Daisy Contreras

It was a good day to be a Democrat in Illinois as Governor J.B. Pritzker was sworn in on Monday along with a diverse group of statewide office holders. In his inaugural speech, Pritzker set the stage for an ambitious progressive agenda in the upcoming legislative session. But, the Democratic governor along with a Democratic majority in the General Assembly have their work cut out for them.

A new General Assembly sworn in on the eve of a new Governor and administration.   Tina Sfondeles of the Chicago Sun-Times joins the panel.

Outgoing Republican Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti will pass on the baton to Juliana Stratton next week, when a new administration is sworn in.

But before that, we sat down with Sanguinetti to talk about her upbringings with immigrant parents--a Cuban mother and Ecuadorian father, her influence on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s policies and what it has meant to be the first Latina lieutenant governor in the country.​

Interview Highlights

On her influence on Rauner and the policies he pursued:

On his way out of office, Gov. Bruce Rauner is offering a few pointers to the Illinois Republican Party. He also touts what he views as the main achievements of his administration. 

Chicago Ald. Ed Burke is accused of using his position to steer business to his law firm. The city's longest-serving alderman has ties across government in Illinois and the city — will there be other shoes to drop?

The Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield remains closed to the public as the partial federal government shutdown nears its second full week. There are two sites in Illinois affected by the closures -- the other is the Pullman National Monument in Chicago. The National Park Service runs both.  

A look back at the top stories in Illinois politics and government over the past year.

Hundreds of kids and teenagers are suing the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. This comes after an investigation by ProPublica Illinois found children are being kept in psychiatric hospitals longer than medically necessary.

After years of effort, a bipartisan coalition passed criminal justice reform legislation in Congress this week. Turns out the relationship between Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and presidential adviser/son-in-law Jared Kushner played a role in keeping the legislation on track.

The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission has selected a new inspector general – to investigate misconduct and harassment within the Statehouse

Two small towns in rural Illinois recently lost their Walmart stores -- more than three decades after the retail giant came in and pushed out mom and pop shops. Now, the communities have lost convenience as well as major property and sales tax revenue. Some see it as an opportunity to revitalize main street, while others are not so optimistic.

Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker announced his ninth and tenth transition committees this week, including one on business issues and economic development. He also reiterated his committment to raising Illinois' hourly minimum wage to $15.

A group of  Springfield Dominican Sisters traveled to El Paso, Texas to volunteer at a Catholic shelter for asylum seekers. The shelter -- called Annunciation House -- receives migrants and their families after they've been released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officials. 

The Illinois General Assembly rolled over Gov. Bruce Rauner in the first week of veto session, voting to override his vetos of more than three-dozen bills. But that's only half the game.

When lawmakers return for week two of veto session, the House and Senate will swap bills to complete the override process — will the governor fare any better then?

The Illinois legislature is considering whether to restrict the use of a cancer-causing gas, currently in use by several Chicago-area facilities.

The foundation set up to support Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum has been struggling with debt. Tuesday, officials from the group asked Illinois lawmakers for help.  

Under the Donald Trump administration, rules for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers are constantly changing.  A Chicago story-telling nonprofit, 90 Days, 90 Voices, aims to dispel some of the misconceptions about asylum seekers through photo essays, oral histories and graphic novels. 

Democrats dominated in Illinois Tuesday night — easily taking all statewide races on the ballot.  

In the final days of the 2018 elections, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic nominee J.B. Pritzker are making their closing arguments.

National politicians like President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden were also in Illinois in the last week, mostly to stump for Congressional candidates as Democrats and Republicans vie for control of the U.S. House.

Illinois farmers grow a lot of corn and soybeans.  But the state leads the nation when it comes to growing pumpkins. Despite unusually heavy rains and dry, hot days during the growing season, it’s turning out to be a good year for the crop.   

Gov. Bruce Rauner gained attention — and generated outrage in some quarters — for an ad that used both profanity and a mock same-sex marriage to attack his Democratic opponent, J.B. Pritzker. Plus an update on the state of the race heading into the final week of campaigning.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s handling of a Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak at a veteran’s home has become a campaign issue. But a national prevention group says the topic should not be politicized. 

It's been one year since the #MeToo movement led to a letter about sexual harassment and misogyny within state government being circulated and signed by about 200 people who work within it. Like many public sectors, this was one with problems that had yet to be adequately reckoned with.

In the late 1980s, coal tar dust left behind by an abandoned gas plant was exposed in the central Illinois town of Taylorville. Several children were soon diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a rare form of childhood cancer. Bill Clutter, a private investigator from Springfield, helped a group of mothers take the cases to court.

Illinois lawmakers are trying to gauge whether legalizing sports betting could help the state earn some much-needed revenue.  Experts say the plan has long-term benefits, but only if it’s done right.