Investigations – Page 8

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...

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs presents Carolyn Peckham with the Purple Heart awarded to her father, U.S. Marine Cpl. Delbert Tuttle, at a ceremony in Decatur last month. (E. Jason Wambsgans / baiduhai)

Purple Heart returned to daughter of WWII veteran, a Marine who helped take Saipan

By Christy Gutowski

November 11, 2024 at 11:08 a.m.

The state of Illinois has returned a Purple Heart medal to the daughter of a...

A Purple Heart medal, awarded to those injured or killed in battle, is stored in a Springfield vault after it was turned over to the Illinois treasurer's office as unclaimed property. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Mysteries solved: Unclaimed Illinois Purple Hearts may find homes

By Christy Gutowski

November 11, 2024 at 11:08 a.m.

The men left Illinois for war and returned with Purple Hearts to honor their injuries....

The many local Illinois officials convicted of corruption include, from left, former Dixon Comptroller Rita Crundwell, former Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin and former Zeigler Treasurer Ryan Thorpe. The state has thousands of government bodies, making it difficult for citizens to track public spending and hold officials accountable. (John J. Kim/baiduhai, E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai, The Southern Illinoisan)

Illinois has the most local governments in the nation, multiplying the chances for corruption

By Rick Pearson

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

Illinois’ thousands of government bodies make it difficult for both authorities and citizens to hold...

A Chicago elections worker, right, reviews petition signatures at the George W. Dunne Cook County Office Building in December. Candidates frequently challenge their opponents' paperwork in an effort to keep them off the ballot. (Antonio Perez/ baiduhai)

Illinois’ arcane ballot rules turn politics into a blood sport where only the most powerful and savvy survive

By Joe Mahr

October 13, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Illinois' cutthroat ballot challenge process limits voters’ choices and contributes to corruption that plagues government...

A police camera attached to a black light pole, at left, watches over the intersection of Chicago and Central Park avenues, one of the oldest camera locations in the city. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Chicago police bet big on pricey surveillance cameras. Two decades later, the devices do little to solve most crimes.

By Madison Hopkins

September 29, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

While installing thousands of police cameras has undoubtedly helped catch criminals and solve cases, Chicago’s...

Former Ald. Wallace Davis Jr., standing this year outside his shuttered East Garfield Park restaurant, said of Chicago aldermen: "They get into a position where they feel, ‘Hey, I can do what I want. I don’t have to give an account." (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Chicago never ready for reform: Code of silence, aldermanic prerogative fuel dozens of corruption convictions

By Gregory Royal Pratt

September 8, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

In the half-century since Mayor Richard J. Daley presided over Chicago’s notorious Democratic machine at...

A police officer walks outside the Garrison School in Jacksonville after responding to an incident at the school in November 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

School district that had disabled students arrested agrees to reform disciplinary practices

By Jennifer Smith Richards

September 6, 2024 at 12:34 p.m.

An Illinois school district that frequently called police on its disabled students has agreed to...

Dominique Ward sits outside courtrooms in the Daley Center on July 3, 2024, in Chicago. In the past, Ward has come to court to try and stop the electronic harassment by her children's father, Micah Berkley. Berkley was recently arrested on fraud charges in Florida. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

He boasted on social media about paying strangers to take pictures of his children and ex-partner. Now he’s under arrest.

By Stacy St. Clair

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

A former Chicago resident who publicly boasted about paying social media followers to take pictures...

Loose rules on campaign cash have allowed legislative leaders in Springfield to consolidate their power and protect incumbents by directing the flow of money to preferred candidates. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Politics for sale: Big money floods Illinois campaigns with few rules and little enforcement

By Ray Long

September 1, 2024 at 5:06 a.m.

In Illinois, big money is inundating politics at a pace that virtually puts government offices...

Left to right are Eugene Pike, the new president of the Lincoln Park board; Sen. Elect Frank L. Smith; Chicago Mayor William "Big Bill" Thompson; and Illinois Gov. Len Small.

The Dishonor Roll: Politicians who helped build Illinois’ culture of corruption

By Kori Rumore

September 3, 2024 at 8:44 a.m.

As part of its “Culture of Corruption” series, the Tribune has compiled a list of...