayor say cleaning up City Hall is near the top of their agendas. But it’s also where they differ, particularly when it comes to aldermanic prerogative.

As Gov. J.B. Pritzker moves full steam ahead on a graduated income tax, he says he’s unfazed by warnings that Illinois’ credit could be downgraded.

Just how did the vote break down Tuesday, and why was turnout so much lower than expected? Our politics team digs into the numbers in this week's political roundtable. 

The fight over Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax is already being influenced by nonprofit groups that are not required to disclose their donors. 

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled his first budget proposal Wednesday, calling it an “austere” spending plan meant to serve as a “bridge” to future budgets. 

Just a little over a month after becoming Illinois’ governor, J.B. Pritzker signed a law that stands to change the state’s economy by raising the minimum wage from $8.25 to $15 by 2025.

A medical supply sterilization company in suburban Willowbrook was shut down Friday by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency due to elevated cancer risks.

A series of transition reports unveiled last week provides a look at what new Gov. J.B. Pritzker has in store for Illinois, from potential new taxes to the creation of a statewide infrastructure czar. 

When will Gov. J.B. Pritzker release the reports he says will serve as his guides? And why is it taking so long?

A new report from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago recommends a 1-percent increase in the state income tax. 

For the first time since taking full control of Illinois government, Democrats in Springfield are poised to flex their political muscles by quickly passing a statewide hike in the minimum wage.

Five of the 14 candidates running for Chicago mayor participated in a forum Tuesday as the Feb. 26 election draws near. But getting simple answers to complex issues was no small task.

With the election three weeks away, it’s crunch time for Chicago mayoral candidates to get their messages across.

Chicago has an operating budget shortfall of nearly $100 million – a hole that mayoral candidate Amara Enyia says she has the skills to tackle. But documents show Enyia is struggling to manage her own finances.

House Speaker Michael Madigan has been a player in state politics for the better part of his 76 years. What a newly released deposition reveals about the famously guarded speaker and his 13th Ward Organization.

The bone-chilling temperatures may have subsided – a little – but that doesn’t mean Chicago is out of the woods, Mayor Rahm Emanuel warned Thursday.

Bombshell reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times details a federal probe of Ald. Danny Solis, and tells of a secretly recorded conversation involving, arguably, the state’s most powerful politician.

The massive plan for a “city within the city” moves one step closer to reality – but residents worry about what the transformation will mean for their communities.

Embattled Ald. Ed Burke faces lawyer Jaime Guzman and civil engineer Tanya Patiño in the first public forum of their contest for the 14th Ward seat Burke first won in 1969.

The field of candidates running for Chicago mayor is narrowed again. A look at who’s out and who’s in for the Feb. 26 election.

Looking back 50 years to the inauguration of former Gov. Richard Ogilvie, and the politically risky decision he made shortly thereafter.

On his first full day in office, new Illinois. Gov. J.B. Pritzker moved to give approximately 20,000 state employees raises they’d been denied by former Gov. Bruce Rauner since 2015. 

With a collective call for elected officials to end their abdication of responsibility, and with a promise for what’s become a rarity – a balanced budget – J.B. Pritzker takes the oath of office, becoming Illinois’ 43rd governor.