Capitol News
Top Democrats announce budget ‘deal,’ but details are scant as last-minute negotiations continue
By JERRY NOWICKI, HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] UPDATE: The budget was filed as a 3,409-page amendment to Senate Bill 250 late Wednesday evening. This story has been updated to reflect the latest developments as of Wednesday night. SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic leaders announced Wednesday they’ve agreed…
Legislature approves bill to tighten restrictions on red-light camera industry
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers in Springfield have unanimously approved a measure that would place new restrictions on the red-light and speed camera industry’s involvement in state and local elections and government. House Bill 3903 would ban automatic traffic enforcement companies or their officers from donating to candidates for public…
State board of education looking for new providers in preschool ‘deserts’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Even though Gov. JB Pritzker has yet to sign the budget bill lawmakers just passed, the Illinois State Board of Education is seeking applicants for some of the new money contained in that bill. ISBE is looking for new providers to offer preschool programs in areas…
Pritzker touts new budget’s higher education spending
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker began a tour of the state to tout the new state budget that lawmakers passed last week, stopping at two university campuses Wednesday to highlight the spending plan’s increased funding for higher education. “With this new budget, we’re making it possible for nearly…
Cannabis regulatory reform bill fails to advance in spring legislative session
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A proposed cannabis reform bill won’t get further consideration until at least the General Assembly’s fall veto session after stakeholders failed to come to an agreement during the spring session’s final stretch. Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, told Capitol News…
Native American history, ride-share regulation measures clear General Assembly
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Even though it became clear this week that the General Assembly’s spring legislative session would go longer than scheduled as lawmakers finalize a budget, several measures cleared the legislature by its original Friday adjournment date. Those include a requirement that schools teach a unit of Native…
Lawmakers approve measure giving utilities control over new downstate transmission lines
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — In the final hours of their spring session last week, lawmakers approved a controversial measure that would give existing power companies in downstate Illinois, notably Ameren Illinois, the first crack at installing new transmission lines. The measure applies to companies that already own or operate electric…
Budget vote brings General Assembly’s 2023 spring session to a close
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The 2023 spring legislative session came to an end in the early hours of Saturday morning after the Illinois House gave its approval to a $50.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1. The 73-38 party-line vote came around 2:30 a.m.…
Legislature approves bill to tighten restrictions on red-light camera industry
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers in Springfield have unanimously approved a measure that would place new restrictions on the red-light and speed camera industry’s involvement in state and local elections and government. House Bill 3903 would ban automatic traffic enforcement companies or their officers from donating to candidates for public…
Senate Democrats send budget to House, teeing it up for early Saturday morning vote
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House is planning to work until the early hours of Saturday morning to finalize a $50.6 billion state spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. That announcement came early Thursday evening, more than 24 hours after Gov. JB Pritzker and the…
Senate Democrats send budget to House, teeing it up for early Saturday morning vote
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House is planning to work until the early hours of Saturday morning to finalize a $50.6 billion state spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. That announcement came early Thursday evening, more than 24 hours after Gov. JB Pritzker and the…
UPDATED: Optional all-gender bathrooms bill will head to governor
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow businesses and public institutions to provide multi-occupant all-gender bathrooms if they choose to do so. House Bill 1286 would change current state law, under which single-occupancy bathrooms are automatically designated for all genders, but multi-occupancy…
Lawmakers OK bill to limit constitutional lawsuits to Cook, Sangamon County
By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Democrats who control the General Assembly muscled through a last-minute measure that will require any constitutional challenge to state laws to be filed in either Cook or Sangamon counties. The Illinois House on Thursday gave final passage to a set of amendments to…
Dems move to allow punitive damage awards in wrongful death lawsuits
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly this week pushed through a measure that would allow state courts to award punitive damages in wrongful death lawsuits – a departure from the status quo for more than a century in Illinois. Illinois is one of 16 states that does…
Top Democrats announce budget ‘deal,’ but details are scant as last-minute negotiations continue
By JERRY NOWICKI, HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic leaders announced Wednesday they’ve agreed to a framework for next year’s roughly $50 billion state spending plan, even as negotiations continued in the final stretch of lawmakers’ already-extended spring legislative session. Their announced agreement included…
State report: Catholic churches harbored hundreds more abusers than previously disclosed
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Catholic dioceses in Illinois failed to disclose hundreds of abusive clerics before the state opened what would become a yearslong investigation into sex abuse within the church, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday. Included in a scathing 700-page report published by Raoul’s office at the end…
UPDATED: Environmental bills seek to improve soil health, ban state use of polystyrene foam containers
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] [email protected] Editor’s note: This story will be updated as the measures make their way through the legislature this week. SPRINGFIELD – Several pieces of environmental legislation are making their way through the Illinois General Assembly on what was scheduled to be the final week of…
UPDATED: Environmental bills seek to improve soil health, ban state use of polystyrene foam containers
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] [email protected] Editor’s note: This story will be updated as the measures make their way through the legislature this week. SPRINGFIELD – Several pieces of environmental legislation are making their way through the Illinois General Assembly on what was scheduled to be the final week of…
Dems move to allow punitive damage awards in wrongful death lawsuits
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly this week pushed through a measure that would allow state courts to award punitive damages in wrongful death lawsuits – a departure from the status quo for more than a century in Illinois. Illinois is one of 16 states that does…
As leaders extend session with budget unfinished, several sweeping last-minute bills surface
By HANNAH MEISEL, JERRY NOWICKI, NIKA SCHOONOVER & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers won’t finish their spring legislative session by Friday’s scheduled adjournment as negotiations over the state budget remain in flux. The May 19 end to the General Assembly’s spring session had been on the calendar for months, but it’s…
UPDATED: Optional all-gender bathrooms bill will head to governor
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow businesses and public institutions to provide multi-occupant all-gender bathrooms if they choose to do so. House Bill 1286 would change current state law, under which single-occupancy bathrooms are automatically designated for all genders, but multi-occupancy…
UPDATED: Optional all-gender bathrooms bill moves closer to passage
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow businesses and public institutions to provide multi-occupant all-gender bathrooms if they choose to do so. House Bill 1286 would change current state law, under which single-occupancy bathrooms are automatically designated for all genders, but multi-occupancy…
UPDATED: Environmental bills seek to improve soil health, ban state use of polystyrene foam containers
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] [email protected] Editor’s note: This story will be updated as the measures make their way through the legislature this week. SPRINGFIELD – Several pieces of environmental legislation are making their way through the Illinois General Assembly on what was scheduled to be the final week of…
Native American history, ride-share regulation measures clear General Assembly
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Even though it became clear this week that the General Assembly’s spring legislative session would go longer than scheduled as lawmakers finalize a budget, several measures cleared the legislature by its original Friday adjournment date. Those include a requirement that schools teach a unit of Native…
Local News
LTHS beating victim remains hospitalized as details emerge
By Steve Metsch The Lyons Township High School student who suffered “major head trauma” in a fight outside the north campus three weeks ago remains hospitalized, a source said last week. The youth – whose name, age, town and year in school have not been released – was attacked by at least three other youths…
Klimek promoted to police chief in Countryside
By Steve Metsch That didn’t take long. Just two weeks after he was named acting police chief, Paul Klimek was officially named police chief by a unanimous vote of the Countryside City Council on May 24. Klimek, 42, had been with the department since 2004 and replaces Joe Ford, who retired earlier this month after…
Despite attacks, Pekau says he will run again in 2025
By Jeff Vorva Usually, when mayors get up and give their yearly status reports of their communities, there is a lot of happy-happy-joy-joy talk. Even some of the negatives get glossed over with optimism for change. But when Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau held the 2023 version of the State of the Village address on…
Adopt-A-Pot program brightens up Palos Heights
By Kelly White The Palos Heights Beautification Committee works hard to do just what its name entails, keep the city beautiful. To provide a spark of greenery and a pop of color outside of local businesses, parks and municipal buildings, the committee hosted an Adopt-A-Pot flower planting day on May 20 in the parking lot…
Despite concerns from Orland Hills mayor, Orland Park on board with new Fernway School
By Jeff Vorva Village of Orland Park officials are giving thumbs-up to a plan to build a new school on the property of existing Fernway Park Elementary School. Fernway is located at 16600 S. 88th Avenue and is a part of the Kirby School District 140 group of schools, but is the only one in…
Chicago Ridge cancels RidgeFest over safety concerns
By Dermot Connolly RidgeFest has been canceled this year—and may never be the same again—mainly due to violent disturbances at recent large gatherings in Tinley Park and elsewhere. At the last regular Chicago Ridge Village Board meeting on May 16, trustees were moving full-speed ahead with preparations for RidgeFest 2023, approving contracts for the entertainment…
Worth police hit the roof for Special Olympics Illinois
By Kelly White Worth’s Police Department takes pride in having close ties with the local community. For the 11th year, the department was happy to once again take part in Cop on a Rooftop to benefit Special Olympics Illinois. Police officers mingled with residents on Friday morning at Dunkin Donuts, 6707 W. 111th St.,…
Oak Lawn is using technology to fight crime
By Joe Boyle While there has been a recent increase in crime, Oak Lawn officials want to assure residents that these incidents are being addressed. Village Manager Tom Phelan made it clear during an Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday morning that they are working in tandem with the police to solve the recent wave…
Worth Memorial Day event recalls past conflicts, wars
By Joe Boyle Worth Mayor Mary Werner welcomed sunny skies on Sunday morning. However, Werner said she could not take credit for the 70-degree temperatures before the Memorial Day Observance at Veterans Memorial Park at the corner of 111th Street and Harlem Avenue. “We have had plenty of times where we had coats on,” Werner…
Couple, Countryside at odds over land sale
By Steve Metsch Albert and Rosemary Dostal want to sell their empty land in Countryside. But they are finding that a difficult task. The couple, which lives in the 9500 block of 56th Street, owns nine wooded acres south of 57th Street and west of La Grange Road. It’s been in the family for 50…
