KRISTEN McQUEARY
Kristen McQueary covers state government for CNC and WBEZ as part of a partnership between the two organizations.
Kristen has covered Illinois government and politics for 15 years, concentrating on the state legislature, Cook County Board and local, state and federal campaigns. As a columnist at the SouthtownStar, formerly the Daily Southtown, Kristen wrote about politics in the south and southwest suburbs of Chicago. She covered the 2004 Democratic and Republican national conventions, Barack Obama's 2006 U.S. Senate race and his presidential inauguration.
Kristen’s work has won several awards, including three Peter Lisagor awards and first-place winner for column writing from the Associated Press. A past president of the Chicago Headline Club, she has also worked for the Peoria Journal Star and The Pantagraph of Bloomington-Normal. Kristen graduated from Illinois State University, where she was inducted into the Daily Vidette Hall of Fame, and earned a master's degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Recent Contributions
by MATT CONNOLLY and KRISTEN McQUEARY | Feb 24, 2012
Lawmakers in the Illinois House earned an extra $661,000 last year for serving as committee officers, even though some committees met fewer than five times and a handful met once, a Chicago News Cooperative analysis found. The House paid members who serve as committee chairmen and spokesmen (Springfield’s term for ranking minority members) $10,326 each
by DAN MIHALOPOULOS and KRISTEN McQUEARY | Feb 23, 2012
After decades of defending political patronage and boasting of back-room deals, Cook County Commissioner William Beavers (D-Chicago) on Thursday joined the long list of local elected officials who have faced federal corruption charges. Moments after federal authorities announced allegations against him, the ever-quotable Beavers professed his innocence and said he was being punished for refusing
by KRISTEN McQUEARY | Feb 23, 2012
Following Republican criticism he didn’t announce budget cuts during his Feb. 1 State of the State address, Gov. Pat Quinn proposed chopping $420 million from agency budgets Wednesday through state facility closures and consolidations. Delivering his annual budget address to an attentive, quiet chamber of lawmakers that did not interrupt his speech with applause, Quinn
by KRISTEN McQUEARY | Feb 17, 2012
When Gov. Pat Quinn announces Medicaid cuts from a Springfield podium next week, Dr. Jason Grinter will be in the operating room of a Chicago hospital, treating Medicaid patients. Grinter is a dentist whose appointment book includes hundreds of Medicaid clients, many of whom have no other access to dental care. He treats children, the elderly and the
by KRISTEN McQUEARY | Feb 15, 2012
Even though one-third of Illinois’ schools have been placed on financial watch lists by the state Board of Education, leading Democrats are moving closer toward a plan that would shift teacher retirement costs from the state to schools. The new plan–which gained ground after House Speaker Mike Madigan mentioned it last month during a speech
by KRISTEN McQUEARY | Feb 8, 2012
A newly retired state representative who shepherded two utility bills through the House in 2010 and 2011 landed a new job last month as the utilities’ lobbyist, a practice government watchdog groups say should be banned. Former state Rep. Kevin McCarthy, an Orland Park Democrat who served 14 years in the Illinois House, retired in
by KRISTEN McQUEARY | Feb 3, 2012
Michele Piszczor stood in her Southwest Side driveway, pointing to the rusted dent in her car’s driver-side door. To her, it’s a battle scar. Piszczor (pronounced PIZE-er) is running for office in Illinois’ March 20 primary, hoping to unseat one of the state’s most influential politicians, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago). The dent in her
by KRISTEN McQUEARY | Feb 2, 2012
Despite bipartisan support for pension and Medicaid reform — two programs Gov. Pat Quinn acknowledged during his State of the State speech Wednesday need fixing — Illinois lawmakers are on course to spend the least amount of time in Springfield since 2006. Members of the House and Senate are scheduled to meet for a total
by KRISTEN McQUEARY | Jan 30, 2012
Illinois’ financial outlook could go from bad to catastrophic, according to a new analysis of state budget figures from a government watchdog group. The report from the non-partisan Civic Federation comes two days before Gov. Pat Quinn is scheduled to deliver his State of the State address, traditionally a chance to tout the health of
by KRISTEN McQUEARY | Jan 25, 2012
In a rare public speech, House Speaker Michael Madigan on Tuesday blamed both Democrats and Republicans for spending Illinois into its current fiscal crisis, but said the budget passed last year with bipartisan support in the House was a good start in restoring the state’s economic health. “Bear with us,” he said when asked about
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