Capitol News
In perjury trial, Madigan’s ex-chief of staff will test limits of loyalty
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – In the summer of 2018, Tim Mapes’ name had only recently faded from unflattering headlines after he was forced to resign from three top jobs he held under powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Mapes, who’d served as Madigan’s chief of staff for more than two…
Pritzker signs bill aimed at ending homelessness
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Wednesday that seeks to effectively end homelessness in Illinois by marshalling the resources of multiple agencies into one effort. House Bill 2831 codifies an executive order Pritzker signed in 2021 that established the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness and the…
UPDATED: Federal judge temporarily blocks Illinois law subjecting ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ to civil liability
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new law allowing Illinoisans to sue so-called crisis pregnancy centers under the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act is on hold after a federal judge late Thursday granted a preliminary injunction against it. After a lengthy hearing in his Rockford courtroom, Judge Iain…
Federal judge temporarily blocks Illinois law subjecting ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ to civil liability
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new law allowing Illinoisans to sue so-called crisis pregnancy centers under the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act is on hold after a federal judge late Thursday granted a preliminary injunction against it. After a lengthy hearing in his Rockford courtroom, Judge Iain…
Residents, activists ask state regulators to reject utilities’ rate increases
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Members of the public railed against potential increases to the price of natural gas and electricity at two recent public hearings before a state regulatory body that has the authority to limit those rate hikes. The Illinois Commerce Commission is considering several rate hikes, including two sought by…
Residents, activists ask state regulators to reject utilities’ rate increases
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Members of the public railed against potential increases to the price of natural gas and electricity at two recent public hearings before a state regulatory body that has the authority to limit those rate hikes. The Illinois Commerce Commission is considering several rate hikes, including two sought by…
State driver services facilities to require appointments in more than 40 locations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Drivers who need to renew their license at a secretary of state facility will likely have to make an appointment starting this fall. Starting Sept. 1, 44 driver services facilities in medium- to large-sized cities around the state will require appointments for driver services – things like…
State watchdog investigating employees accused of bilking federal pandemic aid program
MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois mparker@capitolnewsillinois.com Dozens of state employees across multiple agencies are under investigation by a state watchdog for claims they fraudulently obtained payments from a federal pandemic-era loan program, Capitol News Illinois has learned. Neil Olson, general counsel at the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General, confirmed that “OEIG has been…
COVID unemployment surge led to $5.2 billion in overpaid benefits in Illinois – including fraud
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois overpaid unemployment benefits to the tune of $5.2 billion during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with much of it paid to fraudulent claimants, according to a comprehensive new audit. Included in that sum was $6 million paid to 481 dead people and…
Pritzker signs bill overhauling mandatory supervised release
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new law in Illinois aims to give former inmates a better chance to succeed outside of prison and reduce the likelihood that they’ll be sent back. Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed Senate Bill 423, a unanimously passed measure that overhauls the state’s mandatory supervised…
Illinois to invest more than $23 million in abortion access, reproductive health care initiatives
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com As another of Illinois’ border states is set to enact a near-total abortion ban this week, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced several new programs to help address the influx of out-of-state abortion seekers the state has seen in the 13 months since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned…
Pritzker focuses on business development, clean energy jobs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker has spent much of his time in recent weeks promoting the state’s electric vehicle industry and touting the impact of his signature Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, or CEJA, including during a weeklong trade mission to the United Kingdom. On Friday, Pritzker was…
Labor unions promise not to strike during next year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com 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 when…
‘Crisis pregnancy centers’ could face lawsuits under Illinois’ expanded consumer fraud act
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – So-called crisis pregnancy centers can now face lawsuits if they engage in “deceptive acts” aimed at deterring women from seeking abortions under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday. Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities often affiliated with anti-abortion, usually religious, organizations. CPCs range…
Pritzker signs bill overhauling mandatory supervised release
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new law in Illinois aims to give former inmates a better chance to succeed outside of prison and reduce the likelihood that they’ll be sent back. Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed Senate Bill 423, a unanimously passed measure that overhauls the state’s mandatory supervised…
‘Crisis pregnancy centers’ could face lawsuits under Illinois’ expanded consumer fraud act
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – So-called crisis pregnancy centers can now face lawsuits if they engage in “deceptive acts” aimed at deterring women from seeking abortions under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday. Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities often affiliated with anti-abortion, usually religious, organizations. CPCs range…
State announces 3rd manufacturing expansion spurred by new tax credit
By JERRY NOWICKI & MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Gov. JB Pritzker announced another milestone Thursday in his administration’s push to expand the state’s role as a manufacturing hub in the renewable energy economy. At a groundbreaking ceremony at a Prysmian Group manufacturing plant in Du Quoin, the administration announced the signing of the…
State driver services facilities to require appointments in more than 40 locations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Drivers who need to renew their license at a secretary of state facility will likely have to make an appointment starting this fall. Starting Sept. 1, 44 driver services facilities in medium- to large-sized cities around the state will require appointments for driver services – things like…
COVID unemployment surge led to $5.2 billion in overpaid benefits in Illinois – including fraud
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois overpaid unemployment benefits to the tune of $5.2 billion during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with much of it paid to fraudulent claimants, according to a comprehensive new audit. Included in that sum was $6 million paid to 481 dead people and…
Pritzker signs bill aimed at ending homelessness
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Wednesday that seeks to effectively end homelessness in Illinois by marshalling the resources of multiple agencies into one effort. House Bill 2831 codifies an executive order Pritzker signed in 2021 that established the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness and the…
Pritzker focuses on business development, clean energy jobs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker has spent much of his time in recent weeks promoting the state’s electric vehicle industry and touting the impact of his signature Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, or CEJA, including during a weeklong trade mission to the United Kingdom. On Friday, Pritzker was…
Labor unions promise not to strike during next year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com 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 when…
Labor unions promise not to strike during next year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com 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 when…
AFSCME ratifies new 4-year contract with the state
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and the state’s largest public employee union announced Tuesday that they have agreed on a new contract that will provide a nearly 18 percent pay raise over four years, including a 4 percent raise this year. The contract also expands parental leave to…
Local News
Police Blotter
CHICAGO RIDGE DUI Orlando De La Rosa, 32, of Berwyn, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop at 2:29 a.m. March 8 in the 9200 block of South Harlem Avenue. Police said he failed field sobriety tests and refused to submit a breath sample. He was also cited for…
Oak Lawn seeks participants for Fourth of July parade
By Joe Boyle It may be spring, but it is not too early to talk about a summer parade. The Oak Lawn Village Board approved a resolution Tuesday morning authorizing the submission of a permit request to the Illinois Department of Transportation for the 2024 Fourth of July Parade. The resolution approves the closure of…
Sandburg welcomes new associate principal of instruction
Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education is welcoming Dr. Veronica Shaw to Carl Sandburg High School as its new Associate Principal of Instruction. She begins July 1 and replaces Anita Huffman who was recently appointed as District 230’s Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services. With ample education leadership experience, Shaw is currently the Associate…
Residents warm up to Hills Chamber Business Expo
By Joe Boyle Spring has arrived but winter continues to leave its calling card. However, that did not prevent the Hills Chamber of Commerce from holding its 10th annual Business and Community Expo Saturday at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills. While the temperatures were frigid and windy outside, the spirit inside the school…
Palos Park to tweak outdated village zoning codes
By Jeff Vorva The village of Palos Park has no grand plan to change the village landscape. But officials want to modernize some of its zoning codes. “The village has not comprehensively updated its development regulations since 1960,” Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters said at the March 25 village council meeting. “Due to this, there are many…
SD122 psychologist resigns over Islamophobic posts
By Nuha Abdessalam A psychologist for Ridgeland School District 122 has resigned after hundreds of parents demanded she be fired for social media posts that were pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian. District Supt. Joseph Matise announced at a schoolboard meeting last week that Dr. Laurie Hoke had resigned. “Dr. Hoke will no longer be working with students…
City wants to buy armory at MDW
. Has been vacant since 2017 . By Tim Hadac For decades, it served military purposes, as well as Chicago’s gateway for Presidents stopping off in the city. But the Army National Guard Midway Armory, 5400 W. 63rd St., has been mostly vacant since 2017, when the Illinois Army National Guard ceased operations there and…
2 charged in Summit junkyard burglary
By Bob Bong Two men have been charged in connection with a break-in last month at the Pick-n-Pull used auto parts store and junkyard in Summit. George Ainalakis, 39, of Carol Stream, was arrested February 26 at the business, while Chad Wickert, 40, of Brookfield, was arrested March 13 by Hodgkins police. Police said they…
A successful career serving thousands
. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound (708)-496-0265 . Most folks work for years at their jobs, expecting and receiving little fanfare, then retire quietly. Garfield Ridge resident Mary Ellen Fox planned to retire from her 30-year job in the City Clerk’s Office quietly; and she did, earlier this year. But co-worker Jim…
Casten secures $11M for district; invites Bridge Teen founder to State of Union
By Jeff Vorva Congressman Sean Casten is bringing some big bucks home. Casten (D-6th) announced that he helped secure more than $11 million in federal funding for local community projects. Included in that bounty is: $1.28 million to Evergreen Park for water main replacement. $500,000 to La Grange for storm and sanitary sewer rehabilitation. $947,775…