Illinois Newsletter
Dive Deeper Into Our Reporting
Each of our email newsletters are written by a ProPublica Illinois journalist, and we also republish each edition here online. One week, you may get a reporter’s take on what’s left out of a recent story. Another week, maybe you’ll read a Q&A between a reporter and a source on a particular topic. Sometimes, we may ask you to weigh in on a specific topic or issue. Your input can help fill gaps in our reporting, as well as shape what we cover and how we cover it. Regardless, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get a lonely, skeletal feed of headlines in your inbox. We’re all people here.
Check out the archive of newsletters on this page. If you really like something we’re doing on here — or really don’t — or if you have ideas that can help shape our newsletter, let us know. We’re all ears.
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I’m Looking for My Next Story
How searching court records, data and talking to people can spark an investigation. I hope.
Where Do Illinois Lawmakers Stand on Impeachment?
Here’s a slice of news around the state this week, via our newsletter.
Here’s What to Expect From Chicago City Council’s Ticket Reform
Chicago became the largest U.S. city to enact major reforms to its system of parking fines and fees. City officials say more changes are coming.
As Students From China Flock to University of Illinois, Lawsuit Alleges Ex-Professor Targeted Female Chinese Students
The allegations came at a time when the flagship campus at Urbana-Champaign was enrolling more Chinese undergraduates during some years than any university in the U.S.
How a Video Gambling Company Helped Bankroll Local Politicians
And updates on the creation of new casinos around the state.
Inside the Illinois House Hearing on the Financial Aid Scandal
Lawmakers described the practice as disturbing, disheartening and shocking.
How We Got the Story About Parents Transferring Guardianship of Their Kids to Win Financial Aid They Wouldn’t Otherwise Qualify For
A tip, and then lots of work — including looking through nearly 2,000 files — over a very short period of time.
She’s Risked Arrest by Driving With a Suspended License for Seven Years. This Week She Got Some Big News.
Some 55,000 Illinoisans could regain their driver’s licenses very soon.
“How in 2019 Do We Not Have Enough Spanish-Speaking Caseworkers?”
Lawmakers respond to DCFS’s repeated violations of a court order to provide Spanish-speaking services to Spanish-speaking families.
Tuberculosis. Chicken Pox. Traumatized: 5 Updates on Immigrant Youth Shelters in Illinois.
A growing number of children are arriving traumatized and sick after spending a week or longer in dirty and overcrowded U.S. Border Patrol facilities.
How Chicago, a Hospital and Private Companies Make Money Off the Poor
Three stories about debt, bankruptcy and the institutions that perpetuate them.
How to Clean Up the “Hot Mess” That Is Chicago’s Ticketing and Debt Collection Practices — According to a City Task Force
Here’s what the task force is recommending for initial reform.
Let’s Break Down Some Numbers in Illinois’ New Gambling Expansion Bill
Big numbers reflect big legislation — one that got pushed through at the last minute, with little debate or analysis.
Of Course This Happened in Illinois. Why Wouldn’t It?
Lawmakers are making money from video gambling operators. A vote on gambling expansion may happen Friday.
Losing Aldermanic Privilege, and How Unprepared Illinois Is for the Next Recession
Plus, an unsurprising we-told-you-so on Cook County property taxes, and a plea from Rockford.
Three Ways Chicago’s City Council Keeps Its Committees Out of the Public Eye
And has thwarted efforts to increase transparency, too.
We Stick With Our Stories Until We See Results
Think we’re done reporting on ticket debt, research violations at the University of Illinois at Chicago or issues at Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital? Think again.
Zero Tolerance: Inside the Secretive Network of Immigrant Youth Shelters in Illinois
Here is all of ProPublica Illinois’ local reporting on the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy.
Chicago in a Single Tweet, and News From Elections Around the State
Illinois has among the most racially diverse set of political leaders in the country.
