Capitol News Illinois’ year in photos

While a new General Assembly was sworn into office in Springfield, January’s headlines were dominated by the trial of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan. He shocked observers when he took the witness stand in his own defense before the trial that began in October went to the jury.

The General Assembly approved a transfer of state land to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill phasing out the subminimum wage for disabled workers. In partnership with ProPublica, we also published a deep dive into the cost of providing child care in Illinois.

Corruption didn’t stray far from the headlines in February either, as Trump pardoned disgraced former Gov. Blagojevich. Just days later, Madigan was found guilty of corruption. The jury deadlocked when determining whether to convict his confidant, Mike McClain, as a co-conspirator.

In other news, Pritzker named a new Illinois Department of Transportation leader and gave his budget address amid a tightening fiscal landscape and a new administration in Washington. Warnings of a mass transit “fiscal cliff” continued to grow.

Many stories in March focused on the state’s reaction to a whirlwind of cuts and policy changes from Washington. Attorney General Kwame Raoul continued his court challenges to some of those cuts, while Democrats sought to launch a resistance campaign.

Energy price spikes and related legislation made the news, a judge granted a partial retrial for the ComEd 4, and Illinois’ current flag showed that it had staying power by winning a redesign contest. Pritzker also signed the bill allowing the Potawatomi to reclaim tribal land in DeKalb County.

Amid the seismic foreign policy changes in Washington, Pritzker went on a trade mission to Mexico and signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Kingdom. Alleged corruption remained in the news, with Sen. Emil Jones III’s red-light camera-related trial beginning 2 ½ years after he was indicted. The jury deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced his planned retirement in 2026, setting off a scramble among Democrats to succeed him as the party’s nominee as Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton entered the race. The Saluki Local Reporting Lab and our contributor from the University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Reporting program teamed up for a story on the U.S. government’s stunning revocation of student visas.

Republican George Ryan became the first of two former Illinois governors to die in 2025. Two U.S. representatives — Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly — announced their candidacies to succeed Durbin, and a son of Chicago became the first American Pope. Capitol News Illinois reporters were recognized for several prestigious awards.

In the annual May legislative sprint, lawmakers approved a $55 billion budget, but not before House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch expelled a member of his caucus for having his own budget discussions. Capitol News Illinois dug deep on Native American influence in Springfield, and ex-Gov. Jim Edgar was honored with a plaque at the Illinois State Library, four months before his death.

Illinois also continued its resistance to and lawsuits against Trump administration policies. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made an Illinois appearance to talk about immigration policies, foreshadowing the federal government’s immigration blitz that would follow months later.

The legislative session trickled into the earliest hours of June, and we recapped scaled-back Medicaid legislation and the failure of transit and energy reformds that would become major storylines for the rest of the year. The feds sought to retry Emil Jones III, and Pritzker went to Congress to testify on immigration in a partisan hearing.

Madigan, meanwhile, was sentenced to 7 ½ years in prison for his bribery conviction. Illinois continued its quantum computing push, and Pritzker announced he’d seek a rare third term as Illinois governor. The Medill Illinois News Bureau took a look at tourism in southern Illinois.

Pritzker chose Christian Mitchell as his running mate and they made their first public appearance together in Chicago. Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced she would step down after her term, setting up another frenzy to replace her.

Illinois’ quantum push continued with a new tenant, members of the ComEd 4 were sentenced, Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” became a major issue in the U.S. Senate race, and the state and federal government began sparring over access to voter rolls.

August began with good news: Wrigley Field will host the 2027 MLB All Star Game, provided the season is not canceled over labor disputes. The state’s lawsuits against the Trump administration continued, while “redistricting” reentered the collective vocabulary five years earlier than expected due to Trump’s push to tilt the congressional scales in favor of Republicans. Texas Democrats fled to Illinois amid that state’s remap push. Pritzker signed a bill honoring Sonya Massey, who was slain by a Sangamon County deputy.

August also means State Fair time, including the Butter Cow and political days. The Democrats hosted U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, while Republicans welcomed a Fox News contributor and a leader of the Texas Republican Party.

Trump also threated to send federal troops to Illinois, prompting a rebuke from state political and business leaders and foreshadowing months of court fights. The Trump administration also continued to threaten Illinois’ federal funding and to fight with the state over voter data.

In a collaboration with Illinois Answers Project, we also published a 10-year look back at the damage caused by Illinois’ budget impasse between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats in the General Assembly.

The state continued to refuse the federal government’s demand for sensitive voter data, and a key architect of energy policy in Illinois announced his plans to retire amid negotiations on a major policy bill.

Darren Bailey announced he’d make another run at the governor’s office, while conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski also made his official announcement.  We remembered former Gov. Jim Edgar, who died at age 79 after receiving a cancer diagnosis months earlier, and he lay in state on the Capitol rotunda.

“Operation Midway Blitz” entered the lexicon as the federal government began aggressive immigration enforcement and crowd control tactics that would dominate headlines for months. The state also continued its legal fights against Trump and considered its own vaccine guidelines, rebuking the feds. The governor directed agencies to limit spending in response to federal cutbacks and tariffs.

Our team also examined federal farm policies and the nation’s northernmost rice farmer, and leaders broke ground at the state’s futuristic quantum computing park.

With a busy, all-night veto session, the ramp-up of Midway Blitz, Madigan’s sentencing to 7 ½ years in prison, and Sean Grayson’s second-degree murder conviction, October became potentially the busiest month in Capitol News Illinois’ history.

The month began with the feds pausing billions in Illinois infrastructure projects, then announcing plans to mobilize the National Guard to Illinois, with Trump stating that Pritzker “should be in jail.” Journalists and protestors sued the government over its aggressive crowd control tactics and the state sued to block the National Guard deployment amid mounting judicial scrutiny of the Trump administration. Democratic officeholders and candidates who would come to be known as the “Broadview Six” were indicted for allegedly “impeding” federal agents, and the Department of Justice said it was scrutinizing a state representative’s disclosures of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity to constituents.

Those aggressive tactics sparked “No Kings” rallies throughout Illinois and the U.S., while Pritzker created an independent commission to document alleged abuses. We also reported on ICE ramping up activity downstate.

As for the veto session, lawmakers passed a $1.5 billion transit funding plan, protections for people subject to civil immigration arrests in or near courthouses, and a major energy reform. U.S House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stopped in Illinois again to encourage lawmakers to redraw congressional district lines.

Candidates, meanwhile, filed petitions to run for office as the GOP field added another monied candidate in gambling magnate Rick Heidner, and Darren Bailey faced a family tragedy.

Another lawsuit alleged ICE was operating a “black box” facility in Broadview with inhumane conditions, while we reported on the rare occasion of a statewide office, that of treasurer on the GOP side, having no major-party candidates to file for the primary.

Illinois approved a bill officially allowing state-specific vaccine guidelines as the federal government shifted its positions on immunizations. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin voted to end a federal government shutdown, U.S. Sen Tammy Duckworth dismissed a staffer for allegedly lying on federal forms in relation to an immigrant’s detention, and the “Broadview Six” pleaded not guilty.

The governor visited the Pope in Rome, Illinois drivers licenses became available via Apple Wallet, and state university enrollment grew to a 10-year high. Lawsuits against the federal government continued.

Things slowed down in December with the feds having left Illinois for immigration enforcement in warmer climates. But a federal government lawyer said it was “wrong to allege” enforcement activity had concluded in Illinois for good. By mid-month, Chicago outlets reported Bovino was back. The state commission focused on compiling an official public record of misconduct by federal agents met for the first time.

The governor signed the state-specific vaccine guideline bill, a measure enacting immigrant protections near courthouses, the major transit bill and controversial “medical aid in dying” legislation. Illinois’ Democratic U.S. Senate candidates unveiled their economic plans, and the state unveiled its plans to celebrate America’s 250^th birthday.

Sen. Emil Jones reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the feds that will likely lead to him avoiding a corruption conviction, while the state heard warnings of energy shortfalls and the Department of Justice sued Illinois for voter data. The U.S. Supreme Court effectively prevented the federal government from using federalized troops in Chicago pending an ongoing legal challenge.