Capitol News Illinois reporters win prestigious Peter Lisagor awards
Capitol News Illinois, a nonprofit news service, is proud to announce three of its reporters were nominated in four categories for the prestigious Lisagor Awards. These awards celebrate journalistic excellence across Illinois and northwest Indiana, spanning print, digital and broadcast media. CNI’s Beth Hundsdorfer was selected as winner in the Best Public Service category for her investigative reporting on funeral home licensing in Illinois.
The winners were announced on Friday, May 9, at the 48th Annual Peter Lisagor Awards ceremony hosted by Chicago Headline Club at the Union League Club of Chicago.
Capitol News Illinois reporters and their nominations include:
Beth Hundsdorfer:
WINNER: Best Public Service
“Funeral Home”
Investigative reporter Beth Hundsdorfer led an investigation into funeral home licensing in Illinois. This was sparked by news reports of a Carlinville-based funeral home mishandling human remains. The investigation has since expanded to other parts of the state.
Hannah Meisel:
NOMINATED: Best Deadline Reporting (Small or Medium Print/Online Category)
“Corruption trial and bizarre pre-trial arrest of polarizing ex-lawmaker Sam McCann”
In 2021, Springfield-area lawmaker Sam McCann was indicted on charges of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion related to his alleged use of campaign funds for personal expenses. McCann would eventually reverse his position of innocence and in February 2024 plead guilty on all counts.
NOMINATED: Best Reporting on Crime and Justice (Small or Medium Print/Online Category)
“Reporting on the trial of former House Speaker Mike Madigan”
Meisel provided detailed coverage of the corruption trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan from the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago. The former speaker faced 23 counts of racketeering, bribery, extortion and wire fraud. Jurors convicted him on 10 counts and acquitted him on seven. Six others ended in a mistrial.
Molly Parker & Beth Hundsdorfer:
NOMINATED: Best Education Reporting (Large Print/Online Category)
“No-Schoolers”
Illinois has virtually no regulations on homeschooling, allowing parents to pull vulnerable children from public schools and then not provide any education for them. Officials call them “no schoolers.” Hundsdorfer and Parker have been investigating the issue for over a year.
Story artwork from reporting projects recognized during the 48th Annual Peter Lisagor Awards. Pictured (left to right): Sam McCann, Mike Madigan, No Schoolers Illustration by Susie Ang for ProPublica, and the Heinz Funeral home in Carlinville, IL.
“Hannah, Molly and Beth reflect the dedication, integrity and passion our reporters bring to their work every day,” said Jeff Rogers, executive director for Capitol News Illinois and the Illinois Press Foundation that operates the nonprofit news organization. “We are thrilled to see them receive recognition for their efforts and we congratulate Beth for winning the prestigious Peter Lisagor Award.”
Rogers also congratulated Carly Gist, a sophomore at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, for securing a $5,000 award as the 2025 recipient of the Les Brownlee Memorial Scholarship. Gist has served as a valuable member of the Saluki Local Reporting Lab, a reporting partner of Capitol News Illinois. The lab is a special project of the SIU School of Journalism and Advertising designed to give students practical reporting experience and professional development opportunities in journalism.
Read more from Carly Gist: Supreme Court declines to review Carbondale abortion clinic ‘bubble zone’ ordinance | Carbondale faces legal battle over protest restrictions outside abortion clinics
“With dedicated student journalists like Carly Gist, the future of news reporting looks bright,” Rogers said. “Capitol News Illinois is honored to support Carly and her peers as they craft impactful stories, guided by award-winning journalists like Molly Parker and Beth Hundsdorfer.”
Parker and Hundsdorfer each were recently named the 2025 Illinois Journalists of the Year by the Northern Illinois University Department of Communication. Parker and Hundsdorfer were honored during The Donald R. Grubb Journalism Banquet on the NIU campus April 11.
Hundsdorfer also is a finalist for a 2025 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for investigative journalism. Her reporting on the Sonya Massey shooting in Springfield is among four finalists in the Small Newsroom Category. Winners will be announced May 15.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Henry Haupt, (217) 503-5585, [email protected].
About Capitol News Illinois
Launched in 2019 as a nonprofit news service, Capitol News Illinois provides unbiased state government coverage to Illinois’ news outlets, free and with no paywall, reaching more than 460 newspapers and 200 broadcast outlets. Its mission is simple: deliver factual, nonpartisan news about state government to local outlets statewide, educating readers in every region of the state and fostering transparency and accountability among elected leaders and government officials.
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