Nicor Gas will host a free Community Connection Resource Fair from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9 at West Aurora High School – Veterans Fieldhouse, 1201 W. New York Street, Aurora. The event will run and will feature information on energy efficiency products, bill payment assistance support, career
Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. (PSLS), will offer a free Tax Problem Solving Day Wednesday, July 29 from 9 a.m. to PSLS’ west suburban office at 31W001 E. North Ave., Suite 200, West Chicago. During the event, community members can apply for PSLS services, get help preparing past taxes, including
By Tara SunMedill Illinois News Bureaunews@capitolnewsillinois.com With the growing season well underway in Illinois, farmers once again are struggling to turn an abundant harvest into survival. In 2025, family farm bankruptcies surged 46% Nationwide — reaching 315 filings and marking the third consecutive year of increases. The Midwest recorded 121
DuPage Foundation is pleased to announce it recently awarded more than $1.3 million to DuPage County nonprofit organizations as part of its Spring Community Impact grant program. Grants were awarded to 71 organizations in the health and human services sector—supporting mental health services, housing programs, food insecurity, healthcare and recreation
Five-hundred forty-seven residents of the greater Aurora Area are off to pursue their higher education goals this fall with financial support from their fellow Fox Valley residents, through the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley Scholarship Program. Collectively, the Community Foundation’s 2026 Scholarship Program will award $3 million over
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker signed the eighth budget of his tenure June 16 as he and Illinois Democrats gear up for an election-year battle centered around affordability — though he had to issue a clean-up veto aimed at addressing late-night drafting errors. The fiscal year 2027
By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisbmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com Over his 7½ years in office, governor JB Pritzker has largely gotten his way in the Democratic-supermajority Illinois General Assembly. As he campaigns for a third term as Illinois’ chief executive and weighs a possible 2028 Democratic presidential bid, Pritzker emerged from the spring legislative
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com In a surprise move, governor JB Pritzker announced Friday that he is putting a pause on all new state tax incentives for data centers and calling on lawmakers to pass new data center reforms during the fall veto session. The governor has directed the Illinois
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
