Olivia Olander

Olivia Olander is the Chicago-based state government reporter at the Tribune, covering Gov. JB Pritzker, the Illinois General Assembly and state agencies. She previously covered labor and employment policy for POLITICO in Washington. Olivia is a graduate of Northwestern University and grew up in the suburbs of San Diego.

Families who used South Chicago Chapel and Bohemian National Cemetery to handle the remains of deceased loved ones gather outside the closed funeral home for a vigil Aug. 30, 2026, in the South Deering neighborhood. Over 50 decomposing bodies were discovered earlier in the month at the funeral home and cemetery. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Maggots, rat feces and a body in a bathroom: Records detail decrepit conditions at South Side funeral home

September 2, 2026 at 4:21 p.m.

On Aug. 3, state investigators inspecting the notorious South Chicago Chapel were confronted with an overwhelming smell and a nightmarish scene.

Jim Montgomery was appointed as director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources by Gov. JB Pritzker. (State of Illinois photo)

Gov. JB Pritzker appoints Jim Montgomery to head Illinois natural resources after Prisoner Review Board stint

August 28, 2026 at 6:02 p.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker’s newly appointed IDNR head, Jim Montgomery, previously led the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The Meta Store in Burlingame, California, is seen on Jan. 7, 2025. The Silicon Valley company Meta agreed to up to $18 billion in penalties as part of a landmark settlement with states over social media addiction claims. (Jason Henry/The New York Times)

Illinois will spend Meta settlement cash on social media harms, AG says, after union pushes education funding

August 28, 2026 at 2:51 p.m.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the majority of the $768 million will go for addressing youth mental health problems and other social media harms.

Karl Goeke, foreground, president of the Illinois Education Association, endorses the reelection campaign of Gov. JB Pritzker, center, at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn on Aug. 17, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Gov. JB Pritzker accepts a state teachers union endorsement while casting doubt on $150M CPS funding push

August 18, 2026 at 9:29 a.m.

The push for Chicago Public Schools funding is exposing new fault lines ahead of the Illinois General Assembly's fall veto session, setting up a potential fight over school funding when...

Officers investigate the South Chicago Chapel funeral home where 56 bodies were discovered on Aug. 6, 2026. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Missed opportunities, incomplete investigations preceded discovery of 56 bodies at funeral home

August 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The ongoing investigation into South Chicago Chapel is just the latest grim incident involving the so-called death care industry and highlights weaknesses within state law and enforcement.

Gov. JB Pritzker, right, meets with homeowners Mark and Julie Hiskes while touring storm damage on Aug. 14, 2026, in Lansing. (Arthur Maiorella/Chicago Tribune)

Amid latest Illinois storm damage, Gov. Pritzker says Trump administration ‘turned their back’ on past storms

August 14, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday contended that the federal government had “turned their back” on Illinois families when it denied the state’s request for relief from damaging storms last year.

Deja Young, left, hugs Corrine Young as they wait for news on their deceased relative, Keith Young, at the Cook County medical examiner’s office on Aug. 7, 2026. Keith’s visitation had been planned for Aug. 6, 2026, but his body never showed up to the church. (Arthur Maiorella/Chicago Tribune)

Agonized families await answers after remains recovered from Chicago funeral home: ‘It’s unimaginable’

August 8, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Records obtained by the Tribune reveal a harrowing scene at the funeral home and a history of problems at a previous crematorium run by its owners.

Workers remove bodies from the South Chicago Chapel in the South Deering neighborhood on Aug. 7, 2026. The remains of over 50 people were discovered the day before at the funeral home in the 2900 block of East 95th Street. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

‘I want to see some justice’: Families, officials call for change amid investigation into funeral home

August 7, 2026 at 7:22 p.m.

Authorities on Friday continued to investigate after the remains of more than 50 people were recovered Thursday at a South Deering funeral home on the city’s Southeast Side.

Gov. JB Pritzker chats with ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones while surveying damage from Tuesday night's EF-3 tornado in Aroma Park, March 12, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Gov. JB Pritzker signs protections against insurance rate hikes

August 4, 2026 at 3:13 p.m.

Drivers and homeowners in Illinois will have greater protections against insurance rate hikes after Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed legislation prohibiting excessive increases.

Young students shop for back-to-school supplies on July 25, 2022, at OfficeMax in Chicago's Lincoln Park. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois back-to-school sales tax discount starts Friday: What to know

August 3, 2026 at 6:03 p.m.

The 5% state sales tax break from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16 generally applies to clothes under $125 and school supplies. Portions of sales tax that go to local governments...

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