Are cellphones a useful tool or a distraction in the classroom? According to Gov. JB Pritzker, they’re a distraction, and he has proposed banning them during classroom instruction. … MORE
Category Archives: State News
With electricity price spikes coming, environmental and industry groups pitch reform
By ANDREW ADAMSCapitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois faces potential energy shortfalls and all-but-guaranteed price spikes for northern Illinois this summer, consumer and environmental advocates say. Lawmakers and advocates in Springfield have proposed bills that they say would address their concerns — but it’s unclear whether they’re likely to pass by the General Assembly’s expected…… MORE
Judge grants retrial on most bribery counts in ‘ComEd 4’ case nearly 2 years post-verdict
A federal judge on Monday granted a partial retrial on several bribery counts in the case of four former executives and lobbyists for electric utility Commonwealth Edison who were convicted in 2023 for their roles in bribing longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.… MORE
Accused Highland Park shooter pleads guilty
Robert Crimo III, the man accused of carrying out a mass shooting in Highland Park in 2022 that left seven people dead and prompted the passage of a ban on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines in Illinois, pleaded guilty Monday to all charges stemming from that shooting.… MORE
Forgotten Black military heroes featured in Illinois State Museum exhibit
By Athan YanosLeonardo Pini& Medill Illinois News Bureau SPRINGFIELD – As Black History Month comes to an end, the Illinois State Museum this week honored Black Springfield residents who excelled in their military service to the country – from forgotten heroes of the Civil War to soldiers deployed in France during World War I who…… MORE
Supreme Court declines to review Carbondale abortion clinic ‘bubble zone’ ordinance
The U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to review a case challenging a since-repealed Carbondale ordinance intended to create a buffer between anti-abortion activists and those seeking reproductive care. … MORE
Lawmakers grill mass transit leaders as clock ticks toward funding ‘cliff’
Public transportation reform in the Chicago area is at the top of state lawmakers’ to-do list this spring, but exactly what that reform will look like remains unclear.… MORE
Legislation aims to help first-time homebuyers
As the cost of housing continues to rise, Illinois realtors are pushing legislation to make it easier for first-time homebuyers to save for a down payment.… MORE
Trump to implement new tariffs on Illinois’ largest trading partners as state faces uncertainty over economic projections
As the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget Director Alexis Sturm warned a House committee that uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s economic and administrative policies could affect Illinois revenue, the president announced new tariffs will take effect Tuesday on imports from some of Illinois’ top trading partners. … MORE
Illinois schools continuing DEI initiatives despite federal funding threats
The Illinois State Board of Education is not telling schools to stop any diversity, equity and inclusion lessons or programs, the state’s education chief told a House committee this week, even as the Trump administration threatens to pull federal funding from schools that don’t stop. … MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
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.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
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…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
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…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
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…