U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk has suffered a stroke and is in surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, sources say. The 51-year-old Highland Park Republican served the 10th Congressional district for 10 years before being elected to President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. Check dailyherald.com for further updates.
Mike Riopell covers state government and politics from Springfield, tracking the governor, state lawmakers and courts in the state capital.
Riopell previously worked out of the Daily Herald's Lake County bureau, and is covering his seventh legislative session.
While not blogging, he enjoys cycling, fishing, golfing and home repair. Follow him on Twitter at
Kerry Lester is the Daily Herald's politics and projects writer, covering congressional, state and local politics through a suburban lens.
Kerry started her reporting career in the paper's Fox Valley bureau, covering education before she moved to the political beat. She's won first place awards from the Chicago Journalists Association and Inland Press Association. She is a five time Peter Lisagor Award finalist.
An avid runner, Kerry's training for her first Boston Marathon. Follow her on twitter at @kerrylester and "like" her Facebook fan page by clicking on her Facebook photo.
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