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Andrew Adams

@drewjayadams.bsky.social
308 followers 1.1K following 38 posts

i tell stories about policy || interested in tech, environment and civic engagement || sometimes i take pictures || opinions mine

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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
At @illinoisanswers.bsky.social, we're using it to track the millions being poured into Chicago’s first-ever fully elected school board. But it works for any local or state race: county, municipal, legislative and statewide. If you have questions or use it in any fun ways, let me know!
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Hey election nerds, I have something for you. With election season in swing, I've spent the past few months building a free tool to help you more easily track money moving in Illinois state and local races in real time with email and push alerts within minutes of reports being posted.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Read the full story from me, @binghuihuang.bsky.social and @alexnitkin.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/26/c...
illinoisanswers.org
City Leaders Tout Tree-Planting Bonanza, But Neighborhood Disparities Persist
City departments have turned to community groups to help break through cultural barriers that have contributed to wide gaps in tree coverage.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Don't get me wrong: the data shows the city is improving and the stories we heard about people wanting to improve their neighborhoods are inspiring. But we have to be honest about both the wins and the shortcomings.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
And even when historically disenfranchised neighborhoods did begin making 311 calls, many on the South and West sides waited months longer for a response.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Well-connected neighborhoods and those with residents that know how to navigate the city's 311 system got trees far outpacing their need while some of the blocks most in need of expanded tree cover were largely ignored.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
But my colleagues @illinoisanswers.bsky.social and I did an unprecedented deep dive into the city's own data. We found that many neighborhoods were still ignored because the city relied on a system of requests to decide where to plant.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
So how did the city do? High level: the Lightfoot and Johnson admins have been mostly successful. Many new trees have gone to the South and West sides.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
In 2022, the Lightfoot admin pledged to plant 75,000 trees in the city over five years and it promised to put more trees in neighborhoods that have historically been neglected. This improves flood resistance, health outcomes and makes neighborhoods more appealing to those looking to move.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
I can tell you about every tree the city has planted in the past ~5 years. Why do I know a 3 foot tall American Hornbeam was planted on Leavitt in August of 2022? Because I want to make sure the city keeps its promises. 🧵 about trees, equity and how Chicago does (and doesn't) live up to its word.
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Peter Nickeas @peternickeas.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
“Let’s talk about trees. Don’t plant no trees in 16, OK?” Coleman said. “I’m letting you know now, if you plant them, Englewood will cut them down.” This, and other insights - @alexnitkin.bsky.social, @binghuihuang.bsky.social, @drewjayadams.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/26/c...
illinoisanswers.org
City Leaders Tout Tree-Planting Bonanza, But Neighborhood Disparities Persist
City departments have turned to community groups to help break through cultural barriers that have contributed to wide gaps in tree coverage.
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Grace Hauck @gracehauck.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
My colleagues @alexnitkin.bsky.social @binghuihuang.bsky.social @drewjayadams.bsky.social investigated former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's promise to plant 75K trees by 2027. They even put together a really cool tool that shows you tree stats for your area! illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/26/c...
illinoisanswers.org
City Leaders Tout Tree-Planting Bonanza, But Neighborhood Disparities Persist
City departments have turned to community groups to help break through cultural barriers that have contributed to wide gaps in tree coverage.
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Casey Toner @ctoner.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
@maggiedough.bsky.social and I sat down with more than a dozen compulsive gamblers in recovery about let them speak at length about their own lives. It is at turns sad, frightening, infuriating, occasionally funny and painfully human 🧵 illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/24/w...
illinoisanswers.org
What Compulsive Gamblers Know
The hopes, dreams and tragedies of people who can't stop betting
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
So Chicago maintains data on of every rideshare trip in the city, including pickup/dropoff locations. I tried mapping trips from a given location, but there's gotta be something more useful to do. Has anyone done a cool analysis or built anything with Chicago's TNP data?
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
He reported spending about $4.1M in the 6 months before March's election, nearly emptying his war chest. In March, he said he had under $200k in his campaign account -- the lowest quarterly report he's filed in at least 15 years.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Reilly is coming off a losing campaign for Cook County Board President, getting 31.5% in March's primary.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Also yesterday, Reilly used a loophole to allow unlimited campaign contributions in the race to keep his seat by loaning himself $100,001. (Note: he has run unopposed since he took office.)
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Something I'm watching: Illinois politicians said they got $154k in campaign cash today. The big winner? 42nd Ward Ald. Brenden Reilly. He reported about 1/5 of that ($27.5k), all coming from business and real estate executives yesterday. More in the thread 🧵👇
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Chicago Teachers Union political director Hilario Dominguez is gearing up for his union-backed bid for CPS board president. He and CPS teacher Kathryn Zamarron just filed paperwork creating "Friends of Hilario Dominguez," allowing him to take in more campaign cash.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Are you a journalist, campaign staffer, activist or involved voter working on Chicago School Board elections? I'm building something that could be useful to you and I need some off the record feedback. My DMs are open.
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Capitol News Illinois @capitolnewsil.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Illinois bet big on quantum technology in last year’s state budget. Now, what are the latest developments for the industry and the region? @drewjayadams.bsky.social has the story. loom.ly/syTO2Os
capitolnewsillinois.com
Inside Illinois’ efforts to court the emerging quantum technology industry
Illinois ramps up investment in quantum tech with global partnerships, a $700M commitment, and a new research park.
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John Delurey @johndelurey.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Great reporting from @drewjayadams.bsky.social on the IL energy legislative horizons. capitolnewsillinois.com/news/state-o...
capitolnewsillinois.com
State official: renewable investments ‘best thing’ to lower energy costs
Illinois lawmakers discuss renewable energy, grid reliability, and policies addressing rising demand from data centers.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Mike Madigan was the most powerful man in Illinois politics for decades. Now he's waiting for a jury to decide his fate. I took a deep dive with @hannahmeisel.bsky.social into his career to learn more about how he built his empire -- and how it fell. capitolnewsillinois.com/madigan-time...
capitolnewsillinois.com
Michael Madigan: The Rise and Fall
Learn more about the man at the center of one of the most high-profile corruption cases in Illinois history.
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Jay Young @impactofficer.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
"Of the 118 members of the Illinois House, 20 had verifiable, nonprivate TikTok accounts they used personally or as representatives as of Jan. 22. There were nine verifiable accounts found for state Senators." capitolnewsillinois.com/news/state-l...
capitolnewsillinois.com
State lawmakers weigh TikTok’s value
Illinois lawmakers debate TikTok’s value, security risks, and potential sale amid a national ban on the China-owned platform.
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Barton Lorimor @bartonlorimor.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Good story earlier this week by @drewjayadams.bsky.social on "venue shopping" and how it can impact Madison County #illinois status as the North American epicenter of Tort claims and civil litigation >> capitolnewsillinois.com/news/supreme...
capitolnewsillinois.com
Supreme Court considers legality of law banning ‘venue shopping’ in constitutional challenges
The Illinois Supreme Court reviews the legality of a 2023 law restricting constitutional challenges to two counties.
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Block Club Chicago @blockclubchi.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
How Argyle’s second generation hopes to spark a revival on the block: buff.ly/4j9kweo
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Virginia Gewin @virginiagewin.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
www.cnn.com/2025/01/07/w...
cnn.com
Wildfires are breaking out in Southern California as the ‘most destructive windstorm’ in over a decade hits | CNN
Wildfires began breaking out in Southern California Tuesday morning as a life-threatening, widespread windstorm that could be one of the most destructive to hit the region in over a decade roars to li...
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
And that's my 2024 in a nutshell. I expect to have a lot of photos for both work and personal projects in 2025 as well. I expect mostly to post news stuff on here. Personal projects usually go to Instagram. Once or twice a year I do a big mega thread with all of it. See y'all around ✌️
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
And last, but certainly not least, I've got to post this beauty. It took months of planning, hundreds of miles of travel, several spreadsheets and thousands of shots. I almost cried when I exported this. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime image.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Of course, I have to mention the self portraits. I'm still the subject of nearly all my studio work. (Who doesn't love a cheap model?) I started exploring this style in 2023 but got much better in 2024. My lighting skills have improved a lot.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Switching gears a little, I started experimenting more with architectural + cityscape photos, sometimes for work and sometimes because I live in a beautiful city.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Of course people aren't always available. For those moments, I'm grateful I live in a city with great animal life.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Outside of work, people are my favorite subject to shoot. Sometimes a friend needs a portrait, sometimes I wander street fairs. There's something fantastic about the little moments that show how people express themselves.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Other times, I'm out on assignment and I get a shot that isn't relevant to the story. These shots are often my favorite things that are left on the cutting room floor.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
One of the quirks of my work portfolio is that sometimes I'll get a shot and it's not quite useful for a news story. Sometimes it's technique or editing that I experiment with, but it doesn't turn out "journalistic" enough.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
(I published two full photo galleries from the conventions at capitolnewsillinois.com, so if you want more of my work there, it's available!)
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
And just for good measure, a few more convention shots:
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
But there were plenty of other shots that I really liked, from inside and outside the conventions halls.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Of course the headline news shots this year were from the DNC and RNC. I know you probably saw a million shots of the prime time speakers, but I'm particularly proud of what I was able to do, having never done something like this before.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Because of the nature of my job, I take a lot of photos of politicians, but I've enjoyed capturing the moments with these folks that help make a story feel more real.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Most of the photos I took this year (about two thirds) were for work. I cover politics and had the chance to witness some incredible moments and help tell some incredible stories.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
First up, the series I'm most proud of from this year. They're intimate and anonymous. They're personal and distant. I got them while killing time in a city I'd never been to.
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
(Fair warning: this is a lightly edited cross post from Twitter, so if you follow me there, you may have seen this already.)
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Happy new year! I don't post much, but I'm trying to be more active here, so let me catch you up on what me and my camera have been up to the past 12 months, featuring news/work stuff and personal projects.📷🧵
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Andrew Adams @drewjayadams.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Illinois is generally very ambitious about how it's been handling decarbonization. But while I was sniffing around about a potential bill that might come up in January, I noticed a distinct mood shift. My latest for Capitol News Illinois: capitolnewsillinois.com/news/worried...
capitolnewsillinois.com
Worried about grid reliability, state officials seek to boost renewables, energy storage
Illinois grapples with energy grid reliability as demand surges and renewable energy goals lag, raising fears of future blackouts.
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Leigh Giangreco @leighgiangreco.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
I have a Chicago labor story and a Chicago housing story out today and if you’re a newsroom, you can literally hire me right now to do more stuff like that
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Ben Szalinski @benszalinski.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Police can search a car if they smell raw cannabis, but not burnt cannabis, according to the Illinois Supreme Court. That's because Illinois law requires cannabis be in an odor-proof container when it's in a vehicle, according to the court capitolnewsillinois.com/news/smell-o...
capitolnewsillinois.com
Smell of raw cannabis allows police to search a vehicle, Illinois Supreme Court rules
Illinois Supreme Court rules that the smell of raw cannabis provides police probable cause to search vehicles.
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Ben Szalinski @benszalinski.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Turnout was down in Illinois, but voters are changing their habits. 53.3% of voters cast a ballot before Election Day, either by mail or early in person. Voters are showing they like convenience. Chart by @drewjayadams.bsky.social capitolnewsillinois.com/news/state-b...
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WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation launched a new online licensing system this fall, the first phase in a plan to modernize the management and licensing process for service providers across the state. to.wttw.com/4igx6YM
to.wttw.com
Illinois Rolls Out First Phase of Plan to Modernize Professional Licensing
The first professions to be licensed under the new system are clinical psychologists, music therapists and nail technicians.
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