Category: 1-Draft

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Calls of “Justice for Sonya” rang through the sanctuary of a church on Chicago’s West Side on Tuesday at a rally hosted in response to the death of Sonya Massey on July 6.  Massey, a Black woman, was killed in her home by Sangamon County Sheriff’s […]

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com ROSEMONT – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at curtailing the practice of “captive audience” meetings – a strategy businesses sometimes use to dissuade workers from forming a union. The law, dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” was a top priority this spring for organized […]

By BETH HUNDSDORFER  Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com  The day before she was shot by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy, Sonya Massey’s mother called 911 and said her daughter was in the front yard of her mother’s house, talking loudly, acting erratically with her car keys in her hand. Afraid that she would drive recklessly and […]

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Republicans will gather in Milwaukee next week for what promises to be a historic national convention. Former President Donald Trump will be nominated for the third consecutive time as the party’s presidential nominee, the first major party candidate to win nomination that many times since Franklin […]

The CNI news team is on the scene at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Check back frequently for the latest developments:   RNC DAY 3: Live updates from Milwaukee   11:15 a.m. – Andrew Adams’ video recap of Day 2 While we wait for the afternoon and evening events to begin, here’s a video […]

By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com MILWAUKEE – Illinois Republicans appeared upbeat and optimistic as the GOP’s national convention got underway Monday, calling for unity and showing little sign of the internal party struggles that have been brewing for years. “Everybody’s got a lot of energy. We’re all really hopeful and […]

By PETER HANCOCK, HANNAH MEISEL & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com MILWAUKEE – A former Republican congressman from New York told Illinois Republicans Tuesday that to win more elections in their deeply blue state, they need to reach beyond the traditional conservative voting base. “We need to challenge ourselves to get out and talk […]

MOLLY PARKER & BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Two days of heavy rainfall caused water to overflow and breach the dams of Nashville’s city reservoir on Tuesday, resulting in extensive flooding and the evacuation of about 200 people from their homes in the small southern Illinois town of about 3,000 residents. Initially described as […]

By MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois   mparker@capitolnewsillinois.com Hundreds of Menard Correctional Center employees and their supporters staged a rally alongside a busy street in Chester on Monday, highlighting what they described as perilous working conditions at the state’s largest maximum-security prison.   The problems at the southern Illinois facility stem from low staffing levels, said […]

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Former Republican State Sen. Sam McCann on Tuesday was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for stealing nearly $700,000 in campaign funds and attempting to conceal his theft with false reports to state election authorities. In February, McCann pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire […]