A state appellate panel has ordered the Chicago Department of Finance to release records about vehicle ticketing to a freelance reporter.The panel of the 1st District Appellate Court affirmed the circuit court’s decision that the documents were not exempt under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).Justice Mary Ellen Coghlan delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.In 2018, journalist Matt Chapman sued the finance department in Cook County Circuit Court over records requested through FOIA.Chapman had …