Mike Simmons made headlines for his upset appointment over Rep. Kelly Cassidy. Lost in the scuttlebutt: Springfield's never seen anything like him before. Read more
Ousting him as House speaker is just the beginning of the party's renovation. Next up: ditching him and his outdated tactics from the chairmanship. Read more
More people left our state than any other in the 2010s. Part of the problem: Unlike elsewhere, there's been no urban growth to offset rural decline. Read more
Two weeks into a new term, State Sen. Heather Steans is retiring, leaving political allies to pick her replacement. On the Far North Side, that’s simply how it’s done. Read more
The Netflix adaptation (and August Wilson's original play) track Rainey's abuse at the hands of a white recording industry. But there was also a go-between: J. Mayo Williams, a Chicago talent scout and Paramount's first Black A&R rep. Read more
Only two of our 17 representatives voted against confirming Biden’s electoral votes, but the move sent shockwaves through the state congressional delegation — and its GOP. Read more
For years, Scott Simkus and his pals dug through old newspapers looking for long-lost Negro League box scores. Now, the MLB is adopting their research. Read more
