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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New federal rules contained in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” will impose tighter caps on how much money states can raise for their Medicaid programs through provider taxes. -
Even after breach was discovered, agency waited months to notify individuals, media -
Get Covered Illinois says consumers need more time to compare plans and costs. -
Jerry Costello II, a former Metro East state lawmaker, says the $12 billion in aid from the Trump administration won’t come close to covering the losses farmers have suffered in the form of lost markets, lower commodity prices and higher input costs. -
Gov. JB Pritzker issued an executive order in response to shakeups at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. -
As tensions escalate, the Illinois governor won’t rule out state redistricting in mid-decade. -
East St. Louis School District 189 stood to lose the most money — $19 million for a major HVAC project — of any Illinois district. The district's spokeswoman said the judge's decision is "encouraging." -
At least nine other states have adopted statewide policies limiting or banning the use of cell phones in schools. Elsewhere, even in the absence of a statewide policy, individual districts have begun acting on their own. -
As many as 770,000 Illinoisans could lose health coverage under GOP federal budget plan, according to the Democratic governor. -
State board issues guidance after Trump rescinds Biden-era policy limiting actions in ‘sensitive locations.’
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Bill allows tribe to acquire 1,500-acre state park in DeKalb County. -
The case, on its second day on Tuesday, is being heard in federal district court in East St. Louis.
