Pritzker’s Daily COVID-19 Briefing Full Transcript And Audio — Jan. 15, 2021

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Dr. Ngozi Ezike held a COVID-19 press briefing today as cases and hospitalizations in Illinois reach record highs. Read and listen to the latest update from the governor’s office on new cases, phased re-opening and closings of different regions and the state’s ongoing pandemic response. You can watch the most recent […]
Welch Sworn In As House Speaker, Ending Madigan’s Decades-Long Hold On Illinois Politics

SPRINGFIELD – Former House Speaker Mike Madigan is now merely State Rep. Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) for the first time in nearly four decades as the embattled Democratic leader passed the gavel on to new Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) Wednesday. Welch becomes Illinois’ first Black House speaker — a milestone celebrated by groups statewide in […]
Welch Becomes Illinois’ First Black Speaker Of The House

SPRINGFIELD — Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, will be the next speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives after days of closed-door meetings with fellow Democrats. Michael Madigan, who has been speaker for all but two years since 1983, issued a statement congratulating Welch as “speaker-elect” minutes before lawmakers were set to make the vote […]
Black Caucus Puts Welch Forth As Speaker Candidate

One day after state House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, announced a suspension – but not a withdrawal – of his campaign for another term as…
GOP: Madigan’s Suspended Campaign ‘Historic;’ Unsure If His Reign Is Over

In what could become one of the biggest shifts of political power in Illinois in decades, Mike Madigan announced Monday he’s suspending his campaign for…
Madigan Comes Up Short In First Caucus Vote For Speaker — But So Does Everyone Else
Embattled House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) is facing down what could be his final two days as Speaker of the Illinois House — a title he’s held…
Veto Session Canceled As Attention Again Turns To Madigan

Citing a sharp uptick in Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across Illinois, Democratic leaders of the Illinois General Assembly canceled their…
Fellow Democrat To Challenge Madigan As Speaker; House GOP Pushes For Subpoenas

The longest-serving state legislative speaker in U.S. history will have a challenger from his own party in January. The Thursday announcement that Rep….