Giving almost no time for public review, Illinois Democrats pushed through a $55.2 billion budget for next fiscal year late Saturday, bolstering coffers with new taxes on sports bets, nicotine products and businesses. The $55.2 billion spending plan is supported by $55.3 billion of revenue, including just over $1 billion in new taxes and revenue […]
Jerry Nowicki
Jerry Nowicki is bureau chief of Capitol News Illinois and has been with the organization since its inception in 2019.
Before joining CNI, Nowicki spent two years on Illinois Senate staff as a legislative aide to state Sen. Steve Landek. Prior to that, he was editor of the LeRoy Farmer City Press, which won the 2015 David B. Kramer Memorial Trophy for Illinois’ best small weekly newspaper.
Complementing his Statehouse and reporting experience, Nowicki has lived in a variety of Illinois communities. He grew up in Evergreen Park, a southwest suburb of Chicago, and has lived for a time in each of New Lenox, Bloomington, Champaign and LeRoy. He currently resides in Springfield.
He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Illinois State University and obtained his master’s degree in communication from Purdue University in May 2019.
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Pritzker proposes $2B in spending growth without new income or service taxes
Gov. JB Pritzker has proposed growing spending by about $2 billion without new income or service taxes in the upcoming fiscal year – though his administration acknowledged policy changes by the Trump administration could drastically alter the fiscal landscape. Spending and revenues would each grow by about 3% under the proposal laid out Wednesday during […]
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Litchfield man awarded military honors at Governor’s Mansion
A Litchfield man was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor among other honors at the Governor’s Mansion on Oct. 28. Major Chase Wilhelm’s superiors said he saved lives and “demonstrated selflessness and heroism” on Jan. 28 when his base in Jordan was hit by a drone attack. More than 100 soldiers were […]
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SAFE-T Act report card
Nine months after cash bail ended in Illinois, the state is taking its first steps in publishing the data that crafters of the bail reform law saw as essential to judging its effectiveness. The data shows that judges in the 75 counties served by the Illinois Supreme Court’s Office of Statewide Pretrial Services had collectively issued failure-to-appear […]
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Pritzker ‘all in’ for Biden following visit to White House last week
Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday he is “all in” for President Joe Biden after visiting the White House last week with other Democratic governors. He headed to Washington, D.C., to meet with the president and members of the Democratic Governors Association last Wednesday on the heels of Biden’s performance during the first of two scheduled […]
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Pritzker keeps economic development at forefront in exclusive interview with “Illinois Lawmakers”
With fiscal year 2025 beginning July 1, Gov. JB Pritzker continues to tout available state tax incentives and promote Illinois as a site for business development. On the season finale of “Illinois Lawmakers,” Pritzker pointed to a pair of developments in East Alton and Normal as proof of his administration’s effectiveness in luring businesses to […]
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Democrats pass $53.1 billion budget
After a near-derailment and an all-nighter to wrap up the General Assembly’s spring session, supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House gave final legislative approval to the state budget as the sun rose the morning of May 29. Despite holding 78 seats in the chamber, it took Democrats three tries to reach the 60 votes needed […]
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What’s happening at the Capitol
Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on April 15 appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of administrative services with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department in […]
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Local food measures, student teacher pay advance at Statehouse
Although Illinois is one of the nation’s leading agricultural states, it can still be a challenge for consumers here to shop for food that comes from local farms, dairies and ranches. The Senate Agriculture Committee heard testimony March 7 on two bills that seek to make Illinois-grown food more accessible to the state’s consumers. Senate […]
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Cash bail will end in September
A landmark criminal justice reform that eliminates cash bail in Illinois is constitutional, the state’s Supreme Court ruled July 18, paving the way for the change to take effect Sept. 18. The 5-2 decision – handed down on partisan lines – means that an individual’s wealth will no longer play a role in whether they […]
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Cash bail will end in Illinois as justices rule SAFE-T Act provisions constitutional
A landmark criminal justice reform that eliminates cash bail in Illinois is constitutional, the state’s Supreme Court ruled July 18, paving the way for the change to take effect Sept. 18. The 5-2 decision – handed down on partisan lines – means that an individual’s wealth will no longer play a role in whether they […]
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Lawmakers advance state government pay raises, also Pritzker’s ‘closing fund’
Officials at the highest levels of state government appear set to receive substantial pay raises this month after the House and Senate passed a budget bill that would also advance a $400 million business incentive fund proposal pushed by Gov. JB Pritzker. Under the bill, lawmaker salaries would increase to $85,000 annually, up from just […]
