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
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
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
The Kane County Treasurer’s Office has distributed more than $8.7 million in interest income to nearly 300 local taxing bodies across Kane County between 2021 and 2025, with annual distributions growing from $2,312 in 2021 to a peak of $3.49 million in 2024, an increase of more than 1,500 times
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
Mayor of Aurora, John Laesch, honored congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and congressman Bill Foster (D-IL-11) at Tuesday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting, for bringing nearly $1.1 million in federal funds to the City of Aurora. The funding, totaling $1,092,000, was part of the “Lead-Free Water Project” and will be
Kane County treasurer, Chris Lauzen, has announced the most significant redesign of the Kane County property tax bill in the county’s history, introducing changes intended to help residents better understand how their tax dollars are distributed and to improve how bills are delivered and tracked. Bills reflecting the new design
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com A “millionaire tax” proposal floated in the Illinois House failed to gain enough traction in Springfield this week, making it increasingly unlikely that voters will be asked to approve the measure in November. House speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, confirmed to reporters on Wednesday night
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com The biggest item on Illinois lawmakers’ agenda this spring is still a work in progress with six weeks left in the legislative session. Democrats are entering the home stretch of budget negotiations ahead of their scheduled May 31 adjournment while monitoring better-than-expected revenue growth alongside
Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) announced that 14 of the Community Project Funding requests he submitted on behalf of Illinois’ 11th Congressional District were funded for a total of $16,383,000. Project funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations packages signed into law by president Donald Trump. Community Project Funding
By Jenna SchweikertCapitol News Illinoisjschweikert@capitolnewsillinois.com As top legislators emphasize affordability this session, several lawmakers are taking aim at regulating algorithmic pricing that uses consumers’ personal data. Algorithmic pricing is a price-setting practice where companies use everything from mouse movements to website searches and messages to set unique, individualized prices using
After being named the second-best city in America to move to by MRI Software, the City of Aurora is launching the “Choose Aurora Homebuyer Assistance Program,” aimed at helping to make the homebuying process more affordable, while attracting new residents to the City of Lights. The program, which is funded
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker is continuing to push a plan he introduced two years ago to reform Illinois pensions. The governor announced on Monday he is reviving a plan he introduced during his 2024 budget address that calls for fully funding pensions by 2048 and changing
State representative Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, applauds governor JB Pritzker’s leadership on embracing the bold ideas for pension reform and a plan to pay down the state of Illinois over $140 Billion pension debt. “Throughout my tenure as pension chair and now pension-appropriations chair, we have thoughtfully studied and evaluated the
State representative Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora) released a statement after governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced that three organizations in the Aurora area would receive financial awards as part of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program. The three organizations in the Aurora area to
State representative Stephanie Kifowit announced that the City of Naperville has been awarded a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant to support major improvements at the Nike Sports Complex, a key recreational asset serving families, athletes, and residents throughout the community. The funding is part of a
State representative Matt Hanson, D-Montgomery, and State senator Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, recently visited the site of a new water tower in North Aurora, a project they worked to include within the state’s 2026 budget to ensure accessible drinking water for residents and businesses. “The weather may be dreary, but the
Our Lady of Good Council (OLGC) Knights of Columbus Council #14929 members donate to Association of Individual Development (AID) recently.
Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL), ranking member of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions, issued the following statement: “Without a stable, responsible, and independent monetary policy, the United States risks losing the primacy of the U.S. dollar and becoming uninvestable. (Donald) Trump’s politically-driven ‘investigation’ of the Federal Reserve is
VNA Health Care, the largest community health center in the Chicago suburbs, today announced it has been selected as a recipient of Endeavor Health’s 2026 Community Investment Fund Capacity Builder Award in the amount of $750,000. Through this partnership, VNA Health Care will expand one of its busiest Aurora health
