By ANDREW ADAMS& BEN SZALINSKICapitol News [email protected] CHICAGO – Lawmakers apparently are close to a deal to resolve one of Springfield’s most hotly contested issues this session: transit reform. Public transit agencies in Chicagoland — a region with roughly two-thirds of Illinois’ population — face a collective $770 million budget gap in the upcoming fiscal…… MORE
By BEN SZALINSKICapitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – President Donald Trump marked the 100th day of his second term on Tuesday as Gov. JB Pritzker has spent the week calling on Americans to pressure congressional Republicans to oppose Trump’s agenda and highlighting how Trump’s policies affect Illinois. “I’m deeply concerned about what the next 100 days,…… MORE
Advocates for after-school programs that provide tutoring, recreation and other services made their case again Tuesday for a $50 million state appropriation to restore programs in some schools where funding has run out and to expand them into more schools.… MORE
John Gerend, a Vietnam War veteran from Lake Villa, Illinois, was exposed to Agent Orange while on duty. Suffering from diseases associated with exposure to the toxic chemical, he said he still considers himself fortunate.… MORE
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth endorsed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Monday in the 2026 Democratic primary for Illinois’ open seat to replace longtime Sen. Dick Durbin. … MORE
Insurance companies are reducing the scope of coverage for some community foster agencies in Illinois, leading to higher costs, diminished coverage and fewer options for agencies who say a continuance of the trend could lead to closures. … MORE
The man who pleaded guilty to a mass shooting in 2022 in Highland Park that left seven people dead and prompted the passage of a ban on assault-style weapons in Illinois, has been sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences. … MORE
Protesters flooded the rotunda of the Illinois Statehouse earlier this month, urging legislators to increase wages for caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The ‘They Deserve More’ coalition — representing advocacy organizations, families and over 90 agencies providing community care — is asking that these direct support personnel, or DSPs, receive at least 150% of Illinois’ minimum wage.… MORE
The jury considering state Sen. Emil Jones III’s federal corruption trial indicated late Wednesday that it may be deadlocked on two of the three counts Jones is charged with after 18 hours of deliberations.… MORE
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WMBD) — The Illinois Department of Public Health announced its first confirmed case of measles in the state this year on Wednesday. The case involved an adult in far southern Illinois and was confirmed through laboratory testing, according to the IDPH news release. The IDPH is working with local health officials to see…… MORE
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…