Dan Petrella

A Lombard native, Dan Petrella has written for newspapers from Chicago to Carbondale. Before joining the Tribune in 2017, he was Springfield bureau chief for Lee Enterprises newspapers. He's also been an editor and reporter at The State Journal-Register in Springfield. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Gov. JB Pritzker signs Illinois’ eighth consecutive balanced budget at the State of Illinois Building in Chicago, June 16, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Digital asset industry group sues to block Illinois’ first-in-the-nation cryptocurrency tax

July 23, 2026 at 6:12 a.m.

Democrats approved the cryptocurrency tax with an expectation it would garner $60 million to help balance the state budget. The tax is set to begin January 1, 2027.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a leadership summit in Chicago on June 25, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

GOP candidate Darren Bailey uses trespassing arrest at Gov. JB Pritzker’s home for familiar attack on crime

July 18, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

In an era of rising concern over the safety of political figures, Republican nominee for governor Darren Bailey is using the arrest of a man at Gov. JB Pritzker's Gold...

Republican nominee for governor Darren Bailey speaks during the public comment portion of a Chicago City Council meeting on May 20, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Republican Darren Bailey treads water in governor’s race as GOP candidates struggle to raise campaign cash

July 16, 2026 at 8:37 p.m.

GOP candidates across Illinois struggle to raise campaign cash as U.S Senate Republican nominee Don Tracy raised about $133,000 to Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton's $1.1 million.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, questions Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general and President Donald Trump’s pick to take the job permanently, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 15, 2026. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

GOP senator singles out former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot during Todd Blanche DOJ hearing

July 15, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was singled out by a Republican senator on Wednesday as someone who should not be put in "charge of a ham sandwich" during acting Attorney...

An employee holds a Colt Match Target 9 mm AR semiautomatic rifle at Suburban Sporting Goods in Melrose Park on June 30, 2026. The rifle was available for out-of-state purchase. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Federal appeals court upholds Illinois assault weapons ban, overturning lower court ruling

July 9, 2026 at 6:14 p.m.

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Illinois law is "consistent with our regulatory tradition."

A gallon of regular gas at the Shell station at Jackson Boulevard and Morgan Street in Chicago sells for $5.90 on May 18, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

New Illinois laws take effect Wednesday including gas tax freeze and changes for driving tests and tuition

July 1, 2026 at 2:33 p.m.

Among the laws going into effect Wednesday is the state's $55.9 billion budget and a six-month pause on a scheduled increase of a per-gallon gasoline tax that would otherwise jump...

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker holds a press conference in Chicago, June 24, 2026, to sign the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act (HB 5295) into law. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Gov. JB Pritzker signs law blocking out-of-state access to Illinois abortion records without patient consent

June 24, 2026 at 7:10 p.m.

Four years after Dobbs ruling that overturned the federal right to abortion, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also expanded a medical order that allows many pharmacists to dispense certain contraceptives without a...

Rainbow PUSH Coalition President and CEO Yusef Jackson talks with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters as part of the group's annual national convention on June 11, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Hillary Clinton urges grassroots movement at Rainbow PUSH, warns of ‘revolution to turn the clock back’

June 11, 2026 at 7:25 p.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker closed out the second day of the conference by connecting federal cuts to the social safety net with Republican-led efforts to roll back protections for voting rights and...

Gov. JB Pritzker, center, walks in with Senate President Don Harmon, left, and House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, right, for a news conference hours after the end of the spring legislative session at the State Capitol in Springfield on June 1, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The details of Illinois’ budget raising social media, crypto and fantasy sports taxes and pausing gas tax hike

June 30, 2026 at 9:36 a.m.

A nearly $56 billion spending plan is headed to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk after the Illinois legislature approved it in another overtime spring session.

Gov. JB Pritzker takes questions after the end of the spring legislative session at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on June 1, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Gov. JB Pritzker touts wins in $56B Illinois budget, but some work in election-year plan went unfinished

June 1, 2026 at 6:31 p.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated a $56 billion spending plan while dealing with session failures — no Bears stadium deal, no housing reform — as he gears up for a reelection...

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