Springfield
News from the Illinois state legislature, governor and lawmakers in Springfield.
The fateful 163-year-old document had been in an anonymous private collection until its purchase at auction by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and first lady M.K. Pritzker, who donated it to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
Florida is the fourth ballot initiative Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s nonprofit Think Big America is supporting this year. Pritzker’s group is also supporting efforts in Nevada, Arizona and Montana.
Having former CTU organizer Brandon Johnson in the mayor’s office won’t keep the union from walking out if needed, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates told the Sun-Times, adding that, “We’re a labor union that understands the power of solidarity and the power of work stoppage.”
The proposed legislation is the latest and most significant backlash to a December declaration by the Board of Education that it would no longer prioritize selective schools, refocusing resources to neighborhood schools burdened by years of cuts and underfunding.
My dad shot and killed my sister and mom and left me with a gunshot wound. Law enforcement hadn’t removed a gun from his possession, even though his FOID card had been suspended.
If Daniel Boland’s petition drive collects 56,464 valid signatures by Aug. 5, the question could go on the November ballot. But that would just give Chicago voters the power to remove a mayor via recall, which they don’t now have.
A proposed bill would prohibit the Board of Education from closing, changing admissions standards or drastically altering funding for selective schools at both the elementary and high school level.
The teachers union’s contract expires this summer. On top of raises for staff, it wants help for unhoused students and more dual-language education.
The case before the nation’s high court Monday was actually the corruption case against James Snyder, a former mayor of Portage, Indiana. The justices acknowledged their decision in the case will have implications for prosecutions across the country.
“In the 45 years since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979, it has never been this bad,” said ADL Midwest regional director David Goldenberg. According to a new report, Illinois saw a 74% increase in antisemitic incidents in 2023.
Mr. Grossman was the principal writer of the 1967 Illinois Housing Development Act, which established the Illinois Housing Development Authority to finance affordable housing across Illinois. He also hosted an early coffee at his Hyde Park home for Barack Obama when he was running for state Senate.
The company said Chris Crane will be remembered for his “transformational milestones” on safety and equity, specifically related to his work in the nuclear energy field.
The appointment of James Montgomery comes three weeks after chair Don Shelton and board member LeAnn Miller resigned. Miller oversaw the decision to release Crosetti Brand, who then allegedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend and killed her 11-year-old son Jayden Perkins.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said his proposal will provide nearly $1 billion in medical debt relief for an initial batch of 340,000 Illinois residents in the first year of a multi-year plan.
Advocates for the incarcerated filed a petition with the U.S. EPA, asking the environmental agency to step in and fix a crisis they say Gov. Pritzker is not addressing.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and other elected officials shared stories about Karen Yarbrough, who died April 7, and her impact as a fixture in local politics who cleared paths for others to follow.
From 2018 to 2020, Black women in Illinois were three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related medical conditions than white women. This initiative aims to make improvements.
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon clears up any confusion on stadium talk and a proposed biometric privacy law that has had businesses in a tizzy.
Leaders at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said this week there are “no immediate plans” to rebrand Starved Rock State Park in La Salle County, but officials are open to discussing a potential name change if Native American groups push for it.
Maria Michaud, 37, is accused of using four other people’s names to make claims for $247,760.29 from the treasurer’s office’s unclaimed property program in 2019 and 2020.
The Bears have hired political veteran Andrea Zopp to serve as a senior adviser on their legal team.
The Illinois Office of Executive Inspector General found workers paid kickbacks to brokers who processed their fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans.
The governor announced the second phase of the Illinois Grocery Initiative, which includes a round of grant funding for new grocers in food deserts.
Beyond statement that “trained military personnel” were on hand, the museum offered no details. Thankfully, the Pentagon talked.
Any increase in restaurant costs can mean the difference between keeping the doors open or closing for good. And many tipped workers already make far more than minimum wage.
A Chicago fundraiser for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is expected to collected $2.5 million for the Biden Action Fund, a joint fundraising committee consisting of the Biden for President operation and the Democratic National Committee.
Mueller’s main priority is “getting in front” of the steadily increasing number of calls to the child welfare agency’s hotline, as well as investigations and the number of kids in foster care.
Credibility of Fidel Marquez, the former ComEd exec whom FBI agents persuaded to cooperate in the investigation of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, is now questionable, judge implies.
Frank Bilecki, executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, said the Bears are eyeing the same portion of the hotel tax the White Sox hope to use to fund a new stadium in the South Loop.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, having spent the last 11 months learning the ropes of city government as Rich Guidice’s top deputy, was the natural choice to replace Guidice.
Senate Republicans are pushing for reforms at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, including requirements for appointees to have served at least 20 cumulative years in the criminal justice system. The board is under fire following its controversial decision to release a convicted felon who then allegedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend and her 11-year-old son.
As Bally’s chairman Soo Kim tries to take the company private, a pair of influential investors say his bid should be rejected — and that a more experienced company should be brought in to build the city’s long-sought casino.