Stories by Hannah Meisel — Capitol News Illinois

Former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza is accused of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for the passage of legislation that was important to AT&T.

The music is familiar and downright catchy — Verdi famously forbade his cast from singing the songs or even humming the score until after its 1851 premiere in Venice.  Acclaimed Verdi specialist Enrique Mazzola conducts.

A little-known voting bloc may make a big splash in November: Latino evangelicals. Pushback over a Starbucks coming to Little Village. And celebrating Mexican Independence Day.

Latinos are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the country, and the demographic has become a key voting bloc to secure a candidate’s path to the White House. However, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris may need to court a lesser-known subgroup: Latino evangelicals.

You’ve probably seen a lot of Mexican flags around Chicago this week. That’s because celebrations for Mexican Independence Day are kicking off this weekend. Some street closures and traffic disruptions are expected in parts of the city as thousands will participate in the festivities.

Former President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would not participate in another presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The nonprofit Remember Him Remember Her has partnered with Nave Wellness Center to provide free monthly grief support groups to people navigating parental loss.

For many young women, their liberal identity is not just a new label. The share of young women who hold liberal views on the environment, abortion, race relations and gun laws has also jumped by double digits, Gallup found.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower has been found in violation of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and deemed a “public nuisance” to the Chicago River.

While many of those tests merely showed reportable levels of legionella, some found fixtures with potentially dangerous levels of the bacteria — including in a kitchen used by jurors and in the building’s cafeteria, which is open to the public. The fixture in the juror kitchen was found to be contaminated last year, while two cafeteria fixtures tested positive as recently as July.

Advocates in Illinois are pushing for higher wages and better benefits in an effort to retain child care workers. The effort comes after a center in Bronzeville recently shut its doors, the CEO says, due to a lack of staff. 

Chance the Rapper’s charity SocialWorks, founded in 2016, aims to empower youth through the arts, education and civic engagement.

Former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza is accused of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan — a politician he described as “all-powerful” and “King Madigan” in email snippets shown to the jury — in exchange for the passage of legislation that was important to AT&T.

Cindy Eggleton, Brilliant Detroit CEO, told The Associated Press that her group will branch out to three additional cities – Philadelphia, Chicago and Cleveland – starting next year and will change the group’s name to Brilliant Cities. The early childhood education nonprofit that supports children in underserved communities “from belly to 8.”

Reinsdorf issued a statement Wednesday in response to several requests from media outlets, the club said. Chicago is 33-114, nearing the record for most losses by a major league team since 1900 — set by the 1962 New York Mets with 120 in their inaugural season.

In all, Chicago taxpayers spent $197.8 million to resolve 42 lawsuits brought by more than three dozen people wrongfully convicted based on evidence gathered by the Chicago Police Department between Jan. 1, 2019, and April 30, 2024, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

Next week will mark a year since Illinois did away with cash bail. Under the Pretrial Fairness Act, most criminal defendants are allowed to remain free pending trial, subject to conditions that courts may impose.

Black Restaurant Week was conceived in 2016 in Houston to address the financial hurdles faced by many Black chefs and restaurateurs.

Advocates on the lack of funding for child care services. A vacant lot in Bronzeville transforms into a neighborhood space. And what you should know as Black Restaurant Week kicks off.

The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners approved a special event permit for Riot Fest on Wednesday, a decision that did little to bridge the divide between residents of Lawndale who welcome the fest and those who want to oust it from Douglass Park.

The Little Village Arch was built in 1990 by Mexican American Vietnam War veterans Ronald Baltierra and David Ramirez and was designed by Mexican architect Adrián Lozan. The Chicago Department of Transportation undertook a $1.25 million project to restore the archway following its designation as an official city landmark.

Officer Ella French was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Aug. 7, 2021. Emonte Morgan was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

The Australian comedian is known for being open about their life — from talking about growing up as a lesbian in a place where homosexuality was illegal until 1997 to navigating relationships as an autistic person.

U.S. District Court Judge John F. Kness ordered former Ald. Carrie Austin, 75, to undergo a physical examination by an expert doctor to determine whether she is too ill to stand trial, as her lawyers insist.

Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices rose 2.5% in August from a year earlier, down from 2.9% in July. It was the fifth straight annual drop and the smallest since February 2021. From July to August, prices rose just 0.2%.

Taylor Swift said Tuesday she is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for president, ending speculation about if or when the superstar singer would share her political views ahead of November’s election.