Ex-aide to former Illinois House Speaker Madigan gets 2.5 years for perjury
Prosecutors told jurors that Mapes lied repeatedly when he testified in 2021 to a grand jury investigating Madigan and others.
Some Midwest states take power to ban wind and solar projects away from local communities
As the number of wind and solar farms increases, so does opposition in the rural areas where they’re being built. While more counties and townships passed restrictions in the last year, some states are responding by passing laws making it harder for local governments to say no to wind and solar. The land in Piatt…
A glitch in the FAFSA site prevents students with undocumented parents from applying for college aid
Despite efforts to simplify the Federal Application for Free Student Aid (FAFSA), students with undocumented parents are dealing with a frustrating website glitch that’s threatening their access to financial aid. A new online form launched at the end of last year — the result of the FAFSA Simplification Act that Congress passed in December 2020. The change was meant…
217 Today: Over one-third of Illinois fourth graders don’t have basic reading skills. The state plans to change that
Monday, February 12, 2024 Today’s headlines: Black health advocacy groups are calling on the state to properly fund Black-led HIV and AIDS treatment providers. There’s an error on the Federal Application for Free Student Aid website that does not allow undocumented parents to create an account without a social security number. The Fighting Illini men’s…
Over one-third of Illinois fourth graders don’t have basic reading skills. The state has a plan to change that
Senate Bill 2243 required the Illinois State Board of Education to create a literacy plan. The law emphasizes the plan should help school districts adopt evidence-based teaching strategies, including phonics.