Springfield News


  • DEC 11, 2019
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    ‘There were a lot of cons to settling this case’: Behind the scenes with Alaina Hampton’s lawyer on the case that rocked Illinois politics

    In an alternate timeline, former 13th Ward Democratic Organization employee Alaina Hampton would be gearing up for depositions this month, as would the Democratic heavy hitters she sued in her March 2018 lawsuit claiming retaliation for reporting sexual harassment from former senior colleague Kevin Quinn.

    But Hampton settled the case with the four campaign organizations controlled by House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) late last month, the news breaking late on Friday evening the day after Thanksgiving. Hampton won $275,000 in the settlement, though she only will pocket $75,000, the rest going to attorney’s fees. 

    Hampton’s lead attorney, Shelly Kulwin of Chicago-based litigation firm Kulwin, Masciopinto & Kulwin LLP, sat down with The Daily Line recently to talk about Hampton’s case now that it’s settled, and what lessons can be learned from the experience. 

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  • DEC 10, 2019
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    Petition objections fly while Villanueva files for Sandoval's seat

    Flanked by her parents, Celina Villanueva takes the oath of office to represent the 21st District in the Illinois House. [Heather Cherone/The Daily Line]
    One week after candidates for legislative and judicial office in Illinois filed petitions to get on the March 17 primary ballot, the door has closed on another time-honored tradition: petition signature challenges. 

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  • DEC 10, 2019
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    DCFS issues new guidelines for restraint use on foster kids during transport

    The Department of Children and Family Services on Monday published new guidelines for transporting foster children while using soft restraints, and clarifying that the department does not allow the use of shackles or handcuffs on youth in care.

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  • DEC 09, 2019
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    Feds indict state prison guards for assaulting inmate before he died and covering it up

    Three Illinois Department of Corrections employees have been indicted for assaulting a prisoner so badly he later died from his injuries, and conspiring to cover up the assault, according to federal court records filed late last week.

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  • DEC 06, 2019
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    FOID card law’s age saves it from constitutional challenge: Appeals court



    A state appellate court this week ruled that the saving grace for Illinois’ Firearm Owners Identification card law was the fact that it’s been in place for 51 years — and any ruling finding it unconstitutional would upset the status quo.

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  • DEC 04, 2019
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    As adult redeploy program grows, recidivism holds steady

    Illinois Criminal Justice Authority


    In the first eight years of an Illinois program designed to help non-violent criminal offenders to get jobs and receive other help instead of going to or staying in prison, Adult Redeploy Illinois has helped 4,800 people stay out prison, according to a new report on the program’s effectiveness.

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  • DEC 04, 2019
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    State pension systems’ unfunded liabilities ballooned to $137.3B in 2019: COGFA

    The combined unfunded liabilities for Illinois’ five state-level pension systems rose to $137.3 billion at the end of the 2019 fiscal year in June, according to a new report from the Commission for Government Forecasting and Accountability.

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  • The Daily Line Reporting Team
    DEC 03, 2019
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    137K new Illinois voters automatically registered in past year as delays continue

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    Illinois has automatically registered 136,512 new voters and updated information for 548,644 in the past year, according to a new report from the Illinois State Board of Elections on the status of automatic voter registration — a law signed in 2017, but delayed by old technology and other obstacles.

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  • DEC 02, 2019
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    Pritzker appointee diversity check-in: Half female and 40 percent minorities

    In his first 11 months in office, Gov. JB Pritzker has made 324 appointments to key posts within his administration and to state boards and commissions — a diverse group that’s 50 percent female and approximately 40 percent people of color.

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  • NOV 27, 2019
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    State EPA lacks manpower to protect environment: report

    Bubbly Creek. [USGS Illinois Water Science Center]
    The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s staff has been cut nearly in half since 2003 and those who remain can’t keep up with the workload, according to a new report published Thursday by two former agency directors and researchers from the University of Chicago Law School. 

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