By Andrew Adams State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the State’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth Edison...
By Andrew Adams Boston-based Nexamp, a major player in the solar energy industry, is joining the growing list of renewable technology companies that have expanded to, or relocated to Illinois in recent months. Monday, Jan. 22 Nexamp announced its intention to spend $2 billion in Illinois, including building a second...
By Andrew AdamsCapitol News Illinoisaadams@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is advising Illinoisans to take precautions to avoid spreading respiratory illnesses because cases around the State and Country are on the rise. IDPH issued a health alert last week to hospitals, long-term care facilities and local health departments...
By Jerry Nowicki & Andrew Adams Governor JB Pritzker on Friday signed into law a measure that will allow for the limited development of new nuclear power generation technology in the state. The measure, House Bill 2473, does not allow new large-scale power generation facilities like the six plants that...
By Andrew Adams Ahead of next Summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, top Democratic officials on Tuesday signed a “labor peace agreement,” reinforcing Democrats’ longstanding ties to organized labor and limiting potential disruptions at the highly watched event. The deal means that the Democratic National Committee will use union labor...
By Andrew Adams For hoteliers, business is booming in Illinois. Monday, July 10, governor JB Pritzker, the State’s legislative leadership, and representatives of the hospitality industry, announced that hotels in Illinois incurred record revenues in fiscal year 2023, which ended June 30. Across the State, hotels brought in $307.8 million,...
By Andrew Adams A trip from St. Louis to Chicago through Amtrak’s Lincoln Service became 15 minutes quicker starting last week due to track upgrades that allow for increased speeds. The Amtrak line ran its first 110 miles per hour service Monday, June 26 an increase from 90 miles per...
By Andrew Adams Next time you attend a parade, there might be an eye in the sky. A new law signed by governor JB Pritzker Friday, June 16 expands local police departments’ authority to use drones to surveil certain events, respond to certain 911 calls, inspect buildings, and participate in...
By Andrew Adams and Hannah Meisel As the State General Assembly prepares to wrap up its Spring legislative session this week, Democratic Party lawmakers are advancing a bill that would mandate job postings to include a salary range in a move they say would promote equity within the workplace. Meanwhile,...
By Andrew Adams As Illinois considers ways to achieve its goal of relying entirely on clean energy by 2050, one technology that has courted controversy is carbon capture. Carbon capture is a method whereby carbon dioxide, a common greenhouse gas, is placed in long-term storage, usually by injection into wells...
By Andrew Adams Faculty at Governors State University ended a strike Monday, April 17 after being on the picket line for five days. Governors State was one of three Illinois universities which saw a faculty strike in the past week and the last to see their strike end. Union members...
By Andrew Adams Faculty at Chicago State University, a small public university on Chicago’s South Side, went on strike Monday, April 3 after months of stalled negotiations with University administrators. Faculty at Eastern Illinois University and Governors State University have filed paperwork declaring their intent to strike, with strikes possible...
By Andrew Adams Consumer advocates, environmentalists and Chicago residents gathered in front of the Chicago offices of Peoples Gas this week to call on the Illinois Commerce Commission to reject a proposed rate increase from the gas utility. Several advocacy groups, including the Citizens Utility Board, Blacks in Green and...
