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.
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Tim Mapes was found guilty last year of lying to a grand jury investigating Michael Madigan and others.
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While Illinois election officials decided against an effort to remove the former president based on the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, he faces other legal challenges.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson continue to spar over efforts to find housing for migrants who have arrived in Illinois.
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Temperatures are forecast to dip below zero through early in the week.
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It was a tumultuous year in Illinois government and politics. The state also repeatedly made national headlines.
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Former longtime Chicago Alderman Ed Burke was convicted this week on charges that included racketeering and attempted extortion. It's the latest in a string of convictions in Illinois' long history with public corruption.
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Illinois' attorney general this week agreed to drop enforcement of a new law that targeted what are often called crisis pregnancy centers.
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There is more focus on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and his working relationship with Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
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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?
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Despite audit findings that raise concerns, there are questions about oversight and which agency can bring about change.