A federal court struck down last week an environmental study used to justify a new tollway in northern Illinois. It’s the second such loss in court for the controversial project, which was already suspended but still clings to life. The Illiana Expressway is a proposed 50-mile, east-west toll road which would connect Interstate 55 south […]
Patrick Yeagle
Patrick Yeagle started writing for Illinois Times in September 2009. Originally from Farmer City, Ill., he graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in political science and a second major in journalism. He then graduated from the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2009 with a Master's degree from the Public Affairs Reporting program. In addition to Illinois Times, his work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, the Peoria Journal-Star, the Northern Star, the Parkland Prospectus and other publications. Yeagle writes about state government, the environment, energy, healthcare, elections, education, community issues, and more. He enjoys taking photos of news events, cityscapes, very small objects and wildlife. He enjoys running and has completed a marathon, three half-marathons, a 198-mile relay race and several shorter races. Other hobbies include cooking, gardening, making music and outdoor activities.
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Nuclear ‘bailout’ bill could subsidize coal
Controversial legislation to subsidize unprofitable nuclear plants in Illinois may see a vote after the election as lawmakers return to Springfield for the fall veto session. Characterized as a “bailout” by opponents, the bill may undergo last-minute changes, including a new way of charging customers for electricity and a roundabout subsidy for coal plants. Power […]
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Running out of time
Before he was president, state senator Barack Obama used to kid Mary Hardy Hall of Springfield about the outdated manual elevator at the YWCA. “ ‘If it isn’t the woman with the oldest elevator in Springfield,’ ” Hardy Hall says with a laugh, imitating Obama. She was the last director of the Young Women’s Christian […]
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Medicaid fraud a $30 billion industry
Want to make some easy cash? Try defrauding Medicaid. It’s a booming business, according to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which says the total amount of “improper payments” for Medicaid last year totaled more than $29 billion and accounted for nearly a tenth of all payments. Just one caveat: you’ll probably get […]
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Trading places
More than 165,000 people died between 1999 and 2014 from an opiate overdose in the United States. Tim McGraw likes to point out that the number of people who died from marijuana overdose during that span was zero. “Everything under my kitchen sink is more dangerous than cannabis,” McGraw jokes. McGraw, who lives in Homer […]
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Madigan sticks to the facts, but lacks some context
Anyone who watches Illinois politics knows that the most powerful man in the state isn’t the governor. Not everyone can agree on whether that’s good or bad. The Illinois Policy Institute certainly sees it as a negative. That’s why the conservative group wrote and commissioned the controversial new film Madigan: Power. Privilege. Politics. Styled as […]
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Feds say state home care rule may violate law
Tim Summer of Peoria doesn’t want a vacation from his son. Summer cares for his 22-year-old son, Seaver, who requires constant supervision because of his severe disabilities. That means Summer doesn’t get a break, but he doesn’t care. So when the Illinois Department of Human Services told Summer and thousands of other home care workers […]
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Gambling explosion
Orville Dash is no stranger to addiction. Now 79 years old, he is a recovering alcoholic but hasn’t drank a beer in 35 years. He quit smoking, too; he once inhaled three or four packs per day but hasn’t touched a cigarette in years. Still, there’s something about video gambling that keeps him hooked. Dash, […]
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Why voters are so angry
Voters are angry, and they’re ready to tear down the institutions of government. That was the message this week from former Gov. Jim Edgar and Christopher Kennedy, scion of the Kennedy political dynasty, at a luncheon held in Springfield this week by the Better Government Association. Although coming from different sides of the political spectrum, […]
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From green to well-being
Joe Terrell’s story starts not with a light bulb turning on above his head, but rather with one going out. It was the late ’90s, and Terrell owned a Denny’s restaurant franchise in Mokena, Illinois. When one of the light bulbs at the restaurant failed, Terrell wanted to replace it with a compact fluorescent light […]
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Poverty decreased slightly in 2015
More than 1.7 million Illinoisans lived in poverty last year, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week. That’s an improvement over 2014, but not nearly enough to erase the steady increase in poverty since 2000. Meanwhile, nearly 32,000 people in Sangamon County lived in poverty last year. The Census Bureau released […]
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Crime kept dropping after death penalty abolished
The statewide murder rate continued to decline after Illinois abolished the death penalty five years ago, following a nationwide trend of decreasing crime. However, some state lawmakers want to reinstate capital punishment in certain cases. Illinois has a long and complicated history with the death penalty. The first execution after Illinois attained statehood occurred in […]
