Stories by Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois

At a bill signing ceremony in Schaumburg, Pritzker highlighted three historic sites that were significant in Native American history in Illinois.

After serving nearly four years as the watchdog for the Illinois Department of Human Services, Peter Neumer will join the Chicago Park District as inspector general. 

Tim Mapes, 68, was indicted more than two years ago on a pair of charges stemming from his alleged false testimony before a 2021 grand jury about Madigan’s relationship with longtime confidant Michael McClain.

The bankruptcy filing comes more than a week after the trucking company halted operations, putting 30,000 people out of work. It warned in a lawsuit last month it was at risk of running out of the money it needed to continue to operate.

The prime exhibit in Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s effort is the JR-15, a smaller, lighter version of the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle advertised with the tag line, “Get ‘em One Like Yours.” 

According to Chicago Police Department figures, 27 people were shot in 25 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included the young girl who was fatally shot Saturday in the 3500 block of North Long Avenue.

It’s estimated that each year in the U.S., more than 400,000 babies are born to mothers who are depressed. Without any treatment, postpartum depression can last for months or even years, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

According to Walgreens, which announced last year it was entering the clinical trials business, only about 5% of people in the U.S. participate in clinical trials and almost three-quarters of those participants are White.

Chicago’s historic Bud Billiken parade is the largest African American parade in the U.S., drawing in nearly 300,000 people and spanning almost 3 miles.

According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, more than 65,000 Chicagoans are currently unhoused.

The city’s plans on addressing the migrant crisis. A growing homeless encampment in Humboldt Park. And a local artist’s memories of growing up in Puerto Rico.

How a Chicago-based corporation is getting more Black patients into clinical trials. Remembering Henrietta Lacks. A preview of the Bud Billiken parade. And future storytellers on violence in the media.

Trump arraigned on four felony counts tied to Jan. 6. Mayor Johnson defends police response to teenage troublemakers last weekend. Northwestern hires the former U.S. attorney general. And Cubs bat the team into playoff contention.

A new law allowing Illinoisans to sue so-called crisis pregnancy centers under the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act is on hold after a federal judge late Thursday granted a preliminary injunction against it.

Hundreds of migrant men, women and children continue to sleep on police station floors, despite efforts to move them into shelters.

Tissue taken from Henrietta Lacks became the first human cells to continuously grow and reproduce in lab dishes. HeLa cells went on to become a cornerstone of modern medicine, enabling countless scientific and medical innovations.

Front-line service, care and technical workers are among the 200 workers at Loretto Hospital in Austin who have been on strike since Monday.

The Illinois Commerce Commission is considering several rate hikes, including two sought by the utilities Peoples Gas and Ameren Illinois, who say they are needed to fund infrastructure improvements.

Anthony Prisco, 20, is accused of illegally possessing and transferring machine guns and illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.

U.S. employers added 187,000 jobs last month, fewer than expected. But the unemployment rate dipped to 3.5% in a sign that the job market remains resilient.

Local public health departments are continuing to monitor COVID-19 levels in the area as the U.S. sees a late-summer uptick in test positivity and hospitalizations.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to North America next week, kicking off the remainder of their tour with two shows at Wrigley Field. A recent stadium tour in Europe sold more than 1.6 million tickets, and Billboard called it “the greatest show on earth.”

A proposed gas rate hike could mean you’re paying more. The deputy mayor for immigration on the migrant crisis. Former President Trump is arraigned in federal court. And Lollapalooza kicks off.

Grant Park is gearing up for Lollapalooza, the annual celebration of music featuring artists from across the globe. A few local acts will be taking the stage for the first time.

Your gas bill could be about $12 per month higher next year — that’s the average increase per customer Peoples Gas estimates if it succeeds in raising rates. It’s the first time in nine years the utility company has asked for a rate hike.

The recall is just the latest in a long and large series of other fire-related recalls of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the past few years for a number of reasons.