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 Connecticut-based National Shooting Sports Foundation filed the suit in federal court in East St. Louis on Monday, just two days after Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the bill into law. -
Under the new Illinois law, gun dealers and manufacturers can be sued — either by the state or private individuals — for marketing firearms, accessories and related products in a way that promotes illegal paramilitary or private militia activity in the state. -
The cow was sculpted by artist Sarah Pratt and inspired by dairy farmer Lorilee Schultz, from Mill-R-Mor Dairy in northern Illinois who is depicted harvesting milk from one of her cows. -
Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed into law a measure that overhauls the state’s mandatory supervised release program, formerly known as parole. It aims to give former inmates a better chance to succeed outside of prison. -
The legislation establishes a state-based exchange for policies sold under the Affordable Care Act and gives the Illinois Department of Insurance the authority to modify or reject proposed rate increases. -
The 2023 spring legislative session came to an end in the early hours of Saturday morning after the Illinois House gave its approval to a $50.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1. -
The latest order a stays temporary injunction from another judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis. -
The federal judge finds ‘likely’ 2nd Amendment violation days after different federal judge in Chicago declined similar action. -
This case is just one of several challenging new state law’s constitutionality. -
The programs serve thousands of students in low-performing and high-poverty schools. Advocates are hoping that either the Illinois General Assembly or the federal government can keep them from closing. -
Recently, Stuart had to cancel a “constituent coffee” event in Collinsville because of threats related to this bill. -
Ranked choice voting has a long history in U.S. elections at the municipal level. But it has become more widely adopted in modern times, including in several states and dozens of municipalities.
