Citizens Club Policy Forum: What Just Happened?

Description

"What Just Happened?” is sure to be a lively and informative discussion of the results of local, state and national elections. The Citizens Club invites you to hear a panel discussion moderated by retired journalist Bernie Schoenburg with Brenden Moore of Capital News Illinois and Patrick Pfingsten of The Illinoize political newsletter and radio host.  Questions from the audience will follow the discussion.  Free coffee and networking at 7:30 a.m.; program from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  

Bernie Schoenburg was a journalist with The Pantagraph of Bloomington, the Associated Press in Chicago, and for 30 years until his retirement, with The State Journal-Register, where he was political writer and columnist for 28 years. He covered seven national political conventions and the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama.  He is a journalism graduate of the University of Illinois in Champaign, and in 2022 was named to the Illini Media Hall of Fame for accomplishments after working for the campus newspaper, the Daily Illini. In 2023, he received a distinguished service award from the Illinois Press Association for his work in the newspaper industry. Among activities in retirement, he is on the board of Local Journalism Matters, the newly established nonprofit organization that includes Illinois Times. 
 

Brenden Moore has been a state government and politics reporter for Capitol News Illinois since October 2025. He previously spent nearly five years as Springfield bureau chief for Lee Enterprises newspapers and three years covering city government and local business for The State Journal-Register.  A native of Chicago’s northern suburbs, Moore earned his bachelor’s degree from DePaul University, where he studied journalism and political science, and his master’s degree through the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield.  

Patrick Pfingsten is a former award-winning journalist and longtime political strategist who currently writes The Illinoize political newsletter and hosts an afternoon talk show on WMAY Radio in Springfield. He was a political reporter at WDWS Radio in Champaign from 2005-2011 and worked on political campaigns from 2011-2020, including local, state legislative, congressional, and statewide races around the Midwest. In 2020, Pfingsten began writing a political newsletter called The Illinoize to discuss legislative races that were being overlooked during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the newsletter blossomed into a daily edition with thousands of subscribers. He returned to radio at WMAY as a fill-in host in 2022, began hosting mornings in 2024, and moved to afternoons in 2025.