Stories by Ben Szalinski — Capitol News Illinois

Republican Bryan Drew and Democratic Rep. Margaret Croke are running to succeed comptroller Susana Mendoza. The candidates differ on ways they’d use artificial intelligence, tackle the pension debt and make the office more transparent.

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker once championed data centers. But as they have scaled up, he’s paused state incentives and his position has evolved to one of “responsible growth.” Republican candidate Darren Bailey has both criticized Pritzker’s pause of the tax incentive program and claimed credit for inspiring it.

In the wake of criticism over his office’s handling of a sexual harassment complaint against a member and his own behavior on social media, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is turning to one of his favorite tools: a Democrat-only private working group.

Hours after Illinois lawmakers failed to approve a stadium incentives structure aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledged that the “pride and joy of Illinois” may take a deal to build a football palace in Indiana.

Despite a Hail Mary heave from the Illinois Senate in the final hours of the spring legislative session, state lawmakers ultimately failed to reach the end zone on a bill incentivizing the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in Illinois.

An Indiana House committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 27, which would create a public stadium authority with the power to acquire land, issue long-term bonds and finance the construction of a stadium and related facilities.

If lawmakers don’t reach a deal to reform the northeastern Illinois transit system and introduce new funding before their May 31 adjournment, transit officials say it will result in significant cuts, which would result in a “nightmare scenario,” according to Regional Transportation Authority spokesperson Tina Fassett Smith.

Just one day into her campaign to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin in the U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Friday received a key endorsement from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, nearly eight years after he first tapped her to be his running mate.