By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Commerce Commission approved an $82 million rate hike. The amount was negotiated between Nicor Gas and the attorney general’s office as part of a settlement that reduced the company’s original request by nearly two-thirds. The rate increase is expected to add around $2
By Ben Szalinski & Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com When the retrospective analyses of his tenure in office are written, governor JB Pritzker says he hopes his legacy will rest on the same argument he’s making to Illinois voters in seeking a rare third term. “I would like people to remember
By Ben Szalinski & Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Last summer, Republican Darren Bailey had no plans to make a second run for governor after a 12-point loss to Democratic governor JB Pritzker in 2022. But Bailey said he changed his mind when he saw the Republican field developing slowly and
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois attorney general Kwame Raoul has claimed victory in a legal battle against the Trump administration over noncitizens’ access to a host of publicly funded health, education and social service programs. A federal judge in Rhode Island on Monday struck down the administration’s attempt to
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois has made substantial progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in recent years, but it is not yet on track to meet its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. That’s the conclusion of a new Comprehensive Climate Action Plan released this month by the
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois’ eight State-run visitor information centers, located within rest areas at interstates around the State, will be closing by the end of the month. “The role of the State’s visitor information centers has evolved significantly over the past couple of decades as the ways visitors
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker is setting up a new group within State government to explore more regulations for artificial intelligence as calls grow across the country for new restrictions. Pritzker signed an executive order September 22 to establish an AI Cabinet made up of experts and
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
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,
By Ben Szalinski & Associated PressCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Department of Public Health is not adopting new federal child vaccine guidelines and will continue following recommendations by a leading pediatric medical group. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that calls for giving the measles, mumps and
By Peter Hancock, Brenden Moore &, Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Rideshare drivers can unionize in Illinois, a new law seeks to regulate and classify plastic pellets as a pollutant, and the State will exercise greater oversight of a federal prescription drug discount program. Those are a few of the 75
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois governor JB Pritzker signed sweeping regulations August 1 aimed at social media companies and cracking down on “addictive algorithms” that keep kids glued to their screens. House Bill 5511, known as the Children’s Social Media Safety Act, imposes a series of requirements on social
By Brenden Moore, Ben Szalinski, & Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Disgraced ex-Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, violated state law by committing two acts of sexual harassment, according to a summary legislative inspector general report made public Friday afternoon. LIG Mike McCuskey said the instances were “part of a pattern and practice
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com A new Illinois state program took effect Saturday to provide food benefits to people who have recently become ineligible because of federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger, or FRESH, program started August 1 after state lawmakers
By Brenden Moore & Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com July 25 is now officially Emmett Till Day in Illinois. Illinois governor JB Pritzker signed legislation codifying the designation ahead of what would have been Till’s 85th birthday. It was one of 78 bills the governor signed last week. Till, a 14-year-old
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Students in all Illinois public schools will soon have to abide by rules barring them from using cellphones or other personal electronic communication devices during school hours unless they have been given specific permission to use them. Although many districts already have similar policies in
By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisbmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com The Democratic Party chairs in Will and Kendall Counties chose Jessica Dixon Heitman Monday night to complete the term of former Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, and replace him on the November ballot. Benton resigned following an ethics investigation that found conduct described as unbecoming of
From farm to table to trash can, what happens to food is bigger than leftovers. Producing food uses valuable resources like water and fuel, and when uneaten food ends up in landfills, it contributes to financial losses, social inequity, and environmental harm. Illinois households are invited to be part of
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker signed artificial intelligence legislation modeled after similar bills in California and New York Monday, July 6, furthering a push for a State-driven national framework in lieu of federal regulations. “Congress and the president ought to be passing similar legislation, but they’ve so
