Mountain lion captured in Springfield settling in at new home

Mountain lion captured in Springfield settling in at new home

A young male mountain lion that traveled from Nebraska to Springfield is now a resident of the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Indiana. “From our point of view, he’s doing surprisingly well,” said Joe Taft, the center’s founder and director. “When he came, he was pretty upset. He had been sedated and then, had to…

Rivian’s second shift in Normal is now making vehicles, as supply chain ‘uncertainty’ continues

Rivian’s second shift in Normal is now making vehicles, as supply chain ‘uncertainty’ continues

NORMAL – A second shift of workers is now making electric vehicles at Rivian’s plant in Normal, even as global supply chain issues continue to be the “largest source of uncertainty” for the company. Rivian now has 6,680 workers in Normal. Adding a second shift increases the hours each day when vehicles are being produced…

Illinois abortions increased nearly 30% in two months after Supreme Court’s ruling

Illinois abortions increased nearly 30% in two months after Supreme Court’s ruling

For months, abortion providers in the Metro East have described a surge in patients since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. A national report from the Society for Family Planning has documented that increase. It notes that Illinois clinics performed nearly 30% more abortions in August than…

Eric Sorensen declares victory in 17th Congressional District

Eric Sorensen declares victory in 17th Congressional District

MOLINE — Democrat Eric Sorensen has declared victory in the 17th Congressional District. His opponent, Republican Esther Joy King, called to concede Wednesday morning. “This morning, my opponent Esther Joy King called to concede. I thank her for running, and while we disagreed on the issues, we both have a passion for service,” Sorensen said…

Democrat Alexi Giannoulias wins race for Illinois secretary of state
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Democrat Alexi Giannoulias wins race for Illinois secretary of state

Former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias ran a well-funded campaign against veteran Illinois legislator Dan Brady, a Republican, to succeed the retiring Jesse White. CHICAGO –Alexi Giannoulias’ last run for office — in 2010, for President Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat — ended in stinging defeat that halted his political career. Until Tuesday, at least,…

Democrats hold on to majority on Illinois Supreme Court as Judge Elizabeth Rochford declares victory
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Democrats hold on to majority on Illinois Supreme Court as Judge Elizabeth Rochford declares victory

Rochford thanked her supporters about 10:30 p.m. after her Republican opponent, Mark Curran, called to concede in the newly drawn suburban 2nd District. WAUKEGAN — Democrats held on to their majority on the Illinois Supreme Court Tuesday night as Judge Elizabeth Rochford declared victory in one of two vacant seats up for grabs. Rochford thanked…

JB Pritzker declares victory over GOP challenger Darren Bailey

JB Pritzker declares victory over GOP challenger Darren Bailey

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker declared victory in his reelection bid over Republican downstate state senator Darren Bailey — in an apparent victory that also clears a path to any future political aspirations. The Associated Press called the race at 7 p.m., based on exit polling. With 20% of precincts reporting, Pritzker led Bailey 60.6% to…

Sen. Tammy Duckworth cruises to a second term over Republican challenger Kathy Salvi

Sen. Tammy Duckworth cruises to a second term over Republican challenger Kathy Salvi

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Tuesday coasted to a second term, fending off a challenge from Republican challenger Kathy Salvi to extend her historic Senate career another six years. A spokesperson for Salvi’s campaign said the challenger had called to concede less than an hour after the polls closed. Duckworth declared victory shortly before…

Valuable Lincoln artifacts are taken from a Springfield museum as feuding with a not-for-profit intensifies

Valuable Lincoln artifacts are taken from a Springfield museum as feuding with a not-for-profit intensifies

SPRINGFIELD — A valuable cache of 1,500-plus Lincoln artifacts that were part of a multimillion-dollar acquisition 15 years ago was trucked away this week from the Springfield Lincoln museum that had housed them — with no plans of bringing them back. It’s the latest by-product of an acrimonious relationship between the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library…

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker moves to make abortion more accessible to people in prisons
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker moves to make abortion more accessible to people in prisons

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pledged to remove a barrier to abortion for people in prison after a WBEZ investigation found incarcerated people had to pay for the procedure and the wages of the correctional officer required to accompany them to appointments outside the prison. “Moving forward, abortion procedures and their associated expenses will…

Only 1 in 3 Illinois 4th graders is a proficient reader. Why are we struggling to teach kids to read

Only 1 in 3 Illinois 4th graders is a proficient reader. Why are we struggling to teach kids to read

DEKALB — Only one of every three 4th-graders in Illinois is a proficient reader, and that puts the state in the middle of the pack. Reading is not natural. That’s one thing David Paige says a lot of people don’t really understand. He’s a literacy professor and director of the Jerry Johns Literacy Clinic at…

Illinois opens second round of EV rebates

Illinois opens second round of EV rebates

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois has again offered money to help individuals purchase electric vehicles. “The Illinois EPA saw a great deal of interest in electric vehicle rebates in the first round, with more than 2,000 applications received and over $8.7 million issued in rebates,” said Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director John Kim. “Electric vehicles represent the…

Illinois student test scores are in. They remain far below pre-pandemic levels in reading and math

Illinois student test scores are in. They remain far below pre-pandemic levels in reading and math

CHICAGO — Illinois students continue to perform far below pre-pandemic levels on state reading and math exams for a second year, test results released Thursday show, offering another sign of the ongoing toll of COVID-19 and remote learning. Students performed at roughly the same level as last year, which is well below the last round…

Illinois Secretary of State candidates tout experience in bids to replace Jesse White
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Illinois Secretary of State candidates tout experience in bids to replace Jesse White

BLOOMINGTON — Illinois will soon have a new Secretary of State for the first time in nearly a quarter century. Longtime legislator Dan Brady of Bloomington says he bided his time until Jesse White retired to run for the office. Brady faces Alexi Giannoulias, a well-financed opponent who is seeking his second statewide office. Listen…

Mountain lion makes its way into Springfield

Mountain lion makes its way into Springfield

A young male mountain lion is making its way through central Illinois and conservation officials are asking the public to let it continue to roam. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said it was captured and fitted with a GPS collar in Nebraska last fall as part of a research project. IDNR is notifying residents…