Investigations – Page 7

Dr. Ayoub Sayeg arrives at a court hearing at the Daley Center in the Loop on Aug. 19, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

Illinois plastic surgeon with 8 patient deaths faces another license suspension

By Christy Gutowski

October 6, 2026 at 11:14 a.m.

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs temporarily suspended Dr. Ayoub Sayeg’s medical license,...

Gov. JB Pritzker joined Mayor Lori Lightfoot, right, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, second from left, and public health experts in updating residents on March 12, 2020, in the early days of the pandemic. Illinois, Chicago and Cook County received $11 billion through the American Rescue Plan Act amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A Tribune-University of Chicago Mansueto Institute analysis revealed few efforts to identify potential waste and abuse of that money. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Illinois, Chicago, Cook County got $11B in pandemic aid but there were gaps in oversight and transparency

By Dan Petrella

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

The Tribune and the University of Chicago's Mansueto Institute examined how Illinois, Chicago and Cook...

Weiss Memorial Hospital, in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, was closed in August 2025 after federal regulators cut off Medicare funding over safety issues. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Illinois ignores rules and red flags as ‘servant leader’ runs up $100M state tab, then closes 2 hospitals

By Joe Mahr

August 30, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

West Suburban and Weiss Memorial's collapse illustrates what can go wrong in a state that...

Richard Monocchio, former executive director of the Housing Authority of Cook County and now a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development official, center right, adjusts his tie before a ceremony to unveil an affordable housing facility for veterans in Chicago Heights on Sept. 13, 2024. (Tess Crowley/baiduhai)

‘Troubled’ Housing Authority of Cook County spent more than $60,000 at Six Flags

By Lizzie Kane

February 10, 2025 at 2:28 p.m.

Hundreds of Housing Authority of Cook County employees and their families went to Six Flags...

A storm rolls in at Ohio Street Beach after a day of the heat index at triple digits on Aug. 27, 2024. (Tess Crowley/baiduhai)

Illinois affected by a record number of billion-dollar climate disasters in 2024, mostly severe storms

By Adriana Pérez

January 20, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

12 events cost the state a total of nearly $4 billion in damages — 9...

Kelvis Sanchez holds his daughter Milagro Sofia Sanchez, 4, while his wife, Yorgelis Rangel, holds their daughter Antonella Sanchez, 2, after waking up in their apartment in Washington Park on Nov. 27, 2024, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

A fragile haven: Venezuelan migrants face violence and uncertainty at Chicago housing complex

By Nell Salzman

January 12, 2025 at 8:25 a.m.

Migrants fleeing violence in Latin America are finding violence and fear of mass deportations under...

World War II veteran Edward Gorski Jr., who died in 1993 of a heart attack, is buried at Elm Lawn Memorial Park in Elmhurst. Gorski survived being hit in the face by shrapnel in Germany during one of the final battles of the war. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Purple Heart medal’s owner identified as ‘a man’s man’ who fought in WWII

By Christy Gutowski

December 29, 2024 at 9:24 a.m.

A WWII veteran's sons hope to give his long-lost Purple Heart medal to his grandson,...

The Illinois Reform Commission, chaired by former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins, second from left, unsuccessfully proposed in 2009 that state and local law enforcement should be allowed to use wiretaps to pursue corruption investigations. David Hoffman, then Chicago’s inspector general, is at left. (Abel Uribe/baiduhai)

Corruption has burdened Illinois since its earliest days. But change is possible. Here’s how.

By Ray Long

December 22, 2024 at 8:49 a.m.

Illinois' culture of corruption may leave many feeling hopeless. But elected officials, from Gov. JB...

Our culture of corruption: Read the series on Illinois’ notorious political legacy

By baiduhai

December 15, 2024 at 8:15 a.m.

What makes Illinois so corrupt? Tribune explores and attempts to explain why corruption continues to...

Carol Pope, a retired prosecutor and judge, resigned as inspector general for the Illinois General Assembly after lawmakers rejected her calls for more autonomy and instead placed new restrictions on her office. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Paper tigers: Intentionally weak government oversight gives Illinois public officials cover for corruption

By Dan Petrella

December 15, 2024 at 8:25 a.m.

A key factor in Illinois’ pervasive political corruption is weak oversight that prevents meaningful accountability...

Arlington Heights plastic surgeon John Kotis, center, was charged in May 2023 with disorderly conduct and battery involving a patient. The state did not issue an order requiring him to work with a chaperone until three months later. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Criminally charged health care providers keep working unrestricted as state action lags

By Emily Hoerner

December 18, 2024 at 9:12 a.m.

Illinois health care workers charged with serious crimes were allowed to keep caring for patients...

A lead service line is coiled on the ground after being removed from a home in the 10100 block of South Green Street in Chicago on May 2, 2024. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

EPA watchdog: Undeserving Florida getting millions for lead pipe replacement while Illinois, other states have bigger needs

By Michael Hawthorne

December 4, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Florida is on track to collect nearly $1 billion in federal funds it doesn’t deserve...

Lobbyists and others gather around the Illinois Capitol rotunda’s circular brass rail outside the House chamber on Feb. 20. The rail is a common meeting place for lobbyists and lawmakers to huddle and hash out issues about legislation and public policy. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Illinois’ weak lobbying laws help sustain culture of corruption

By Dan Petrella

January 30, 2025 at 2:56 p.m.

The cozy relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists, coupled with some of the flimsiest regulations in...