Charles N. Wheeler III
AnalystThe former director of the Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) graduate program is Professor Charles N. Wheeler III, a veteran newsman who came to the University of Illinois at Springfield following a 24-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Wheeler covered state government and politics for the Sun-Times since 1970, when he covered the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention. For the last 19 years of his Sun-Times tenure, Wheeler was assigned to the newspaper’s Statehouse bureau. During that time, he was elected to 16 consecutive one-year terms as president of the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association and served for many years on the PAR program and admissions committees.
Since 1984, he has written a monthly column for Illinois Issues magazine, which has won five Capitolbeat awards for magazine commentary/analysis. In 2006, the Illinois Associated Press Editors Association inducted him into The Lincoln League of Journalists, which honors men and women who have provided exemplary service to other journalists and to daily newspapers published in Illinois. In 2013, he was chosen as the Journalist of the Year by the Journalism Department at Eastern Illinois University. He is also a regular on the panel for State Week, WUIS' weekly political analysis program that airs on public radio stations across Illinois.
Before joining the Sun-Times in 1969, Wheeler served more than three years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Panama. He is a graduate of St. Mary’s University, Winona, MN, majoring in English, and received a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Wheeler draws on the talents of many UIS faculty with expertise in such fields as public budgeting, political science, and communication, as well as professional journalists and state officials, to present students with a well-rounded program to bridge the academic and professional areas.
-
The governor spoke at an event, saying "Illinois is back" and his administration is bringing jobs to the state. But how much credit does he deserve? -
Despite audit findings that raise concerns, there are questions about oversight and which agency can bring about change.
-
Gov. Pritzker this week announced an additional $160 million in state spending on the migrant crisis.
-
Illinois lawmakers have left the statehouse and won't return until January. What did they do and what did they leave on the table?
-
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's profile has been on the rise in Democratic circles as he has been able to move his progressive agenda in Illinois.
-
The Illinois House approved the plan, but it faces a less certain future in the Senate.
-
The program sunsets at the end of 2023.
-
Amid speculation the state could come up with more money to help Chicago, the Illinois House Speaker this week said there is no plan to approve a supplemental budget during the upcoming fall session.
-
The arrival of asylum seekers has ramped up in the city. Gov. JB Pritzker called the situation "untenable."
-
The state is still six months away from the presidential primary. We also discuss new rules for those wanting to keep assault weapons in Illinois and a step forward for legislative staff seeking to unionize.
