Supreme Court draws line at 40 years for juvenile sentences

By Hannah Meisel  - April 19, 2019

In a landmark decision Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court set a bright line for juvenile prison sentences at 40 years and ordered the re-sentencing of Dmitri Buffer, who is currently serving a 50-year term for a murder he committed when

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State’s high court strikes double jeopardy defense for alleged child sexual abuser

By Hannah Meisel  - April 19, 2019

The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday ruled a Wonder Lake man accused of repeatedly touching a 9-year-old girl’s vagina when he babysat her could not avoid a retrial after a jury deadlocked — even though he had claimed it was

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‘You need boots on the ground’: senators question efficacy of violence-prevention programs

By Hannah Meisel  - April 18, 2019

Lawmakers peppered the state agency that administers violence-prevention grants to community organizations with tough questions after 24 people were shot, three fatally, on one of the first warm weekends of the summer. Many worry the uptick in violence signals a

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Pritzker’s campaign committee still spending, while Rauner closes up shop

By Hannah Meisel  - April 17, 2019

As Mayor Rahm Emanuel pointed out Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker has been in office for nearly 100 days. But Pritzker’s campaign committee kept on spending during the first quarter of 2019, according to the most recent report filed by JB

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Morning briefing — Conservative group’s rating of Illinois lawmakers falls; Chicago DSA backs abortion bills

By Hannah Meisel and Heather Cherone  - April 17, 2019

The American Conservative Union Foundation on Tuesday rated the General Assembly’s as being much less conservative in 2018 as compared with 2017, according to the group’s annual scorecard out this week, while the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of

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Mendoza blasts sentence in hit-and-run case she caught on video

By Heather Cherone  - April 16, 2019

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza Monday blasted State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office for allowing a man she caught barreling through a red light and smashing into four parked cars before fleeing the scene to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge and

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Pritzker repaid owed property taxes from toilet scheme: inspector general

By A.D. Quig  - April 16, 2019

Gov. JB Pritzker repaid — as promised — the $330,000 property tax break he got in part by disabling the toilets in a Gold Coast mansion he owns, a move the Cook County’s Independent Inspector General concluded was part of a

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Debate over outcomes — or consequences — of graduated tax takes center stage

By Hannah Meisel  - April 16, 2019

Fresh off weeks of consistent action in Springfield — most of which has been colored by the debate over a proposed graduated income tax — a bipartisan foursome of lawmakers took the issue to the City Club of Chicago Monday

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Black Caucus lines up against bill business claims is ‘forced unionization’

By Hannah Meisel  - April 15, 2019

Members of the Senate Black Caucus are fighting a bill that would force private firms to pay their workers the prevailing wage in an area — a move the business community claims is tantamount to “forced unionization” — at least

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Progressive Caucus scores easy victories during 1st session

By Heather Cherone  - April 12, 2019

Six of the 10 marquee bills the House Progressive Caucus announced it would push during the spring legislative session have passed the House as of Thursday — several by wide margins — and will advance to the Senate.