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.

Professor Emeritus Brian Diers checks on varieties of soybeans being grown for the Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus on Feb. 14, 2025, in Urbana. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Facing closure from Trump cuts, U. of I. soybean lab gets temporary lifeline

April 28, 2025 at 5:59 p.m.

A U of I soybean research lab that faced closure after federal funding cuts got an anonymous donation that will keep it open another year.

People talk on the staircase at the Illinois Capitol building Feb. 19, 2025, in Springfield. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Gov. JB Pritzker, lawmakers moving sluggishly on Illinois ethics law reforms despite uptick in convictions

April 28, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Since 2019, 11 now-former lawmakers have been convicted of crimes, but strengthening Illinois' ethical safeguards is not at the top of the Springfield agenda.

Edwin Muldrow stands behind the counter at his North Lawndale drugstore, Del-Kar Pharmacy, on April 14, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois looks to rein in drug intermediaries over high costs, but legislation is unresolved and industry says the efforts are flawed

April 20, 2025 at 10:02 a.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker supports a proposal that would require pharmacy benefit managers to change how they do business.

Thomas DeVore, GOP attorney general nominee, accepts an endorsement from Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President John Catanzara, left, on Aug. 8, 2022. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Ex-GOP nominee for AG Thomas DeVore should be suspended for improper client relationship, panel says

April 15, 2025 at 4:50 p.m.

A former GOP nominee for Illinois attorney general, Thomas DeVore, should be suspended for infractions, including a sexual relationship with a client, panel says.

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during a news conference at the UI Health Mile Square Health Center on Feb. 28, 2025, discussing the impact of planned cuts to Medicaid health coverage. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Gov. JB Pritzker rips Trump tariffs on first Fox News appearance, calls them ‘taxes on working families’

April 14, 2025 at 6:17 a.m.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, widely viewed as a 2028 Democratic presidential contender, made his first-ever appearance on conservative-leaning Fox News.

Mayor Brandon Johnson walks toward a stand for a news conference after the City Council voted to approve Johnson’s appointment of Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada to represent the 35th Ward during a special council meeting at Chicago City Hall on April 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to Trump threat to revoke federal aid for sanctuary cities

April 11, 2025 at 9:25 a.m.

It’s the latest salvo in the White House’s crackdown on immigration that has Chicago and other Democratic-led cities in the administration's crosshairs.

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate and former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, center, greets Donald Trump Jr., right, with Charlie Kirk during a town hall March 17, 2025, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. (Jeffrey Phelps/AP)

Elon Musk and Gov. JB Pritzker among billionaires spending in pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race

March 23, 2025 at 10:48 a.m.

Abortion is among the key issues in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race that becomes the most expensive state judicial race in the nation.

Aurora mayoral challenger John Laesch, left, and incumbent Richard Irvin shake hands after a mayoral forum at the Santori Public Library in Aurora, March 10, 2025. (Mark Black/for the Beacon-News)

Gov. JB Pritzker’s Illinois Democratic Party targets Richard Irvin as he seeks third term as Aurora mayor

April 3, 2025 at 11:18 a.m.

Incumbent Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, a GOP governor candidate in 2022, is facing reelection opposition from Illinois Democrats led by Gov. JB Pritzker.

Francisca, a mother of four who uses a wheelchair, worries about losing access to health care this summer, when people between the ages of 42 and 64 will no longer be covered by an Illinois program that provides taxpayer-funded insurance to immigrants like her who are in the country without legal permission. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Immigrant families scramble as state health insurance for some noncitizens faces the axe in Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget plan

March 18, 2025 at 7:23 p.m.

The impact of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's plan to eliminate a health insurance program for noncitizen immigrants ages 42 to 64.

Professor Emeritus Brian Diers waters varieties of soybeans being grown for the Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois campus in Urbana on Feb. 14, 2025. President Donald Trump's administration has terminated the federal government's agreement to fund the Soybean Innovation Lab, according to a notice the lab's director received Wednesday. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois organizations hit by President Trump’s cancellation of foreign aid contracts

March 1, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

A major soybean lab at the University of Illinois among the victims of President Donald Trump's termination of foreign aid.

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