SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday grilled officials about the practice of locking kids in “seclusion rooms” in schools. It’s the first legislative hearing since a news report brought attention to the practice late last year. The story, from ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune, revealed thousands of incidents in which kids with special needs were…
An Email From A Powerful Former State Lobbyist Hints At A Rape Cover-Up A powerful former Springfield lobbyist and close friend of House Speaker Michael Madigan once sought leniency for a state worker in a disciplinary case by arguing that the worker “kept his mouth shut” about an unspecified rape in Champaign. In the previously…
The Midwest is home to one of the largest Amish populations in the nation. And many of these settlements overlap with rural Appalachian counties, where…
PALATINE – A more than four year fight to secure equal access to locker rooms for transgender students in a north suburban Chicago school district ended Tuesday when a new policy allowing them unrestricted access took effect. The Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board voted 5-2 in favor of the policy change in November, WLS-TV…
Decatur Schools, TA Union Fail To Reach Agreement In Latest Talks DECATUR – Negotiators for Decatur Public Schools and the union representing its teaching assistants met with a federal mediator for more than three hours Monday night. It was the first bargaining session between the two sides in nearly a month. A statement released by…
URBANA – Practicing yoga could lead to improved brain health, according to a University of Illinois review of the available research on how the practice affects the brain. Neha Gothe, a U of I assistant professor and coauthor of the research review, said the brain health benefits of yoga are similar to the neural effects…
Chicago-Area U.S. Soldier Killed In Attack In Kenya A U.S. solider from the Chicago area was among three people killed in an attack on a military base in Kenya. The family of Henry Mayfield Jr. of Hazel Crest confirmed his death to NBC affiliate WMAQ. The 23-year-old held the rank of Army Specialist. Mayfield’s mother…
SPRINGFIELD – Last June, as the Illinois General Assembly wrapped up its spring session, first-year Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked whether he would simply kick back and wait for his re-election campaign. After all, he had accomplished virtually everything on which he had campaigned: A balanced budget, a multi-billion-dollar statewide construction program, legalization of marijuana…
CHAMPAIGN — Owners of Illinois glass pipe shops are elated to begin selling bongs after the state’s law legalizing recreational marijuana took effect. Jeremy Sample, part-owner of CU Glass Connection, told The News-Gazette that he and primary owner Owen Serpetis opened their shop Dec. 16 in anticipation of the new Illinois law that started Jan. 1. “I’ve…
DECATUR – The mayor of Decatur said she’s waiting to see how the legalization of recreational cannabis in Illinois plays out in towns across the state before she’ll be swayed in her position against allowing cannabis sales in her city. Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe and the City Council voted last fall to ban the sale…
Illinois Sold More Than $3 Million In Legal Weed On First Sales Day Illinois’ recreational cannabis dispensaries made around $3.2 million in sales on New Year’s Day, according to early estimates from a state agency overseeing the now-legal industry. Customers lined up at 20 dispensaries that were open across the state and made more than…
A pair of laws recently enacted in Illinois were designed to take into account how children are affected by their parents’ incarceration and to find…
Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed Friday in Baghdad. The U.S. secretary of defense said Soleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members throughout the region.”
The Illinois economy continues to grow at a steady rate. The University of Illinois Flash Index ticked up to 105.6 in December, slightly higher than November’s 105.4. Any number above 100 indicates economic growth.
Illinois Sees First Legal Sales Of Recreational Cannabis The sale of cannabis for recreational purposes is now legal in Illinois. The change took effect with the new year, to the delight of pot fans. Many began lining up hours early at dispensaries. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that about 500 people were outside Dispensary 33 in…