Category: Government

Kane County Health Department releases 2025 annual report

The Kane County Health Department (KCHD) published its 2025 Annual Report, showcasing the programs, partnerships and services that helped improve health outcomes and strengthen communities across Kane County during the past year. The report highlights KCHD’s work in behavioral health, communicable disease prevention, environmental health, emergency preparedness and maternal and

Stephanie Kifowit supports balanced State budget

State representative Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, voted in support of the Fiscal Year 2027 Illinois State Budget, a balanced spending plan that strengthens investments in education, public safety, healthcare, and essential services while maintaining Illinois’ commitment to fiscal responsibility. “As lawmakers, one of our most important responsibilities is passing a balanced

Reader’s Commentary: Leftist communists taking over U.S., enemy from within

By Bela “Bill” Suhayda Who is the Neville Chamberlain of “The Voice?” It’s Charles “The Chas” Coddington of course. He recently announced his opposition to all of America’s wars in the May 21 edition of The Voice. What a great pacifist he is for opposing every war the U.S. has

Scaling a proven tool for Illinois’ housing crisis

By Allison ClementsExecutive director,Illinois Housing Council Illinois is in the grip of an affordable housing crisis that reaches every corner of the state. Nearly 300,000 affordable rental homes are missing for our lowest-income residents. Rents have climbed to unsustainable levels, and homeownership is increasingly out of reach. The consequences are

Who pays when the government weaponizes its power?

By John & Nisha Whitehead One way or another, the American taxpayers always get screwed by politicians eager to spend our hard-earned dollars on programs and projects that do little to improve our lives, safeguard our freedoms, or secure our future. Donald Trump—the billionaire trust-fund baby/reality TV showman who transformed

School choice option at standstill, legislators weigh pros/cons

By Marisa Guerra EcheverriaMedill Illinois News Bureaunews@capitolnewsillinois.com Diverse interest groups — from public school activists and downstate voters to state officials and school boards — have pushed governor JB Pritzker to finally make a decision about the Donald Trump administration’s Education Freedom Tax Credit. Yet, there has been mostly silence

Consumer advocates seek reduction in latest Nicor gas rate request

By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Watchdog groups are calling on regulators to reject $178 million, or 80%, of a $220.8 million rate hike requested by Nicor Gas earlier this year, citing wasteful capital spending, excessive shareholder profits and “lavish” executive bonuses. Consumer advocate groups including the Citizens Utility Board, the

Reader’s Voice: Interchange Fee tough for local businesses

May 31, 2026Dear editor; I work closely with business owners and leaders in Black and Brown communities across Illinois. If the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act takes effect on July 1, it won’t hurt only small businesses. It will affect whole communities. This law would change how credit card payments work

Tech giants sued over ‘stealing’ voices to train AI

By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinois Over hundreds of pages in legal filings this week, a group of well-known Chicago-based journalists, podcasters and voice actors accused tech giants like Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and others of “stealing” their voices to train Artificial intelligence. The nine class action lawsuits, filed in Chicago’s

Montgomery Arbor Day poster winners

The Village of Montgomery Beautification Committee proudly announced the winners of its 2026 Arbor Day Poster Contest during the Village Board Meeting held Monday, May 11, at the Village Hall. Each year, the contest invites local students to celebrate the importance of trees through art. This year’s theme was “Our

Independent grocers face store closures, with loss of SNAP

By Jenna SchweikertCapitol News Illinoisjschweikert@capitolnewsillinois.com As households across Illinois brace to lose their federal food assistance this month, grocery stores, especially independent grocers across the state, are preparing for the devastating effects of decreased spending. For some independent grocers, whose profit margins average 2%, a decrease in consumer spending associated

Aurora City Council approves memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Phillips Park Foundation

By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council, Tuesday, approved a Resolution for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the City of Aurora and Phillips Park Foundation, as requested by alderman of the Third Ward, Ted Mesiacos. The Phillips Park Foundation has recently been formed as a new Phillips Park not

Aurora launches neighborhood festival funding grant program

The City of Aurora unveils new funding opportunities for neighborhood festivals scheduled to take place in 2026. Neighborhood Festival Funding Grants are now available to organizations and neighborhood groups planning public community events that acquaint residents with each other, while also educating participants about Aurora. The program offers grants for