Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies at 84

IllinoisAP via NPR / WBEZ · Oct 5, 2026

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies at 84

The Yorkville-area Republican led the House from 1999 to 2007 and later went to prison in a hush-money case tied to abuse of teen wrestlers.

Dennis Hastert, the Illinois Republican who was speaker of the U.S. House from 1999 to 2007, died Saturday at his home while receiving hospice care, the Kendall County coroner said Monday, according to the Associated Press (via NPR). He was 84; the coroner cited natural causes.

Hastert pleaded guilty in a 2015–16 federal case over evading banking rules to pay hush money, and prosecutors said he sexually abused teenage members of the wrestling team he coached in Yorkville. He served 15 months in prison.

Source: NPR (AP) · WBEZ Rundown

Paraphrased for the Oct 5, 2026 Monday evening digest. Read the original at the source link. Not affiliated with the newsroom.