Stories by Cole Longcor — Capitol News Illinois

Illinois Beach State Park in Zion on the state’s northern border contains about 10% of Illinois’ Lake Michigan shoreline, with 6.5 miles. But the undeveloped shoreline can erode up to 100 feet per year.

Iowa has the most poor bridges, followed by Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Eileen O’Neill Burke declares victory in the tight Cook County state’s attorney race. Chicago City Council wants migrant evictions oversight. And Johnson supports public money to develop a lakefront stadium.

Eileen O’Neill Burke declared victory Friday afternoon after the latest vote count showed her leading by 1,566 votes in a race where more than 527,000 votes were cast. O’Neill Burke said she had a “mathematically insurmountable lead.”

A magician who once worked in casino security is doubling down on revealing the secrets behind card tricks. And there’s a catch: Everyone must sign a confidentiality contract before the show.

Louis Gossett Jr. broke through on the small screen as Fiddler in the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries “Roots.” He won an Oscar for his performance in “An Officer and a Gentleman” opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger.

According to a poll by The New York Times and Siena College, Hispanic voters could be favoring former President Donald J. Trump over President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election, but sample size limits exact conclusions about the support. 

Landfills tend to be a less well-known methane source, but they also have a huge impact, estimated at around 20% of global human-caused methane emissions.

More than a dozen people were injured, including at least three seriously, after a crash between a CTA bus and a van in Chatham Friday morning.

A panel of federal judges seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law.

Research shows it’s becoming harder for bilingual speakers to raise bilingual children — but also points to factors that can improve opportunities for Spanish development.

An effort to require the mayor’s office to publicly track how many migrants are evicted from Chicago shelters. A new poll shows Donald Trump’s support is growing among Latino voters. And exploring the role the Spanish language plays in Latino culture.

On Friday, many Catholics will gather for the annual Stations of the Cross ceremony to mark Good Friday ahead of Sunday’s Easter holiday.

The measure set for a final vote by the full City Council on April 17 would require officials to detail how many people are evicted from city shelters every week. In addition, officials must report on the type and number of complaints filed by shelter residents twice per month, according to the proposal.

The gap between the two candidates has been essentially unchanged for the past 48 hours.

Chicago native Arionne Nettles pens a love letter to Chicago in her newest book titled, “We Are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything.”

Christian Soto, 22, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in a frenzied stabbing rampage that killed four people in a matter of minutes in Rockford.

Sickle cell disease affects about 5,000 people across Illinois — and it’s mostly impacting Black communities. While gene therapies have emerged to treat the disease, high costs can limit access.

The 29-year-old gorilla was diagnosed with congestive cardiac failure in early March and after an “abrupt decline” in her condition, “the difficult decision was made to euthanize her,” zoo officials said.

According to findings from the Civic Federation and the League of Women Voters of Cook County, the Pretrial Fairness Act has worked as intended during the first six months of its implementation.

Gentrification concerns in South Shore as Obama Presidential Center construction continues. Efforts to increase access to sickle cell disease treatment. And a new book celebrates Black Chicago’s influence.

Nearly 80% of voters in two precincts of the 7th Ward endorsed a referendum asking whether Ald. Greg Mitchell and Mayor Brandon Johnson should support “a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) ordinance to prevent the displacement of renters, condo & home owners in South Shore in light of the impact of the Obama Center and growing development in the area.”

For the first time since Election Day, Eileen O’Neill Burke widened her lead slightly over Clayton Harris III as election officials in Chicago and suburban Cook County counted ballots. The gap between the two candidates has been essentially unchanged for the past 24 hours.

Lieberman died in New York City on Wednesday due to complications from a fall, the statement said. He was 82.

Should the former governor succeed, a nonbinding referendum would ask Chicago voters on Nov. 5: “Shall the people of Chicago provide any taxpayer subsidies to the Chicago Bears or the White Sox in order to build a stadium or a real estate development?”

The rescued otter pup, now nearly 6 months old, was named in honor of his Alaskan roots.