Why Raising The Smoking Age To 21 May Not Be Enough
Just a few weeks ago, some Midwest state legislatures were aiming to raise the legal age for smoking. But Congress moved first, setting a new national…
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News Around Illinois – January 13, 2020
2 Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan From Illinois, Virginia KABUL, Afghanistan — The Pentagon says the two soldiers killed Saturday in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb were from Illinois and Virginia. On Sunday, military officials identified the casualties as 21-year-old Pfc. Miguel A. Villalon of Joliet, Illinois; and 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Ian P. McLaughlin of Newport…
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New Law Removes Big Barrier For Aspiring Teachers
SPRINGFIELD – In an attempt to relieve Illinois’ severe teacher shortage, state lawmakers last year voted to remove a requirement known as the “basic skills test.” That test has proven to be a stumbling block, especially for people pursuing the profession later in life, as a second career. This change, enacted just five months ago, has…
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What Can Illinois’ Jails And Prisons Do To Improve The Lives Of The Children Of The Incarcerated?
Advocates have ideas being hashed out by a state task force. Attorney Alexis Mansfield said her clients have told her troubling stories of what happens…
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Five Charts That Show Who’s Leaving Illinois And Why
More people are leaving Illinois. The biggest jumps are among older folks, high-income residents and those with college degrees.
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News Around Illinois – January 10, 2020
Michael Madigan’s Friend Dodges Questions About ‘Rape’ Comment In An Email Consummate Illinois Democratic insider Michael McClain dodged questions Thursday about an email in which he sought leniency for a state worker in a disciplinary case, having argued that the man was politically loyal and had stayed silent about “the rape in Champaign.” In his…
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Illinois Official Highlights Election Integrity Problems, Solutions
WASHINGTON – A central-Illinois election official told a Congressional panel Thursday some of the voting machines Illinoisans used in the last election are still susceptible to tampering. But he said efforts are underway to prevent it from happening again. In 2016, Russian military hackers targeted Illinois’ statewide voter database. The State Board of Elections addressed…
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News Around Illinois – January 9, 2020
Illinois Task Force On Property Taxes Earns Critique SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin says a statewide task force designed to address local property taxes has so far failed to do so. He and other House Republicans roundly criticized the group Wednesday, which was created shortly after state lawmakers approved a ballot question…
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New Trade Deal For US, Mexico And Canada Clears Another Hurdle
A much-anticipated update to the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement is one step closer to implementation. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance…
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President Trump To Deliver Statement On Iran
The president’s remarks Wednesday morning will come shortly after Iran launched missile strikes against U.S. military forces in Iraq in apparent retaliation for the killing of Qassem Soleimani.
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‘Leave Garden Hills Alone’ Champaign Residents Oppose Unit 4 Campus Swap
Garden Hills Elementary School parents, neighbors and Champaign community members said they opposed a proposal that would swap the school’s campus in north Champaign with the International Prep Academy — the district’s bilingual program. A diverse crowd packed the Garden Hills cafeteria for a listening and information session hosted by Champaign Unit 4 Superintendent Susan…
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Lawmakers Demand Answers On ‘Seclusion Rooms’
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…
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News Around Illinois – January 8, 2020
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…
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Breast Cancer Is Killing Amish Woman. This Bus Brings Help.
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…
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Transgender Students Secure Unrestricted Locker Room Access
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…
