Downstate Illinois

Even if you don’t need to diet or exercise more, there’s still an important resolution you can make for 2024.
The Reunification Ride program to Logan Correctional Center in downstate Lincoln reconnects families separated by incarceration.
Teresa Haley apologized Thursday, two days after comments she made surfaced in a video from a recent conference call of NAACP leaders.
A hair recovered from the gloved left index finger of victim Frances Murphy belonged to one of four brothers from the area, according to a DNA test, and the only explanation is that someone else was involved in the 1960 crime, attorney Andrew Hale wrote in a letter to a Will County prosecutor.
Brian Beals was convicted in the 1988 slaying of a 6-year-old boy in Englewood. Five witnesses corroborated that Beals was the intended target and not the shooter.
In June, Gov. J.B. Pritzker first announced the partnership after allocating $1.6 million of this year’s budget to fund the program throughout Illinois.
Francis Martinez, 18, of Des Plaines, and Wolfgang Gustaveson, 19, of Park Ridge, were killed when their truck collided with another truck, Carbondale police said.
A slew of statewide and county candidates filed petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections and the Cook County clerk’s office on the first day of the week-long filing period to gain a spot on the March 19 primary ballot.
The Republican Senate president was known for his influence in state government and often controversial blunt comments.
Black women continue to be disproportionately affected, and more pregnant people who die are losing their lives months after giving birth.
A video of the shooting shows the suspect fire at the trooper at close range. Another shows the suspect being hit by a squad car before his arrest.
Test scores released Monday show accelerated academic growth in reading for elementary and high school students compared to gains before the pandemic.
Cristobal Santana is accused of shooting a state trooper in the leg Wednesday in Springfield. The family of his ex-girlfriend allege he’s responsible for her shooting death Sunday in Chicago.
Wright-Way Rescue, based in Morton Grove, is without a van to pick up animals after their driver collided with a deer near downstate Nashville early Thursday.
Officials in the office on Thursday dismissed an attorney who admitted to posting antisemitic comments.
Book banning is on the rise. Illinois has a law against it, but individuals get around the law with their own personal book bans.
Five people were killed and five others hospitalized when a tanker truck hit a trailer, releasing ammonia fumes. About 500 residents of Teutopolis were evacuated.
About 500 people were evacuated from the area of the crash in central Illinois due to an anhydrous ammonia leak.
It appears Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, isn’t dealing in good faith, given shifting explanations for denying April Perry a vote to be Chicago’s next U.S. attorney, Lynn Sweet writes.
One marketing expert compared the decision to retire the Madigan & Getzendanner brand, which bears the name of the indicted ex-Illinois House speaker, with ValuJet Airlines’ decision 30 years ago to change its name after a plane crash.
The Chicago host committee fundraising lunch is Thursday at the United Center, where President Joe Biden is expected to be nominated for a second term next August.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Menendez’s actions “way, way below the standard” of the office.
Despite being banned in 1979, products containing PCBs made before that time continue to discharge the chemicals into Lake Michigan and the Chicago River through rainwater, the city alleges.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth are trying to seal deals with Asian companies — the governor with a direct line of communication with business heads, and Duckworth with two Asian trips under her belt this year.
Secretary of State’s office launches program to speed customer service at Illinois’ busiest driver’s license service facilities.
Three top officials at IEMA, the state agency tasked with responding to disasters across the state including the COVID pandemic and a record number of tornadoes this year, were pushed out late last month.
Illinois Republicans didn’t mention former President Donald Trump in their speeches. “Why is it always about Donald Trump?” state House Republican Leader Tony McCombie asked reporters. “Let’s talk about Illinois.”
An autopsy was inconclusive for the child, Jismary González, who would have turned 4 next week. She died Aug. 10 on a chartered bus in southern Illinois.