Peter Hancock
Reporter | Capitol News IllinoisPeter Hancock joined the Capitol News Illinois team as a reporter in January 2019.
Before that, Hancock covered Kansas state government for much of the past two decades. For the previous 4 years, Hancock had been the statehouse reporter for the Lawrence Journal-World. He provided year-round daily coverage of the Kansas Statehouse, state government, appellate courts, elections and Kansas’ congressional delegation. He previously worked for 8 years as a statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, and with the Kansas Health Policy Authority and the Kansas Education Policy Report.
“As a longtime veteran of statehouse reporting in Kansas, I know how challenging it is for individual newspapers to make that kind of commitment,” Hancock said. “Capitol News Illinois offers a unique opportunity for newspapers throughout the state to pool their resources and enable a small team of reporters to deliver critical news and information about state government to communities throughout the state.
“ I covered state politics and government in Kansas for the better part of the past 20 years, working in both print and broadcast journalism. I graduated from the University of Kansas with bachelor’s degrees in political science and secondary education. Although I was born and raised in the Kansas City area, I have deep family roots in central and southern Illinois, and so coming to Springfield is a bit like coming back home.”
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Currently, eight states across the United States and Washington, D.C. operate elections almost entirely by mail. -
As the cost of higher education continues to rise in Illinois and elsewhere, a growing number of students are working to earn as many college credits as possible while they are still in high school. -
A group of Illinois voters filed a joint objection to Trump’s candidacy, arguing that the former president should be disqualified under the Constitution's 14th Amendment. It prohibits anyone who took part in an insurrection against the United States from holding federal office. -
More than 300 Illinois far-ranging statutes will become laws in the new year, including prohibitions on book bans and enshrining the right to sue for "deepfake porn." -
The case involved a 14-year-old Chicago boy, who was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 2020 while riding his bicycle on a public street. He suffered injuries to his right arm, shoulder and thigh that required medical attention. -
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the goal is to send free books to all children, ages 0-5, across Illinois. -
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy V. Cunningham wrote the unanimous opinion that found the Illinois State Police can deny records requests for details about Firearm Owner’s Identification Cards, even if the requester is seeking their own records. -
The lawsuit filed in Chicago claims new requirements are overly burdensome, preempted by federal law. -
Illinois advocates have continued calls to speed up contributions to new Illinois schools funding formula. -
Decades after his conviction, one Illinois man says limits on where he can live serve no valid purpose. -
This year's Illinois veto session adjourns without renewing the state's Invest in Kids Act. -
Officials at the Illinois State Police said they are working to finalize rules for registering assault weapons and other items that are now tightly regulated under the state’s new assault weapons ban as a Jan. 1 compliance deadline approaches.
