CHICAGO – It’s not quite like former Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne moving into Cabrini-Green — but Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey is now living in the former John Hancock Center, one of Chicago’s most iconic high-rises, to “immerse” himself “in the culture” of a city he’s repeatedly dubbed a “hellhole.” Bailey, a downstate farmer and…
Election season is around the corner, and so are renewed conversations around voter fraud and election integrity. States like Wisconsin and Georgia have recently removed hundreds of thousands of names off their voter lists, in what critics are calling “voter purges.” And in preparation for the 2020 election, the Ohio secretary of state removed nearly…
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in the Belleville News-Democrat. Candidates for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District on Thursday shared plans for what action they would take — and would not take — on abortion if elected in November. The newly drawn 13th Congressional District includes parts of St. Clair, Madison, Champaign, Macon, Piatt and…
PEORIA — Caterpillar has settled a long-running tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS maintained Caterpillar owes the federal government more than $2.3 billion in unpaid taxes and penalties stemming from the company’s alleged tax avoidance practice of funneling U.S. profits through the Swiss subsidiary CSARL, as of 2018. Caterpillar announced it reached a…
NORMAL — Unit 5 has invoked a rarely used state statute that allows school districts to reject teacher resignations in certain circumstances. McLean County’s largest district denied four resignations, submitted by special education teachers weeks before the first day of school. Two of the teachers agreed to stay for the 2022-2023 school year. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s402/audio/2022/09/unit5resign-segment.mp3 Listen…
Student debt has soared in the 21st Century. It went from $520 billion in 2006 to now over $1.7 trillion. The Biden administration recently announced a student loan forgiveness program. Some borrowers could have as much as $20,000 forgiven. The White House estimates that around 43 million borrowers could be eligible for some debt forgiveness. Of those, close to half could…
CHICAGO — Illinois Republicans last controlled the state Supreme Court the same year the former John Hancock building opened along North Michigan Avenue, and the Chicago Cubs infamously blew the National League pennant. History buffs will recognize that year as 1969. In other words, it’s been a long time. But this November, that 53-year string…
The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced new-and-improved Illinois Official Bike Maps, a free and convenient resource showcasing the state’s vast bicycle network of trails, paths and streets. Maps for each of IDOT’s nine districts include new features and designs that make them easier to understand, while including more information on noteworthy stops and attractions…
A celebration of life for late Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day on Saturday night resembled a spiritual revival, a rally, a memorial and a party with music, food and dancing. The event at ISU’s Bone Student Center was to remember Jelani Day, a 25-year-old from Danville who was pursuing a graduate degree in…
HAVANA, Ill. — Federal and state agencies spend millions of dollars every year to keep destructive invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, at least 25 destructive species — like water fleas and bloody red shrimp — are inching closer to the Mississippi River Basin. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/08/08.24.22.InvasivesFeature.mp3 Listen to this story here. Invasive silver carp…
ROCKFORD — With the new school year starting, reports of a “national teacher shortage” are at an all-time high. But is staffing a school actually way harder this year than previous years? Is there a teacher shortage? A superintendent at a small school district in rural Illinois might tell you about how elementary teacher positions…
LEXINGTON — An array of issues, ranging from biofuels and renewable energy to livestock protection and trade agreements, faced Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Republican challenger Kathy Salvi during the Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable candidates forum Wednesday in rural Lexington. The recently signed Inflation Reduction Act and the Biden Administration’s student loan forgiveness plan…
ROCKFORD — Advanced Placement — or AP — classes were created over 70 years ago to give high school students a jump-start on the path to college. Students can earn early college credit by scoring high on AP tests. But, even in 2022, that opportunity often isn’t available to every student. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/08/0822apf.mp3 Listen to this…
NORMAL — Over the next five years, the Diverse Corn Belt project will be conducting research to discover opportunities that can be created from diversified farming systems and investigate the impacts of transformed crop rotations. The multidisciplinary research project funded by a $10 million grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will…
BARTONVILLE –U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth says she’s concerned the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision could lead to additional limitations of reproductive choices. “The Dobbs decision on Roe v. Wade wasn’t about banning or not banning abortion. It was about whether or not people with uteruses have the…