Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan
Jury deliberated for nearly 15 hours before announcing stalemate on all counts
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State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban
Testimony rests on whether banned weapons are suited to military or civilian uses
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Illinois’ top court says odor of burnt marijuana isn’t enough to search car
The court affirmed lower court rulings that threw out evidence of a small amount of marijuana discovered during a traffic stop in Henry County in 2020.
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University of Illinois system approves more than $8 billion budget to keep up with growing number of students
URBANA — The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved an $8.3 billion budget for the current fiscal year, representing a 6.2% increase from fiscal year 2024. The U of I system reported another record year in student enrollment for the fall semester, with a systemwide total of 97,772 enrolled students at the universities in…
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‘This type of rhetoric can have deadly consequences’: Durbin warns about speech that could incite violence during Senate hearing on hate crimes
WASHINGTON – Senator Dick Durbin participated in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week focused on combating the rise of hate crimes in the U.S. The hearing examined threats facing marginalized communities and how the federal government can better protect the civil rights and safety of all including Jewish, Arab, and Muslim Americans. …
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217 Today: Chicken farmers sue Tyson after the company closed a plant and ended their contracts
Thursday, September 19, 2024 Today’s headlines: In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn why some farmers are suing Tyson Farms. 217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Linda Kenyon, Alex Degman, Mae Antar and Frank Morris.
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Chicken farmers sue Tyson after the company closed a Missouri plant and ended their contracts
Commercial chicken farmers literally bet the farm, spending millions of dollars on land and enormous chicken houses to raise birds they never own — putting their livelihoods in the hands of a single company that is both their supplier and sole buyer. When Tyson closed a processing plant in southeast Missouri, some farmers facing bankruptcy…
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Senate Republicans again block legislation to guarantee women’s rights to IVF
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue. The Senate vote was Democrats’ latest attempt to force Republicans into a defensive stance on women’s health issues…
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A year after end of cash bail, early research shows impact less than many hoped or feared
Jail populations down, no change in failure to appear rate, analysis shows SPRINGFIELD – One year after Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate the use of cash bail, the impact on the state’s criminal justice system appears to have been far less dramatic than people on either side of the…
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Case of former AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan heads to jury
Ex-AT&T Illinois president maintains company got legislative win through legal lobbying CHICAGO – On Valentine’s Day in 2017, then-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza got some good news: After years of trying to push for legislation in Springfield that would save the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael…
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217 Today: Sexually abusive calls burden 988 mental health crisis line counselors. They want more protection
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 Today’s headlines: In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn why some say there are not enough policies to protect crisis counselors. 217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Linda Kenyon, Anulika Ochuba, Kulsoom Khan and Melissa Ellin.
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Testimony continues in 2nd Amendment challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban
The case is being heard in federal district court in East St. Louis EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade…
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No ‘threat to public health’: ADM responds after violation notice from EPA on carbon sequestration project
DECATUR- Agribusiness giant ADM is responding after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found last week that the company violated federal regulations, a federal permit and the Safe Drinking Water Act earlier this year when a monitoring well at their carbon sequestration site in Decatur leaked liquified carbon dioxide into “unauthorized zones.” ADM says it has…
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Prosecutors rest case against former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing Madigan
Former Illinois House speaker appears in separate courtroom ahead of own trial CHICAGO – After years of pushing in Springfield, AT&T Illinois’ executive team was thrilled when the Illinois General Assembly in 2017 passed legislation that would get the company out from under expensive obligations to maintain its aging copper landline wires in Illinois. “Game…
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Contractor’s unsecured databases exposed sensitive voter data in over a dozen Illinois counties
Experts say oversight could affect personal data security but not election integrity Around 4.6 million records associated with Illinoisans in over a dozen counties – including voting records, registrations and death certificates – were temporarily available on the open internet, according to a security researcher who identified the vulnerability in July. The documents were…
