Capitol News
Gun industry group challenges new firearms marketing restrictions
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A gun trade association has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Illinois law that restricts how gun dealers and manufacturers market their products. The Connecticut-based National Shooting Sports Foundation filed the suit in the Southern District of Illinois on Monday, just two days after Gov.…
Gun industry group challenges new firearms marketing restrictions
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A gun trade association has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Illinois law that restricts how gun dealers and manufacturers market their products. The Connecticut-based National Shooting Sports Foundation filed the suit in the Southern District of Illinois on Monday, just two days after Gov.…
‘The feds are still after me and our Friend:’ jury sees email exchanges between Madigan confidants
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – After the FBI raided his western Illinois home in May 2019, Mike McClain – an influential lobbyist and close confidant of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan – knew he should limit communication with many of his colleagues-turned-friends made over nearly five decades in Springfield. But…
Firearms industry could face lawsuits for deceptive marketing under new law
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new law in Illinois restricts the way gun dealers and manufacturers can market and sell their products and subjects them to civil penalties for violations. Gov. JB Pritzker on Saturday signed House Bill 218 into law. Labeled the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, it took effect…
Illinois Supreme Court upholds assault weapon ban, but federal test remains
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state’s ban on high-powered weapons and high-capacity magazines passed a state constitutional test Friday as it awaits a potentially more daunting challenge on the federal stage. In a split decision, the Democratically controlled Illinois Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the law characterizing dozens of firearms…
Gov. Pritzker vetoes bill that would have allowed new nuclear construction
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday vetoed a bill that would have lifted a 1980s moratorium on the construction of new nuclear reactors. The passed in May with three-fifths majorities in both legislative chambers, meaning that if all of the members that voted for it also support an override…
‘No cell phone, no email’: Ex-FBI agent testifies Madigan relied on ‘tight inner circle’
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was elevated to that powerful position in 1983 – the same year Motorola launched the first-ever commercially available mobile phone and CompuServe applied to trademark the word “email.” But Madigan, who held the speaker’s gavel for all but two years…
37 workers at state-run developmental center targeted in PPP fraud probe
MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois mparker@capitolnewsillinois.com At Ludeman Developmental Center in Park Forest, 37 employees have been fired, resigned or face pending disciplinary action after a state watchdog found that they defrauded a federal pandemic-era small business loan program. The employees who work at the state-run developmental center in south suburban Cook County include 32…
‘Protect the boss’ or faulty memory: ex-Madigan aide’s grand jury testimony scrutinized
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Taking occasional notes – a habit hard-wired after more than 25 years as Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s chief of staff – Tim Mapes sat and listened to opening statements in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial in a federal courtroom on Wednesday. Mapes allegedly…
Officials unveil 2023 State Fair butter cow
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With the 2023 Illinois State Fair about to get underway, Gov. JB Pritzker and Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II officially unveiled this year’s butter cow. The cow was sculpted by artist Sarah Pratt and inspired by dairy farmer Lorilee Schultz, from Mill-R-Mor Dairy in…
160 years later, activist Elizabeth Packard honored in place of psychiatrist she exposed
By JERRY NOWICKI & MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com In June 1860, Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard was committed to the Illinois Hospital and Asylum for the Insane in Jacksonville by her husband, a Calvinist minister, for, in part, publicly disagreeing with his positions on religion, women’s rights and slavery. She remained there for more…
Pritzker signs bills expanding protections for Native Americans
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed a package of bills Friday extending cultural protections to Native Americans in Illinois and requiring the teaching of Native American history in public schools. At a bill signing ceremony in Schaumburg, Pritzker highlighted three historic sites that were significant in Native American…
Watchdog overseeing abuse, neglect cases at state-run facilities resigns for Chicago post
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com After serving nearly four years as the watchdog for the Illinois Department of Human Services, Peter Neumer will step down from his role overseeing investigations into the abuse and neglect of some of the state’s most vulnerable people. The department announced the move to staff on Friday, noting…
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…
Local News
Bridgeview approves auto repair shop
Moves up time for May 1 village board meeting By Steve Metsch Bridgeview is getting a new automotive repair shop. The village board at its April 17 matinee meeting approved a special use permit that will allow a repair shop at 9010 S. Beloit Ave. There was no discussion among trustees. The board followed the…
Summit Fire Department blood drive draws a crowd
By Carol McGowan The Summit Fire Department, along with the Village of Summit, and the Argo Summit Lions Club held a blood drive this past Saturday, and it drew a crowd that even impressed the American Red Cross. It took place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with non-stop donors walking through the door. Fire…
Hodgkins toasts village businesses
By Carol McGowan Hodgkins Mayor Ernest Millsap and the Board of Trustees celebrated the village’s businesses at its annual Business Appreciation Breakfast on April 10. Over 100 people gathered at the Hodgkins Administration Center for a hearty breakfast hosted by the village. Representatives from many businesses that are located in or that work within the…
First Secure Bank to host American Eagle gold coin sale
From staff reports First Secure Bank & Trust of Palos Hills announced its annual May sale of 1-ounce and ¼-ounce American Eagle Gold Coins, produced by the U.S. Mint, will take place from 10 a.m.to noon on Saturdays, May 4, May 11, May 18 and May 25. The sale will take place at First Secure…
Solarbration: Chicago Ridge celebrates fun in the sun
By Kelly White The sun is shining and after a long winter, Chicago Ridge residents ready for it. In honor of National Solar Appreciation Day, the Chicago Ridge Park District offered residents the opportunity to come out and celebrate with a Solarbration, the free event was held outside of Freedom Activity Center, 6252 Birmingham St.,…
Oak Lawn trustee says village needs state grocery tax
By Joe Boyle An Oak Lawn trustee said that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to eliminate the state’s grocery tax will be costly for the village. Trustee William “Bud” Stalker (5th), accompanied by Mayor Terry Vorderer, recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Springfield where they learned more about the governor’s proposal to eliminate the grocery…
Palos Heights recognizes volunteers
By Nuha Abdessalam Palos Heights handed out awards last week recognizing the services provided by volunteers through the years. The proclamations, which were read aloud during the city council meeting April 16, were a testament to the city’s volunteers and were handed out as part of Volunteer Recognition Week. Volunteers were cited for their efforts…
SD218 puts on annual Arts Extravaganza
By Kelly White The arts have become a major portion of the curriculum Community High School District 218. Showcasing those many talents, the Friends of CHSD 218’s Education Foundation proudly hosted its 15th annual Arts Extravaganza on April 5 at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. “The Arts Extravaganza is a great event which showcases…
Palos Park passes $16 million budget
By Jeff Vorva The Palos Park Village Council approved the 2024-25 budget, which totals a little more than $16.3 million at the April 22 village council meeting. According to village documents, it represented an increase of a shade over $603,000 from last year. The village is expecting $13.4 million in revenue and $1.86 million in…
Fire damages Al Bahaar Restaurant in Orland Park
From staff reports Orland Fire Protection District firefighters responded to a fire Monday evening at the Al Bahaar Restaurant, 39 Orland Square Dr. At first, restaurant owners suspected the fire alarm was triggered by a malfunction, but as firefighters inspected the restaurant to reset the fire alarm, they detected a burning smell. “What we found…