Alex Degman
Alex Degman covers Illinois state government for Illinois Public Radio and WBEZ.
Degman (which is actually what most people call him instead of ‘Alex’) reported from Springfield professionally from 2011 to 2015, preceded by Tri States Public Radio in Macomb (2009-2011) and followed by KMOX in St. Louis (2015-2022). Even in those non statehouse specific roles, he became a go to person for many things Illinois state government related.
Degman is a native of north suburban Northbrook and graduated from Glenbrook North High School in 2004, that’s where he caught the radio bug that never really went away. He graduated from Western Illinois University in 2008, which is where he caught the news bug that didn’t go away. Degman got his Master of Arts in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield in 2009, where he caught the “reporting on Illinois public policy bug” that… well, you know.
Outside of work, Degman enjoys slowly working on the 1864 Lincoln-era home he purchased in Springfield’s Enos Park neighborhood (no, there aren’t ghosts that knew President Lincoln, much to his disappointment), attempting to cook, exploring local places to support and raising Louie, a black lab mix that is a handful and a half. Louie formed Degman’s unintentional tradition of naming his black labs after Venezuelan White Sox players: Louie is named after Luis Aparicio, the late Ozzie was named after Ozzie Guillen.
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The community of Highland Park will hold a ceremony and community walk in honor of the seven people killed last year during a shooting at a July Fourth parade.
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Nancy Rotering plans to continue her anti-gun activism, noting the ongoing gun threat is "pervasive" and "harming us as a society." -
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a measure that will withhold state funds from libraries that ban books. The move sparked a lot of questions.
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In Illinois, there's now a ban on banning books. Schools or libraries that do so could end up losing state funds.
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Citing a “vitriolic strain of white nationalism,” Gov. JB Pritzker signed the measure withholding state grant money from libraries if they ban books.
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It took more than a week longer than expected, but Illinois lawmakers wrapped up their spring legislative session early Saturday with a budget and hundreds of measures that passed. The spending plan and bills now go to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
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Chicago's next mayor spoke to lawmakers at the Illinois statehouse.
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This week, Gov. JB Pritzker announced the COVID-19 public health emergency will officially end May 11, the same day a national proclamation will expire. Our panel provides some context to the historic decision.
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In 2023 Illinois lawmakers will push to pass a ban on assault weapons, months after the Highland Park parade shooting left seven dead and more injured.
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The changes were approved along party lines, as only Democrats offered support. Republicans argued the effort failed to fully address problems with the original law.
