Actor Jussie Smollett Faces 6 New Charges In Chicago CHICAGO – Actor Jussie Smollett has been indicted for a second time on charges of lying to police about a racist and anti-gay attack he allegedly staged on himself last year in downtown Chicago. The indictment came from a special prosecutor who was appointed after Cook
School Nurses Can Treat With CBD Now SPRINGFIELD – Illinois has distributed some 94,000 medical marijuana licenses, and about 600 of those went to children under the age of 18. A new law allows school nurses and officials to administer such medications on campus, at school activities, or even on a school bus. No school
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
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
Illinois Boy Charged In Fatal Fire To Be Evaluated By Expert EUREKA — A 9-year-old boy charged in a central Illinois fire that killed five people will be evaluated by a child trauma expert to determine if he’s fit to stand trial. The Chicago Tribune reports that the boy’s attorney, Peter Dluski, said in a
To solve a host of problems the district faces, Champaign Unit 4 Schools officials recently proposed swapping two elementary school campuses. At a Unit 4 Board of Education meeting Monday night, the district’s superintendent, Susan Zola, suggested moving the International Prep Academy (IPA), a kindergarten through fifth grade bilingual program with majority Hispanic enrollment located on West
Central Illinois Man Arrested On Charges Of Threatening US Rep. Rodney Davis ROCHESTER – A man has been charged with threatening to shoot central Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis. 64-year-old Randall Tarr lives in the town of Rochester, just outside Springfield. Federal prosecutors say late last month, he saw a TV ad about Davis, called a
Savoy Bars Cannabis-Related Businesses Ahead of Legalization SAVOY – The Savoy Village Board voted Wednesday night to bar any cannabis-related businesses from opening within their borders. With one trustee absent, the board voted 5 to nothing to prohibit all cannabis businesses in Savoy. The trustees said most residents they heard from opposed allowing the businesses,
Nearly 2,500 Drivers Caught Speeding At 100 MPH In 2019 SPRINGFIELD – In a tweet, the Illinois State Police said troopers have handed out 2,492 tickets since January for driving 100 miles per hour or faster on Illinois roadways. Spokeswoman Mindy Carroll said that’s actually down slightly from last year. She also said state police
Urbana Board Votes To Increase Police Presence In Schools The Urbana District 116 Board of Education voted 4 to 3 Tuesday night to quadruple police presence in the district’s middle and high schools. The measure comes after a fight in February at the high school that resulted in multiple arrests and injuries. Since 1993, the district
How many people would come to discuss the topic of students and trauma? No guests had been confirmed, but social media activity suggested high turnout for Illinois Newsroom’s first event News & Brews: How Schools Can Better Help Kids Cope. Now it was a question of capacity. The tap room in Riggs Beer Company in
Children who experience trauma often face behavioral, health and academic challenges, according to decades of research . Kristine Argue, instructional…
Last month, about a dozen people gathered in the basement of a church in Champaign, Ill. to learn how traumatic experiences affect the lives of children and young adults, and what they can do to mitigate its effects.