Ray Long, 67, and a native of Winchester, announced his retirement from the Chicago Tribune on July 2.
Long started with the Tribune in 1998 as their Springfield correspondent covering state news and eventually moved to their watchdog group in 2015. Long took a buyout from the Tribune Publishing ownership this week, saying on his social media that he was considering retirement prior to the offer. Before the long stint at the Chicago Tribune, Long worked for the Associated Press, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Peoria Journal-Star and the Alton Telegraph, totaling up over 45 years covering Illinois politics.
Long has won several awards for his work over the years, including being a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2017 and 2018.
In 2022, he published the critically-acclaimed book about now-convicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan called “The House that Madigan Built.”
Never one to forget his hometown, Long was a frequent radio guest on WLDS over the years, providing information on Chicago, Madigan and state politics to local listeners.