@maggiedough.bsky.social and I sat down with more than a dozen compulsive gamblers in recovery about let them speak at length about their own lives. It is at turns sad, frightening, infuriating, occasionally funny and painfully human 🧵 illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/24/w...

One of my favorite packages @illinoisanswers.bsky.social has published this year.

"Post-pandemic, a new openness to accommodating family needs has made it possible for more mothers and fathers to balance work and parenting — particularly mothers of young children." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/u...

"The sheer logistical and financial madness of raising children in America is now officially a matter of political concern." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/m...

Early Intervention therapies help kids — but Illinois pays providers less than other states, stalling access by @meredithnewman.bsky.social and Madison Hopkins for @illinoisanswers.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/04/e...

Prison or treatment? Thousands participate in mental health courts. Half graduate — and millions are left out. w/ Josh McGhee @mindsitenews.bsky.social and @drewjayadams.bsky.social @illinoisanswers.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2026/04/27/m...

Video released in the shooting death of Ofc Krystal Rivera from last summer. Been going through material, this story has been / will continue to be updated. illinoisanswers.org/2026/04/17/o...

Almost two years ago now, we wrote about a man with mental illness who was restrained in a chair for 3 days in an Illinois county jail. Now, he has received a settlement in his civil rights case. @illinoisanswers.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2026/04/07/t...

🚨 @illinoisanswers.bsky.social and @chicago.suntimes.com won a court case to release the records including body cam footage of last summer's fatal police shooting of Ofc. Krystal Rivera by her partner, Ofc. Carlos Baker.

An off-duty suburban cop crashed his car with his kids inside, fled home and held police at bay for four hours while armed, police records show. The standoff ended with a hug — and no charges that day. https://bit.ly/4c0pGYQ

The mother of Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday in which she says her daughter’s partner Carlos Baker was struggling to accept her decision to end their romantic relationship when he fatally shot her during a foot chase on June 5. tinyurl.com/5krk79br

Today: - @meredithnewman.bsky.social with @illinoisanswers.bsky.social, on why defendants declared unfit for trial in criminal cases sometimes spend months waiting for a state hospital bed. -Plus, 50 years of Illinois Times in Springfield. It's all at 11: will.illinois.edu/am/willplayer

"Almost every sheriff in Illinois, if I had to guess ... they will say jails are not mental health hospitals, we can't care for them in the way that they need to be." @meredithnewman.bsky.social shares her @illinoisanswers.bsky.social reporting on @21st.show.

“These are due process violations,” Nevdal said in court. “This is an equal protection issue.” A must-read today from @meredithnewman.bsky.social @illinoisanswers.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2025/11/11/t...

Important story from @meredithnewman.bsky.social on a symptom of the state's eroding public health infrastructure: mentally ill defendants spiraling in jail for months while they wait for psychiatric beds — sometimes with fatal consequences illinoisanswers.org/2025/11/11/t...

Illinois defendants who have been found unfit for trial – and are in need of inpatient fitness restoration – are waiting nearly twice as long for a state hospital bed as they did five years ago. My latest for @illinoisanswers.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2025/11/11/t...

Join us for Investigate the State, a virtual conference bringing together news leaders across the Midwest to discuss, share strategies and forge partnerships to bolster Investigative journalism in every community. Learn more and register here: illinoisanswers.org/event/invest...

The officer who authorities say accidentally shot + killed his partner had accrued more than a dozen misconduct allegations against him during his 3.5 years as a PO. Five were during his probation period, when CPD could have summarily fired him. Unclear how he ended up on a tac team. #chicago

Peep my girl @meredithnewman.bsky.social breaking down the strict eligibility requirements locking over 100,000 families out of the state's largest subsidy on @wbez.org 's Reset. Then read our investigation at makingitinchicago.illinoisanswers.org www.wbez.org/reset-with-s...

As part of @IllinoisAnswers' series "Making it in Chicago," @_MJHopkins and I investigated the cost of child care in Cook County. We found the state's largest child care subsidy doesn’t provide enough relief for many families and providers. illinoisanswers.org/2025/05/27/w...

Upward mobility is increasingly out of reach for many Chicagoans as the cost of living skyrockets. We investigated the barriers that stand in the way of getting ahead in Chicago and explored some of the efforts to mitigate them. Read the series here: makingitinchicago.illinoisanswers.org

📣 Meet the 2025 Livingston Awards Finalists for Local Reporting! 📣 These outstanding young journalists are shining a light on critical local issues—and shaping the future of news. 👏 Congratulations to all these finalists! Read their work: loom.ly/LAVASEQ #livingstonawards #uofm