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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The high court is already set to consider several gun-related cases this term. The U.S. Supreme Court had also declined to issue an injunction on Illinois' ban back in May 2023. -
The 2-1 ruling sets up a likely appeal to U.S. Supreme Court. -
Elementary and secondary students in Illinois showed consistent improvements in their reading and math scores while the state’s high school graduation rate reached a 13-year high for the most recently concluded school year. -
The newly-formed Illinois agency would coordinate child care, preschool and early intervention across 102 counties. -
Illinois' veto session runs from Oct. 24 to 26 and Nov. 7 to 9 in Springfield. Lawmakers will have a full agenda, including a handful of vetoes from Gov. J.B. Pritzker. -
The law enforcement agency agreed to further hearings at request of state rulemaking committee. -
Teaching shortages — including certain specialities — still exist in select regions across Illinois after the height of the coronavirus pandemic. -
The Safe Patients Limit Act would cap the number of patients per registered nurse in Illinois. -
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillsdale, says he hopes to pass the bill in the upcoming veto session. -
The Illinois Department of Family and Human Services says it’s not ready to implement cost-saving measure implemented by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration.
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There were 72 successful petitions to organize labor unions in Illinois last year, which represent 9,600 new unionized workers — the highest single-year numbers at any point in the last decade. -
The long-delayed project at Illinois' southern tip is now moving forward under new leadership.
