Stories by Ben Szalinski — Capitol News Illinois

Both Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, say the changes — if ultimately deemed necessary — would be narrow despite Republicans’ desire to see the law drastically overhauled.

The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.

The high court ruled 7-2 that candidates like Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill. have the legal right to such challenges, even if the ballots have little effect on the race.

The Citizens Utility Board is sounding the alarm on data centers’ growing demand on the electrical grid, saying Illinois consumers can expect higher electric bills.

Illinois sues the Trump administration — what it could mean for immigration enforcement in Chicago. And could your electric bill be going up? A new report looks at data centers and their impact.

Illinois and Minnesota officials are separately suing the Trump administration over the enforcement tactics used by federal immigration agents. The lawsuits seek broader limits on the conduct of immigration agents in both states.

Since 2013, the prison abolition collective has processed mail from largely LGBTQ people incarcerated in Illinois. How those materials are delivered has recently changed. 

U.S. District Judge William Orrick issued an injunction Aug. 22 that prevents the Trump administration from blocking funding for some of the nation’s largest cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Boston and Baltimore.

The proposed non-binding ballot question violates Illinois’ election law, which requires advisory questions to “be confined to one topic and should not contain alternative or bifurcated questions,” the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners unanimously ruled.

Illinois is one of 23 states and Washington, D.C., that are being sued by the Trump administration for access to their unredacted voter rolls. The U.S. Department of Justice filed the Illinois case Dec. 18 following months of efforts to obtain the information directly from the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Experts warn that the number of people who have signed up for plans may still drop even further, as enrollees get their first bill in January and some choose to cancel.

Anne Pramaggiore, who was convicted along with three other former ComEd officials in 2023, has begun serving her sentence at the federal correctional institution in Marianna, Florida, according to federal records.

In a reversal from previous years’ pollution reductions, the United States spewed 2.4% more heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels in 2025 than in the year before, researchers calculated in a study released Tuesday.

The chain, with U.S. operations based outside of Chicago, went on an expansion tear soon after inflation began to spike in 2021 and opened a record number of new stores last year.

Chicago Public Schools students will return to their classrooms to kick off the 2026-27 academic year on Aug. 24, according to the district’s newly proposed annual calendar.

Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield for the spring legislative session. They’re facing some tough realities: a budget gap in the billions, growing pressure to deliver affordability relief, and a widening financial rift with Washington, D.C.

Illinois is suing the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement tactics. And state lawmakers are returning to Springfield — what’s on their to-do list.

Mayda Alexandra del Valle will serve a two-year term and receive $70,000 to commission new works and create public programming. As Chicago’s second poet laureate, del Valle will serve as an ambassador for the city’s literary and creative communities.

Albeiro Ropero Remolina and his wife were taken into custody in Chicago on Dec. 29. While his wife was released, he remains detained. Ropero Remolina needs to take medication twice daily for a severe seizure disorder, his wife said.

The ex-husband of an Ohio woman charged this weekend with the murders of her and her husband waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday in Illinois.

Pedro Villarreal was ordered detained at Cook County Jail pending trial after he was charged Monday with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and other felony charges stemming from the Dec. 23 shooting.

The lawsuit claims the ongoing “assault” on the state’s sovereignty amid the administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement violates the Tenth Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Officials at Get Covered Illinois announced Monday they would extend the open enrollment deadline by 16 days. For coverage beginning Feb. 1, 2026, consumers must enroll by Jan. 31.

So far, Chicago taxpayers have paid approximately $11.9 million to settle and defend lawsuits sparked by the conduct of CPD officers during protests that swept the city in 2020 and erupted into unrest, according to court records.

Reporters found the 60-year-old governor did roughly 100 one-on-one media interviews in 2025, his most of any year in his tenure as governor. Of those, 81% were with national media outlets, podcasters, social media influencers or television entertainment hosts — a major uptick from early in his tenure.

The City Council’s Finance Committee on Wednesday is set to consider the proposed settlement, which calls for taxpayers to pay $20 million and the city’s insurance company to pay $2 million. A final vote of the City Council could come Jan. 21.