State budget clears first hurdle with Senate vote — but elected school board map hits possible stall until next year
The plodding along on the state budget could still see the Illinois House passing the $50.6 billion spending plan by Friday.
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Catholic church in Illinois vastly underreported clergy sex abuse, Kwame Raoul finds
According to the results of a state investigation announced Tuesday by Illinois attorney general Kwame Raoul, the six Catholic dioceses in the state failed to acknowledge hundreds of allegedly abusive priests and other religious figures.
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Florida Gov. DeSantis hints at a presidential run in his speech to Republicans in Peoria
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday in Peoria teased at a presidential run he’s widely expected to announce later this month. Its a theme he’s honed in upon in recent appearances before friendly crowds. In a campaign-style speech at the Peoria and Tazewell County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner, DeSantis said it’s time for the Republican Party to look forward and offer what he calls a positive vision for the future, instead of nursing past grievances.
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Illinois’ government has spent billions in federal pandemic aid. What do some programs do when the money runs out?
With the Illinois and federal COVID-19 emergency orders ending May 11, some new programs will now seek state dollars.
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Chicago to host 2024 Democratic National Convention
The Democratic convention, to run from Aug. 19-22, 2024, is expected to draw up to 50,000 visitors to Chicago. Chicago last hosted a convention in 1996.
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Victim identified in deadly Belvidere roof collapse, five remain in critical condition
One person is dead after a roof collapse during a concert in Belvidere in northern Illinois, about an hour west of Chicago.
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The Illinois EPA has issued drinking water violation notices to 10 state-run prisons
Since last December, the agency has alleged facilities were not testing their water for harmful chemicals.
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Pritzker touts funding during visit to Lincoln Land Community College
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a stop in Springfield Wednesday that his budget proposal, with more money for higher education, will provide the largest increase in community college funding in two decades. “Illinois’ community colleges serve as an accelerator for local economies and individual students alike,” he said. “Illinois is poised to make history:…
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Five things to know as the Safe-T Act goes to the Illinois Supreme Court
The future of cash bail in Illinois is in the hands of the state’s Supreme Court. Illinois passed a law that eliminated the use of cash bail starting on January 1, 2023 as part of the SAFE-T Act. Under the law judges could no longer require people to pay money in order to leave jail while…
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It’s not Madigan’s trial, but the feds’ big upcoming case is all about the former speaker
Michael J. Madigan will likely never step foot in the federal courtroom where four former political power players are about to face trial, accused of trying to bribe the longtime Illinois House speaker to benefit ComEd. But the case starting Tuesday is all about Madigan. And once it’s underway, it is expected to finally pull…
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Assisting the arts throughout Illinois
RUSHVILLE — The Illinois Arts Council Agency provides grants to not-for-profit organizations around the state. But right now, it’s seeking something back – input. The state agency is holding a listening tour with a focus on central and southern Illinois. “I’m blown away by all of the stuff that is happening in the nooks and…
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Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson head to Chicago mayoral runoff
Mayor Lori Lightfoot was handed a stunning defeat, the first time in 40 years a sitting mayor was not reelected.
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NIU ‘Project FLEX’ offers fitness and college experiences to incarcerated Illinois youth
DEKALB — Several times a week, a team of NIU graduate students led by professors Zach Wahl-Alexander and Jenn Jacobs bring physical activities to three juvenile justice youth centers in northern Illinois. Wahl-Alexander and Jacobs teach in the school’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education and have run the program for the past four years….
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Illinois governor lays out a roadmap for a ‘transformed’ youth mental health care system
CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday released a blueprint for transforming what the state acknowledges is a confusing patchwork system for families who need greater access to mental health care for their children at a moment of overwhelming need both in Illinois and across the country. The current fragmented system, compounded by a workforce…
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COVID federal funding will expire. How are schools investing in student mental health for the long term?
LA MOILLE — Students in the La Moille School District don’t have a full-time school social worker or psychologist. For tiny, rural districts like La Moille — which has only 170 students — that’s not unusual. Rural schools are much less likely to offer mental health services than urban and suburban schools. 37% of high…
