SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are considering whether to waive the concealed carry license fee for qualified veterans. The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Mike Murphy, a Republican from Springfield, would eliminate the fee for veterans who were honorably discharged and had earned a marksmanship badge. Jason Hoffman, with the Illinois Veterans of Foreign Wars, said
New Tool Will Help Farmers Calculate Crop Insurance URBANA – Farmers must make decisions about crop insurance over the next few weeks, and a new tool from the University of Illinois can help. The crop insurance calculator allows farmers to enter their state, county, crop, and other farm information, and it spits out different premiums. It was
President Commutes Prison Term Of Former Gov. Blagojevich CHICAGO – President Donald Trump says he has commuted the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The 63-year-old Democrat is expected to walk out of prison later Tuesday. Trump told reporters the sentence was “ridiculous.” The former governor was convicted of political corruption in
Families Begin Moving Into Champaign’s New Bristol Development CHAMPAIGN – Champaign city officials say the first families began moving into the new Bristol Development over the weekend. The 90-units making up Phase One of the development were built on the site of the old Bristol Place neighborhood at Bradley Avenue and Market Street on the
Jury Finds Henslick Guilty In 2009 Holly Cassano Murder URBANA — Jurors on Friday found an Illinois man guilty of murdering 22-year-old Holly Cassano, more than a decade after she was stabbed to death at her mobile home in Mahomet. Michael Henslick, now 31, was 21 at the time of Cassano’s murder in November 2009,
Presidential Candidate Bloomberg Opens Offices In Illinois ROCK ISLAND – Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg plans to open 14 campaign offices in the state, with 80 staff members, according to Will Dubbs, Bloomberg’s Deputy States Director. Between now and the Illinois primary on March 17, campaign workers will focus on recruiting volunteers for phone
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
Judge Orders Municipalities To Refund Carle Foundation $6.2 Million URBANA – A circuit judge has ordered the city of Urbana and other local taxing bodies to refund $6.2 million in property tax payments to the Carle Foundation. In a ruling issued Wednesday, Judge Randall Rosenbaum also called on Carle and the taxing authorities to end
Survey: Most Americans Want Changes To US Health Care System URBANA – More than 90 percent of Americans say changes are needed to make the U.S. health care system more affordable and lower drug costs. That’s according to a new national survey from Public Agenda, USA Today and Ipsos. Chris Jackson is vice president of Ipsos. He
State Senator Trying To End FOID Cards QUAD CITIES – Once again Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Moline) is trying to eliminate Illinois’ firearm owners identification (FOID) card. He thinks the firearm owners identification card is un-necessary, and a costly burden for the Illinois State Police. Getting a FOID card requires a background check by the state
Proposed Bill Would Add ‘Sexting’ To Sex Ed DEKALB – A recently-proposed plan would add sexting to the list of topics covered in Illinois sex education courses. Middle and high schools in the state would be required to discuss with students the social, academic and legal consequences of sending or receiving sexually explicit images. State Rep. Maurice
EIU Reports 2% Spring Enrollment Increase CHARLESTON – Spring enrollment is up at Eastern Illinois University, although by a smaller margin than a year ago. Tenth-day enrollment figures at the state university in Charleston were up two percent from last spring, at 7,621. That compares to a seven percent increase reported last spring. Undergraduate enrollment
Supreme Court: Domestic Violence Survivor Can Own A Gun SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court says a woman once convicted of domestic violence is entitled to own a gun. At issue is a federal law meant to keep guns away from people convicted of domestic violence. The Illinois State Police used that to justify denying
Gov. Pritzker Signs Law Allowing More Young People To Vote SPRINGFIELD – A new law signed Wednesday will give students two hours out of their school day to go vote in elections. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker approved the change to give high schoolers of legal age a chance to vote during school hours. Senator Elgie Sims, a
Peoria Bidding To Keep High School Basketball Tournaments PEORIA – The Peoria Civic Center placed bids to host both the IHSA Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments for the next three years. Peoria has some competition. Champaign wants the boys tournament, and Normal is bidding to keep the girls tournament. Peoria has played host to the boys tournament