Dave McKinney, Chicago Sun-Times

Dave McKinney

Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago, IL, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Chicago Sun-Times
  • St. Louis Public Radio
  • WBEZ
  • NPR

Past articles by Dave:

Pension stripped from former state lawmaker who called bribes he passed to another pol ‘the jackpot’

The state General Assembly Retirement System board voted to strip former state Rep. Luis Arroyo of his more than $4,500-a-month state pension, citing state law that allows retirement benefits to be taken from ex-lawmakers if they commit felonies arising from their time in office. → Read More

ComEd parent Exelon is paying legal bills for two executives convicted of bribery

The company will not say how much it has paid to attorneys representing ex-CEO Anne Pramaggiore and VP John Hooker, but a rep says ratepayer funds are not used. → Read More

What ComEd trial guilty verdicts could mean for Michael Madigan and Illinois politics

The convictions could affect the bribery trial next year of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and could spark ethics reforms and questions about how politicians are lobbied. → Read More

Michael McClain’s Illinois pension is suspended after ComEd bribery conviction

The suspension against McClain, a top confidant of former House Speaker Michael Madigan, may not hold since his crimes occurred years after his time in office. → Read More

What the ComEd trial guilty verdicts means for Illinois politics

The convictions could impact the bribery trial next year of one-time House Speaker Michael Madigan but could also ignite new ethics reforms and questions about how politicians are lobbied. → Read More

Heated Pritzker-Bailey race for governor ends, marked by history and hostility

The 19-week tangle between Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey was shaped by fights over abortion, political extremism, crime and the economy. Insults flew from the onset. → Read More

Valuable Lincoln artifacts are taken from a Springfield museum as feuding with a not-for-profit intensifies

The fate of 1,500-plus artifacts, including some tied to Lincoln’s murder, is unclear as a foundation pulls items out of a state Lincoln museum. → Read More

Sun-Times/WBEZ Poll: Downstate downfall? Bailey’s backyard showing fails to cut into Pritzker’s double-digit lead

Democrats Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth held commanding leads over their GOP challengers in the survey. And broken down by region, the results also reflected Republican Bailey’s downstate difficulties in the governor’s race. → Read More

Pritzker, Bailey accuse one another of lies, hypocrisy in first debate of governor’s race

The high-stakes showdown — roughly a month ahead of the election — covered abortion, guns and crime; Pritzker’s handling of the pandemic, and the state’s financial ledgers. But the fast — and at times scattershot — pacing often left viewers without answers about where the candidates stood on those key issues. → Read More

Unfounded election fraud accusations pour in to Illinois officials

As they’ve done across the nation, conspiracy theorists have inundated Illinois election officials with form letters demanding voter records and threatening lawsuits. → Read More

Record review: Bailey proud to be lawmaker who tells truth about Illinois’ decline — not one who makes lots of laws

Few of his initiatives wind up in state law books, but they have all helped Bailey quickly make a name for himself as a firebrand devoted to conservative ideology. That includes pride in how few of his bills pass. “We do not need more government — more government like J.B. Pritzker wants. It’s ruining our society.” → Read More

Republicans aim to win control of Illinois Supreme Court from Democrats

Democrats hold the advantage in two races for open Illinois Supreme Court seats because last year they redrew the court’s boundaries for the first time in 58 years. The two down-ballot elections hold enormous stakes if the court changes hands — potentially impacting abortion, gun control and union rights laws. → Read More

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker tests positive for COVID-19 after appearing at Florida event

Illinois, like the rest of the country, is seeing an increase of cases linked to the new, hyper-contagious variant of COVID-19. → Read More

As Gov. JB Pritzker takes center stage in Florida, speculation of a presidential run increases

The Illinois governor said he wouldn’t oppose President Joe Biden, and he lacks the name recognition of other potential candidates. But he’s hitting the national circuits. → Read More

Most Illinois Republican voters don’t believe Trump really lost in 2020

Nearly two-thirds of Illinois Republican voters say former President Donald Trump should run in 2024. The survey found an overwhelming majority fall into the election-denier category — believing Trump should still be in the White House. → Read More

Bailey shows double-digit lead over Irvin in Sun-Times/WBEZ Poll on Republican governor’s primary race

If the numbers hold, it would represent a brutal repudiation by Illinois’ Republican voters of Irvin, his mainstream party endorsements and, pointedly, his $50 million benefactor, Chicago hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin. → Read More

Billionaire Ken Griffin hits Pritzker hard on crime, but his firms have millions invested in gun and ammunition makers, records show

Griffin’s hedge fund and market-maker firm reported more than $86 million in investments and holdings in such companies as of December. A company spokesman says Griffin doesn’t choose Citadel’s stock holdings. → Read More

Illinois subsidiary of AT&T is under federal criminal investigation

A subsidiary of AT&T led by a former top aide to ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan could face a criminal charge, according to an SEC filing. AT&T says any charge would be without merit. → Read More

Illinois is thought to be a blue state. So why is so much of the state so red?

Illinois Republicans win most counties in the state, but they aren’t winning statewide. Now they’re trying to build political relevance in 2022’s election. → Read More

ComEd Critics Cast A Wary Eye Toward Illinois’ New House Speaker

The new Speaker, Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch, once wanted to lock in the highly lucrative way ComEd sets its rates but says that isn’t a focus “right now.” → Read More