Daniel C. Vock

A freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Daniel C. Vock was most recently a senior reporter at Route Fifty, where he focused on transportation and infrastructure. He has covered state and local government for two decades, first as an Illinois statehouse reporter and later as a national reporter based in Washington, D.C.

A woman enters the post office in Silvis, Illinois, in front of a mural of the old Quad Cities Rocket train on Sept. 9, 2026. The Quad Cities Rocket was discontinued in 1978. (Arthur Maiorella/Chicago Tribune)

After years of delay, funding to restart Chicago-Quad Cities rail service has Illinois back on track

September 11, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Quad Cities, which straddle the Iowa-Illinois border, have gone without passenger rail since 1979, despite their history as the center of the Rock Island Line.

Sen. Dick Durbin cheers with dreamers on July 22, 2026, at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in Washington during a mock graduation event to commemorate Durbin’s long advocacy for the Dream Act, a path to citizenship for undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children. Tereza Lee, right, was his inspiration for the legislation. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin sees DREAM Act slipping away: ‘We’ve been on this bill for 25 years’

August 2, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

With less than six months left in his legislative career, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is coming to terms with the idea that the DREAM Act — what he describes as...

The roof of a Mount Prospect condominium building on Aug. 19, 2025, after a weekend storm displaced dozens of residents. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois has struggled to secure federal disaster relief under Trump as FEMA denials draw questions

June 14, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

With another storm season underway. FEMA's rejections under President Donald Trump cast a long shadow — not just over Illinois but over the entire federal disaster-response system — which critics...

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks during a press conference, April 30, 2026, following a meeting with the Illinois Accountability Commission. Looking on are commission chair and former U.S. District Court Judge Rubén Castillo, left, and commission vice chair former state court Judge Patricia Brown Holmes. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois makes case to lead off Democrats’ 2028 presidential primary, citing diversity and Trump resistance

May 27, 2026 at 6:17 p.m.

Illinois is competing with Iowa and Michigan for permission from the Democratic National Committee to hold an early presidential contest representing the Midwest.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after walking off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on April 12, 2026. (Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times)

Democrats know Trump probably won’t be removed via the 25th Amendment. Here’s why they’re pushing it anyway.

April 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

While there’s little expectation Trump’s inner circle will turn on him, Democrats can keep Republicans on the defensive about the president’s aberrant behavior.

Rep. Greg Casar speaks during a press conference with Sen. Bernie Sanders in the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 2026, in Washington. They introduced a bill to protect sports fans and taxpayers from professional sports team relocations. (Heather Diehl/Getty)

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bill aims to slow — or stop — teams like the Chicago Bears from moving to other states

March 26, 2026 at 5:20 p.m.

Long-shot legislation would give communities a chance to keep their professional sports teams if their owners threatened to leave, like the Chicago Bears.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, 16th, questions Mayor Brandon Johnson before the House Oversight Committee on March 5, 2025, during a hearing on Capitol Hill about sanctuary cities and immigration policy. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois Republicans weigh fealty to Trump as president’s agenda faces backlash and shutdown threat

February 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Illinois’ three House Republicans — all loyal Trump supporters who reliably vote with the president — may have recalibrate as they weigh in on increasingly unpopular positions.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during a City Hall news conference Jan. 27, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Brandon Johnson tells DC crowd he will ‘set up a pathway’ to prosecute Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino

January 28, 2026 at 5:41 p.m.

At a speech just blocks from the White House Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he would prepare the city for the future prosecution of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino...

Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago mayor and ambassador to Japan, speaks at the Center for American Progress in Washington on Jan. 21, 2026. Emanuel, who has signaled his desire to run for president in 2028, called for a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the president, Cabinet officials, members of Congress and federal judges. (Jason Andrew/The New York Times)

Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel leans on his Chicago experience as he pitches school reform in Washington

January 21, 2026 at 6:42 p.m.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel chafed at the idea a teachers' strike and blowback to his closing of schools during his tenure would dampen enthusiasm for his future educational plans.

Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino, center, leads agents toward protesters near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Cost of Operation Midway Blitz: $59M and counting

January 4, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

A Tribune review of court filings, databases and other public records detailing the scope of the incursion and typical costs shows how much the federal government has spent since September.

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