By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois is set to become the first Midwestern state to allow terminally ill adults to take life-ending medication prescribed by physicians when the law goes into effect late this week. But a federal judge is weighing whether to block the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois tourism reached new peaks last year, breaking records on visitor spending and generating over $88 billion in total economic impact, governor JB Pritzker’s office announced. The growth was driven by around 115 million domestic and international tourists, who spent $50.2 billion while traveling in
September 2, 2026Dead editor; I recently read the Reader’s Commentary, “Socialism/Communism: Denies individual freedoms, worth.” I appreciate the author’s concern for individual freedom, personal responsibility, and the value of hard work. Those are important principles, and I think they are shared by most people across the political spectrum. Where I
By Mavis Bates Sierra Club Valley of the Fox, We Can Lead Change, and Sustainable Aurora Mayor’s Advisory Board will present Data Center Impacts: Protecting Our Water, Energy, and Ratepayers with The Illinois Power Act, a panel discussion by local experts about The POWER Act Monday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.
The Kane County Health Department (KCHD) is reporting the first two human cases of West Nile virus in Kane County for the 2026 mosquito season. Both individuals are Aurora residents and developed the more serious, neuroinvasive form of West Nile virus requiring hospitalization. “These cases are a reminder that West
Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the bipartisan Public Service Loan Forgiveness Inclusion Act of 2026 to expand the types of student loan repayment plans eligible for forgiveness and support those who forgo potentially lucrative careers to work in public service. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
The City of Aurora, in partnership with Ampion, is excited to unveil a new community solar offering designed to help residents lower their monthly electricity costs while supporting local renewable energy. Through the program, eligible residents can subscribe to a local solar farm and receive credits directly on their monthly
By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois will receive up to $768 million from a multi-state $17.1 billion settlement with social media giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — the culmination of a three-year legal battle brought by state attorneys general. Nearly three dozen AGs, including Illinois attorney
August 29, 2026Dear editor; The City of Aurora has been my home for more than 25 years. I raised my family here, built a home, and became a small-business owner. I am deeply invested in this community and its future. It is disheartening to see neighboring communities such as Batavia,
Kane County’s Code Enforcement Division works to preserve property values, protect neighborhoods and ensure compliance with Kane County ordinances. The guidelines apply exclusively to unincorporated areas of Kane County. Cities and villages enforce their own locally adopted ordinances. Here’s a reminder of some of the about common zoning and code
Aurora’s Phillips Park Zoo, 1000 Ray Moses Drive, Aurora, announced the arrival of two baby wallabies, the first-ever marsupials to join the Zoo in its recorded history. The two Bennett’s wallabies, also known as red-necked wallabies, are named Wally and Bindi and were retrieved from Santa’s Reindeer Ranch, a U.S.
Mayor of Aurora, John Laesch honored a community member who ran the entirety of the Mississippi River this summer, raising more than $12,000 for childhood cancer research. Grant Bell is an Aurora resident, Makerspace manager at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), avid runner, and running coach. He was
By John & Nisha Whitehead What began publicly as Donald Trump’s lavish, taxpayer-funded vision of a gilded White House ballroom is now being justified by the administration—in and out of court—as a matter of national security. To president Trump, it seems, a ballroom by any other name is a bunker.
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker said during Illinois State Fair festivities this month that he agrees public schools need more funding. But he also boasted about the additional funding his administration has already provided, and he said that has led to improved performance in reading and math,
August 21, 2026Dear editor; The following letter is intended to support Democrats like Angie Nixon. Angie Nixon won the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in the Florida Primary August 18. The next day she was interviewed on MS NOW’s Morning Joe to answer questions about affordability, universal health care, immigration and
Many varied representatives dig a shovel into the dirt August 20 to commemorate the start of the historic Mastodon Lake Dredging and Shoreline Restoration Project.
At Tuesday, Aug. 25’s City Council Meeting, the Aurora City Council approved a first-of-its-kind housing proposal that is set to implement the energy efficiency targets of the 2026 Illinois Stretch Energy Code without any City incentives. The “Kingsley Row” subdivision, planned for construction by M/I Homes near the intersection of
By Bela “Bill” Suhayda Do you want to own your own home? Would you like to build your own business? Do you believe the wages you earn should reflect the skills and efforts you’ve made to be productive? If your answer to these questions is “yes”, you just said “no”
By John & Nisha Whitehead This is what comes of giving a lawless agency unlimited funds to build detention centers, terrorize communities, and act as a secret police force. Anything goes. Masked raids. Unmarked vehicles. Warrantless arrests. Racial profiling. Sweeping surveillance. Detention camps. Excessive force. Citizens dragged off the streets.
By Maggie Dougherty & Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com When governor JB Pritzker signed tax incentives for data centers into law in his first year as governor in 2019, Republicans and Democrats celebrated the plan as an economic driver. “In today’s world, data centers are as critical a part of our
