Stories by Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
Illinois Bill Aims to Lower Cost of Prescriptions, Rein in Pharmacy Benefit Managers
| Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois
The bill, known as the Prescription Drug Affordability Act would put new regulations and impose new fees on a large but little understood segment of the prescription drug industry — pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.
Supreme Court Lets Trump End Legal Protections for Over 500,000 Immigrants From 4 Countries
| Associated Press
The Supreme Court again cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip temporary legal protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants for now, pushing the total number of people who could be newly exposed to deportation to nearly 1 million.
US Inflation Gauge Cools With Little Sign of Tariff Impact, so Far
| Associated Press
A key U.S. inflation gauge slowed last month as President Donald Trump’s tariffs have yet to noticeably push up prices.
Kennedy Express Lanes to O'Hare Reopening Sunday as Construction Project Enters New Phase
| Patty Wetli
Outbound express lanes on the Kennedy are reopening Sunday, a month ahead of schedule.
CPS Renews Urban Prep Charter Schools Contract After District Previously Sought to Take Over Schools
| Matt Masterson
The Chicago Board of Education on Thursday approved a new two-year charter renewal for Urban Prep Charter Academy, which operates a pair of South Side high schools predominantly serving Black male students.
US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi on His Bid for the US Senate, Being a ‘Champion for Underdogs’
| Sean Keenehan
A heated race is already unfolding to replace longtime U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in next year’s primary elections. Since the 80-year-old senator announced his retirement last month, three Democratic candidates have launched campaigns.
May 29, 2025 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Lawmakers are working to address transit and state budget challenges with just two days left in session. And a congressman from Schaumburg discusses his bid for the U.S. Senate.
Illinois Bill Would Allow Terminally Ill Adults to End Their Lives With Medical Assistance
| Shelby Hawkins
The bill would legalize the use of prescription drugs that aid in dying, what’s commonly referred to as physician-assisted suicide.
Pritzker to Consider Bill Mandating Gun Owners Lock Up Firearms Near Minors
| UIS Public Affairs Reporting
The bill mandates that gun owners store their firearms in a secure, locked box in any place where they know or “reasonably should know” that a minor without permission to access a firearm, an at-risk person or someone who is prohibited from obtaining a firearm can access the weapon.
Illinois Lawmakers Unveil New Funding Sources for Chicagoland Transit, Aiming to Stave Off Disastrous Fiscal Cliff
| Nick Blumberg
The measure, filed late Wednesday night, features a new menu of revenue sources to help keep Chicago-area buses and trains running. Lawmakers believe the measure will be enough to address the anticipated $770 million fiscal cliff next year.
Coast Guard Gives Chicago Beaches the All Clear After Missing Explosives Found
| Patty Wetli
The explosives had been deployed earlier in May, and failed to activate, during a joint military exercise conducted by the Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force off the shore of Milwaukee.
2025 Millennium Park Summer Film, Music Series Announced. Here’s the Schedule
| Eunice Alpasan
The Millennium Park film and music series are making a return this summer. This year's film schedule includes "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "Love & Basketball," "Wicked" and "Pride and Prejudice."
‘The Experience of a Lifetime’: CPS CEO Pedro Martinez Reflects on Tenure as He’s Set to Leave School District
| Matt Masterson
Martinez on Thursday reflected on his time as Chicago’s schools chief during what will be his final monthly meeting of the Board of Education before he exits to take over as Massachusetts’ next school board commissioner.
Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Could Cast Haze Over Chicago This Weekend
| Patty Wetli
Wildfires are burning out of control in central Canada, and the smoke is drifting toward Chicago.
The Bank of America Chicago 13.1 Half Marathon Is Sunday. Here Are the Expected Street Closures, Race Schedule
| Eunice Alpasan
The fourth annual Bank of America Chicago 13.1 half marathon is expected to bring 10,000 runners through the West Side on Sunday. The course starts and ends at Garfield Park and takes runners through Douglass Park and Humboldt Park.
Lawmaker Tries Last-Ditch Push to Boost Horse-Racing Industry in Illinois
| Medill Illinois News Bureau
In the backstretch of the legislative session, horse racing advocates are pushing to revitalize the industry in Illinois and its accompanying horse betting, both long in decline.
Chinese Students Studying in US Are Anxious and Angry After Rubio Vows to Revoke Visas
| Associated Press
Chinese students studying in the U.S. are scrambling to figure out their futures after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that some of them would have their visas revoked.
Illinois Senate Passes Bill Requiring Libraries to Supply Opioid Overdose Medication
| Medill Illinois News Bureau
The bill would allow trained library workers to administer opioid antagonists to potential overdose victims on library grounds, in the immediate vicinity of libraries and at library events.
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams Addresses Controversy From Book Excerpt
| Associated Press
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sought to quiet the controversy about how he hadn’t wanted to come to his current team prior to the 2024 draft.
From Camp Movies to Bronze Horses, Here Are This Week’s Arts and Culture Picks
| Josh Terry
These openings, screenings and performances will have you in the movie theater, the symphony and the dive bar concert venue.
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, May 28, 2025 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Lawmakers still figuring out how to fill the state’s budget gap. A new opera on lesser-known Black heroes. And journalist Jonathan Capehart has a new memoir.
Columnist Jonathan Capehart Gets Personal in New Memoir ‘Yet Here I Am’
| Abena Bediako
A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, editor, columnist, PBS NewsHour political analyst and MSNBC host lays it all bare in his new book.
‘She Who Dared’ Opera Showcases Black Female Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement
| Shelby Hawkins
The opera spotlights the women who challenged segregation in Montgomery, using classical music infused with sounds of gospel, jazz and the blues to tell the story centered around seven women.
Lawmakers Unveil Plan to Overhaul Chicago-Area Transit With New Oversight Agency, But No Solution for Fiscal Cliff
| Nick Blumberg
The bill would replace the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees CTA, Metra, and Pace, with a new entity called the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. It would be charged with creating a universal fare system and ensuring coordination of service and capital projects.
Former Chicago Gangster Disciple Leader Larry Hoover Gets Commutation From Donald Trump
| Matt Masterson
President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, a former Chicago gang leader serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in Colorado.
New Navy Pier Marina, Offering Short-Term Docking for Recreational Boaters, Expected to Open Mid-June
| Eunice Alpasan
The Navy Pier Marina is expected to officially open to the public June 14. The opening of the marina, located on the north side of Navy Pier, comes as this year’s boating season kicks off.
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