Stories by Maggie Dougherty — Capitol News Illinois

The increase, which the company estimates will add $10-11 to monthly gas bills for typical residential customers in Chicago if approved by the ICC, comes three years after Peoples Gas received a $303 million rate hike in 2023, the largest in state history.

Catherine “Cat” Sharp said she was ending her bid to represent Cook County’s 12th District on the Board of Commissioners in order to “focus on winning the legal battle against the Trump administration.”

Bears president Kevin Warren claimed in a letter to fans last month that the team, which Forbes valued at $8.2 billion, was “told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026.” Welch did not dispute the claim.

President Donald Trump’s administration said Tuesday that it is withholding funding for programs that support needy families with children in five Democratic-led states over concerns about fraud.

The employees will serve as the public face of the Obama Presidential Center, helping to support the visitor experience for the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected each year, according to a news release. Applications are open until Jan. 31.

“I think New Year’s Eve was a testament that we did not need an additional tool in order to ensure that our young people were where they need to be and that our parents and adults who are part of these young peoples’ lives — that they are also held accountable for their whereabouts,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday it is no longer recommending that all children receive vaccines against: RSV, flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease and rotavirus. Instead, the federal government now only recommends protection against these diseases for certain children at high risk.

The city of Chicago spent $250.8 million on overtime for members of the Chicago Police Department during 2025 — 151% more than the Chicago City Council set aside for police overtime as part of the city’s annual budget, according to records published by the city’s watchdog.

Beginning Feb. 2, non-members will have to pay $5 — on top of the price of general admission — to enter the Butterfly Haven.

Administration officials say Maduro’s capture was a law enforcement action that merely used military resources and therefore did not require congressional approval, referencing a drug trafficking indictment issued by the Department of Justice in March.

What Chicago’s new budget means for your wallet. And local members of Congress on Venezuela, health care subsidies and much more.

Bob Pulford, a Hockey Hall of Fame player who went on to a lengthy career in the NHL as a coach and general manager, has died. He was 89.

The enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired at the end of 2025. More than 500,000 Illinoisans depended on these credits to make health coverage affordable, according to U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.

Gov. JB Pritzker and Democrats who control the state legislature have mostly shied away from renewing their graduated income tax push — all while managing to balance the books under the existing tax structure, largely thanks to a strong economy and federal aid in the years after the pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will recommend fewer vaccines for most American children, health officials said Monday.

The proposals, set for a vote at the 10 a.m. Wednesday meeting of the Public Safety Committee, were prompted by the killing of 14-year-old Armani Floyd on Nov. 21 during a large gathering downtown after the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting. Eight others were injured in a separate shooting just blocks away.

In his first month as Cook County’s new chief judge, Charles Beach said he has worked to improve transparency, strengthen court operations and boost overall accountability.

A defiant Nicolás Maduro declared himself the “president of my country” as he protested his capture and pleaded not guilty on Monday to the federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will be forced to answer from some in their own party over whether to reassert the legislative branch’s role in war-making alongside critical votes on health care and government spending.

Approaching the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the official plaque honoring the police who defended democracy that day is nowhere to be found.

Less than four months after announcing his reelection campaign, Walz said Monday that he could no longer devote the energy necessary to win another term, even as he expressed confidence that he could win.

The report published by the Chicago Police Department acknowledges that the number of times officers used force against members of the public “continues to trend upward.”

The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country in an extraordinary nighttime operation that was accompanied by a flurry of strikes.

We’re looking ahead to the stories likely to shape 2026 — from immigration enforcement and midterm elections to Chicago’s budget struggles and a new school board.

Of the pregnancy-related deaths that occurred in 2021 and 2022, committees found 91% could have been prevented.

On an icy January evening in 1963, a Cessna returning from Florida crashed into a brick ranch home across from Luther North High School in Portage Park. Four people were killed, including the pilot’s wife and young daughter. The crash left a lasting memory in the neighborhood.