Stories by Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois

Oil production was once a major industry in Illinois, but it has steadily declined since the 1950s. Most active wells in Illinois are “stripper” wells that produce less than 1.5 barrels per day.

Chicagoans “suffered tremendously” during those storms and should be able to rely on the federal government for help, Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday.

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) has sponsored a new pilot program that would allow companies like Waymo to service Cook, Sangamon and Madison counties with autonomous vehicles over a three-year period. 

President Donald Trump calls for Republicans to take over elections. And would you ride in a driverless car? Illinois lawmakers push for a self-driving vehicle pilot program.

The Trump administration is pushing states to hand over their full voter rolls, or list of actively registered voters. The administration has sued more than 20 states and Washington, D.C., in an attempt to secure the sensitive information.

Chicago is required to pay $2.85 billion this year into its pension funds in order to comply with a state law designed to ensure the pension funds can pay benefits to employees as they retire.

Since January 2025, Chicago taxpayers spent at least $103.1 million to resolve 14 lawsuits brought by people who were injured or on behalf of those killed during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

The proposed settlement is set to be considered Wednesday by the Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee. A final vote of the City Council could come on Feb. 18.

Chicago taxpayers paid an additional $2 million to defend the other Chicago police officers named in Johnson's lawsuit, which was filed in 2020, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

If approved, it would be the 11th lawsuit filed by Chicagoans who said they were the victims of former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara’s misconduct to be resolved at a cost of approximately $120 million to Chicago taxpayers.

A key City Council panel will consider resolving four lawsuits naming former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara on Wednesday at a cost of $29.2 million.

Mayor Brandon Johnson's executive order “jeopardizes our ability to effectively prosecute and secure convictions when federal law enforcement agents have committed a crime,” Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said.

The injunction will block the freeze until the case can be heard, meaning Illinois and four other Democratic-led states will have access to the funds.

Chicago students and congressional Democrats keep up the heat on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. And Indiana lawmakers push ahead with a bill aimed at luring the Chicago Bears.

Global music icon Bad Bunny is set to take the stage this Sunday for a Super Bowl halftime performance. Many Puerto Ricans see his performance as a culturally important one.

In her first public comments since the attack, MaGee announced that she was released from Stroger Hospital on Thursday, which she called an “important step in my recovery.”

Marimar Martinez had sought the release of evidence from the incident to combat continued claims from the Department of Homeland Security that she is a “domestic terrorist” who ambushed agents, despite federal prosecutors voluntarily dismissing their case against her.

Chicago's streak of sub-freezing days came to a merciful end Friday morning.

“When it comes to the Chicago Police Department, there’s always going to be this trust factor,” Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said.

A bold and ambitious new vision for Grant Park. And global music icon Bad Bunny is preparing for the Super Bowl halftime show — we hear from Puerto Rican community members about the impact.

Alexis Trader, 34, will be detained in Cook County Jail pending trial after he was charged Thursday in the death of 63-year-old captain Nabil Abzal, who was pulled from the harbor waters in the early morning hours of Aug. 30, 2025.

The shift comes as President Donald Trump’s administration pressures health care providers to limit or stop gender-affirming care for transgender people, particularly children.

Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

A key pillar of President Donald Trump’s effort to lower prescription drug costs, the website will serve as a clearinghouse that connects patients with drug makers selling certain products to those willing to pay cash and forgo insurance.

The number of times officers pointed their guns at individuals increased 44% between 2022 and 2024, according to one of the goals unanimously set for Snelling to achieve in 2026.

Indiana lawmakers push to become the new home of the Chicago Bears. And after weeks in ICE detention, a local man with epilepsy returns home to his family.