Big picture: At least half a dozen major media companies have stared down legal threats from President Trump this year. Some have chosen to fight, others have opted to fold. The BBC is signaling that it will fight. My analysis piece for CNN: www.cnn.com/2025/11/13/m...

Follow-up on Staunton restaurant owner Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval — His atty filed for a stay on his deportation Meanwhile, DHS launched a probe into one of Sen. Duckworth’s aides related to Ayuzo’s detainment from @bhundsdorfer.bsky.social w/ an assist from me illinoisanswers.org/2025/11/13/s...

illinoisanswers.org/2025/11/13/f... good work from @schuba.bsky.social and @peternickeas.bsky.social about the tear gas the feds knowingly unleashed on CPD

You probably saw videos of a nighttime raid in Chicago. Agents rappelling from a helicopter, bursting down doors, questioning brown-skinned immigrants. We investigated -- and found little evidence to support the government’s claims about Tren de Aragua. www.propublica.org/article/chic...

Today is @jayohday.bsky.social’s birthday, a milestone one. Two truths and a lie for the occasion: -She is an aspiring rapper -She ate 35 cheese curds at one sitting -She has posed as The Man of Steel while on assignment Which is the lie? Let Jay know what you think.

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...

Breaking: Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, express regret kansasreflector.com/2025/11/11/m...

On the road again

I could not be more proud to be a part of my team. Read this one, out today, from @meredithnewman.bsky.social

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...

“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...

Also it’s 40 degrees here in STL today (I know, Chicago, I know) and ugh and I don’t know how I am going to make it for four months until baseball again. Four months is so longgg

A man rushed to the Broadview ICE facility searching for his wife. They followed every legal step, but ICE took her into another room and she vanished. He tracked her phone there when the signal died. Police told him to “look up her name online.” He sat in the parking lot, weeping, with no answers.

Just bought my opening day tickets. So if anyone needs me for anything on March 26 — no you do not.

I know most of my followers probably know this, but just in context: A billion is a thousand million. A trillion is a thousand billion.

using qgis again

In case you missed it — ICE ramped up operations in downstate Illinois, last week, and @bhundsdorfer.bsky.social and I were in Clinton County when it happened

Sunset from the Metro East on the first day of CST Lights on the horizon from left to right: two combines, a coal train coming down the tracks from the west, and cars on IL-40

‘They are literally targeting people.’ ICE comes to southern Illinois By me and @bhundsdorfer.bsky.social for @illinoisanswers.bsky.social @capitolnewsil.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2025/10/31/i...

BREAKING NEWS: An Illinois jury on Wednesday convicted a former sheriff’s deputy of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 asking for help.

As transit funding hangs in the balance in veto session this week, @gracehauck.bsky.social and I have a pair of stories looking at the stakes for a part of the state that's gotten relatively little attention: the collar counties. t.co/oswatwJcdQ

What's the future of public transit in the Chicagoland area? Fledgling dial-a-ride networks are filling gaps in the collar counties, but they struggle to meet demand. w/ @alexnitkin.bsky.social @illinoisanswers.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2025/10/28/c...

So happy to see he's on the mend and that he will remain a Cardinal 🤗 thank you for the update @dgoold.bsky.social

Don't forget to pitch your ideas for #NICAR26 by 10/30, and start planning to join us in Indy next year! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Another day, another NextRequest account 🫠

Another day, another GovQA account 😵‍💫

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

There's already a cooperative effort — the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) — to help states share voter data. Goals include preventing illegal voting & duplicate registrations. Why, then, did Trump & his allies promote disinformation about ERIC? publicintegrity.org/politics/ele...

Especially if you can’t make it to IRE or NICAR, AccessFest is the online version of the best sessions from both. And for $50 — join us!

Signed up for @ire.org's AcessFest - attended for the first time last year, can't wait for this year's! Enjoyed all the opportunities to learn! #journalism #AccessFest2025

If you're a news organization in Illinois and you are looking to expand your partnerships, or learn more about how you can partner with @illinoisanswers.bsky.social, register for our "Investigate the State" conference on Sept. 18!

Haven’t been “on here” much but I have received two of these exact same texts. Like yeah, I’m sure low-key threatening voters will work!

chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog... Our latest about the cop who shot and killed his partner earlier this year allegedly attacking a female cop at a bar, leaving her with a split lip and stitches @peternickeas.bsky.social @schuba.bsky.social @illinoisanswers.bsky.social @chicago.suntimes.com

I would probably say the single most annoying thing about LLMs is that "okily-dokily doo, I goofed when I gave you that ludicrous answer, it's my bad that I said cheese comes from cats, I'll do better next time, would you like to know what sort of cat it comes from?" tone when it gets stuff wrong.

Decade-plus building slump limits Wichita housing choices This story was months in the making. I am so proud to be a partner of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, and glad I could help them gather and use data to help answer the "why?" here. Give it a read. klcjournal.com/decade-plus-...

My 1 year anniversary @illinoisanswers.bsky.social was this past week. The data points: - 1,171 miles driven reporting stories - 106 FOIA requests - 5 trips to the Metro East - 4 trips to Chicago - 3 trips to Southern Illinois - 3 stories published - 2 conferences attended 🚀 let's go, year 2

I am devastated, and that’s not being dramatic. For years, I’ve felt like my day doesn’t officially end until I see Colbert make his entrance on the stage.

After investigating the decades of sewage flooding in Cahokia Heights, state investigative reporter @jayohday.bsky.social is back w/ a look into sewage flooding in Carterville & why a new wastewater treatment plant approved years ago still hasn't been built. illinoisanswers.org/2025/07/15/a...

A New Wastewater Plant in Carterville Could Stop Sewage Overflows — Why Hasn’t Construction Started Yet? My latest illinoisanswers.org/2025/07/15/a...

Two years sober today. Humbled and grateful, one day at a time. Posting here for anyone else who needs to be a little less alone this morning.

@jayohday.bsky.social with @illinoisanswers.bsky.social discusses her investigation of southern Illinois's sewage overflow problem.

From today's 21st Show, @jayohday.bsky.social joins us to talk about why some Southern Illinois communities are dealing with ongoing sewage flooding issues, and how that's affecting the people who live there.

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

Cahokia Heights has been in the news before. The residents there have dealt with sewage flooding their homes for *decades*. But the flooding continues. @jayohday.bsky.social explores what's been done to fix it & why it's still happening throughout S. Illinois. illinoisanswers.org/2025/06/17/w...

Happening now in studio 4!

My good friend @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social dropping wisdom on covering rural communities — “news deserts are terrible, but they’re also an opportunity for us to provide intentional, thoughtful coverage”

Come see me at #IRE25! All sessions are tomorrow, Friday, 6/20 — Web scraping with Python, 10:15, studio 7 Coaching for @fishnette.bsky.social’s 11:30 Python for data analysis, studio 7

I've spoken at around two dozen @ire.org conferences. This is my latest, and first time I'm addressing this topic.

Coming to #IRE25? Been through a layoff? Come chat w/ me, @watchdogdiva.bsky.social, and @jdsalant.bsky.social at 2:30 on Friday for an off-the-record (will not be recorded) open mic about layoffs and life after layoff. Whether you need guidance or have guidance to give, we hope to see you. @ire.org