Illinois House votes to ban assault weapons and broaden abortion protections
About six months after the Highland Park mass shooting, Illinois lawmakers advanced a bill to ban assault weapons.
Illinois Reps. Bost, Budzinski and Miller each disagree on who should be next House speaker
Illinois’ congressional delegation remains split on the choices for the U.S. House’s next speaker as the body took a rare sixth unsuccessful vote Wednesday afternoon. However, Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, and Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, agree on one thing: They are ready to put the voting behind them. While Bost, who represents the 12th District […]
Rockford community disappointed by school board’s response to school violence protests
ROCKFORD — In October, the family of a Rockford Public Schools student filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school board, a school resource officer and several administrators from Auburn High School. The suit says that in the fall of 2021, Parris Moore, who was a freshman at the time and stood less than […]
Vice president touts bridge funding in Chicago: ‘We will finally fix this problem’
Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Chicago is part of the Biden administration’s united effort to highlight how the bipartisan infrastructure law is driving the economy.
Latex gloves are no longer allowed in Illinois food service, next is health care in 2024
ALTON — Illinois food service providers are now barred from using latex gloves as a new state law takes effect. The Illinois General Assembly passed the Latex Glove Ban Act this year, which Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law in June. The goal of the new law is to protect workers and customers who may […]
Illinois Supreme Court halts abolition of cash bail
The justices issued their order Saturday evening, hours before the new law was slated to take effect, to maintain the status quo across the state.
A judge ruled the portion of the SAFE-T Act ending cash bail is unconstitutional
A Kankakee County judge has ruled that the portion of the state’s controversial SAFE-T Act that ends cash bail is unconstitutional. The judge’s ruling late Wednesday comes just four days before cash bail was set to be abolished across Illinois as part of the massive criminal-justice reform law. In his ruling, Kankakee County Chief Judge Thomas W. […]
Rodney Davis set to exit after a decade in Congress
Rodney Davis is set to leave office after a decade of representing central Illinois in Congress. In June, the Taylorville Republican lost in the GOP primary to fellow incumbent Mary Miller. One of Davis’ final acts in Congress was to help pass the a bill that formalizes same-sex and interracial marriage protections. President Joe Biden signed the […]
Retiring Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White reveals the racism that shaped his legacy
You may know White because his name is on your driver’s license or you’ve seen his tumblers at parades. But there’s a lot more to White’s legendary political career as it comes to an end. CHICAGO — Democrat Jesse White is leaving office next month as Illinois’ longest-serving and first African American secretary of state. […]
OSF HealthCare using remote monitoring program honed during COVID-19 pandemic to manage RSV patients
PEORIA — Hospitals are facing a capacity crunch just in time for the holidays. That’s due to respiratory viruses, but COVID-19 isn’t the biggest driver of hospitalizations this winter. Instead, medical officials say an earlier-than-usual onset of RSV, coupled with an influenza wave, are packing emergency departments to capacity. That’s particularly true for pediatric units […]
A federal bill with bipartisan support could bring 20x more money to Illinois conservation efforts
NORMAL — That manatees still swim along Florida’s coast, grizzly bears still roam the west and bald eagles still fly in North American skies is due, in large part, to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 — once described by the Supreme Court as “the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted […]
New area code coming to southern Illinois
The Illinois Commerce Commission has announced another new area code in the state, this one for 37 southern counties. That will include communities such as Alton, Belleville, Cairo, Carbondale, Centralia, E. St. Louis, Edwardsville and Marion. The new area 730 area code will overlay the existing 618 area code. It’s being done to address the […]
Rivian and Mercedes pause plans to build electric vans together in Europe
Rivian says it’s canceling plans to build electric vans with Mercedes-Benz in Europe, just three months after their joint venture was announced. Rivian is calling it a “pause” in the partnership. The company says it wants to focus on its consumer business and existing commercial business — which is making vans for Amazon. The e-commerce giant […]
State Farm ends retiree charitable matching gifts
BLOOMINGTON – In a surprising move that has implications for not-for-profit organizations in central Illinois, State Farm is cutting back on its charitable giving in at least one area. The company website notes retirees will no longer be eligible for the company’s charitable matching gift program, effective with the new year. The Bloomington-based insurer will […]
A Chicago private school defends LGBTQ sex ed after right-wing viral video
CHICAGO – An elite Chicago private school tightened security and disabled its Twitter and Facebook accounts after a video of its dean of students secretly recorded by a conservative group went viral on Wednesday. The video captures the dean talking last week about a visit to Francis W. Parker School by an LGBTQ health organization to […]