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6 days ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Chip Mitchell |George Wiebe
Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem kicked off her Springfield visit Wednesday with a photo op at a federal facility as agents fingerprinted two Guatemalan men marked for deportation. But her agency did not explain what public threat they posed, even as she blasted Illinois’ sanctuary policies. Now WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times are finding out more about the men.
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6 days ago | 
wbez.org | Chip Mitchell |George Wiebe
Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem kicked off her Springfield visit Wednesday with a photo op at a federal facility as agents fingerprinted two Guatemalan men marked for deportation. But her agency did not explain what public threat they posed, even as she blasted Illinois’ sanctuary policies. Now WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times are finding out more about the men.
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1 week ago | 
wbez.org | Tina Sfondeles |George Wiebe |Mawa Iqbal
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday stood near the Springfield home of a woman who is suspected of being murdered by a man who lacked legal status — calling Illinois’ sanctuary status “absolutely disastrous for people who live here.”“Governors like JB Pritzker don’t care if gangbangers, if murderers, rapists and pedophiles roll free in his state,” Noem said near Emma Shafer’s home.
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1 week ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Tina Sfondeles |George Wiebe
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday stood in front of the Springfield home of a woman who is suspected of being murdered by a man who lacked legal status — calling Illinois’ sanctuary status “absolutely disastrous for people who live here.”“Governors like JB Pritzker don’t care if gangbangers, if murderers, rapists and pedophiles roll free in his state,” Noem said in front of Emma Shafer’s home.
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1 week ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | George Wiebe
With Real ID needed to board domestic flights beginning later this week, a visibly frustrated Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias urged residents on Monday to make sure they even need a Real ID before standing in a potentially long line. The federal government is requiring anyone boarding a domestic flight to show either a passport or a Real ID starting Wednesday.
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2 weeks ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | George Wiebe
The driver of a vehicle involved in a fatal crash at an after-school camp in Chatham, Ill. earlier this week was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Illinois State Police officials said Thursday. At 3:20 p.m. Monday, a car drove through Youth Need Other Things (YNOT) Outdoors, killing four and injuring six others. Police say the driver, 44-year-old Marianne Akers of Chatham, was uninjured and transported to a hospital for evaluation. She is not currently facing criminal charges.
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2 weeks ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | George Wiebe
Working conditions have gotten more dangerous for CTA bus drivers over the last decade, a group of drivers testified during an Illinois House Transportation Committee hearing this week. In 2024, 184 CTA employees reported being assaulted while on the job, according to Keith Hill, president of the Local 241 labor union that represents CTA and Pace bus drivers and mechanics.
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3 weeks ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Robert Herguth |Mitchell Armentrout |George Wiebe
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has taken campaign money from individuals and interest groups that could benefit from his decision-making in Springfield — including contributions from lobbyists, businesses and unions. The Hillside Democrat also has a charity that’s gotten backing from some of the same interests, though with less transparency regarding who his charity has gotten its money from, records show.
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1 month ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Matt Moore |David Struett |George Wiebe |Violet Miller
The clock is ticking for state lawmakers to find more than $700 million for CTA, Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority before they run out of federal COVID-19 grants next year and resort to drastic cuts in service. Lawmakers are focusing on reform as they consider two bills to either merge the agencies or empower the RTA. But they rarely talk about immediate funding solutions. Time is running out, though.
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1 month ago | 
wbez.org | David Struett |George Wiebe
The clock is ticking for state lawmakers to find more than $700 million for the CTA, Metra, Pace and Regional Transportation Authority before they run out of federal COVID-19 grants next year and resort to drastic cuts in service. Lawmakers remain laser-focused on reforming the agencies as they discuss two bills to either merge the agencies or empower the RTA. But legislators have all but refused to talk about immediate funding solutions. “There will be no funding without reform,” state Sen.
