Capitol News
Andrew Adams brings data, visual skillset to Capitol News Illinois amid outlet’s expansion
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Capitol News Illinois on Wednesday announced the hire of Andrew Adams as a state government and data reporter, further expanding its newsroom to five full-time reporters. Adams joins the team after a stint at Government Technology magazine, where he covered the public-sector technology industry, focusing on state and…
New law allows Illinoisans to change sex on birth certificate without doctor’s affirmation
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinoisans seeking to legally change the gender on their birth certificate will have an easier time under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker last week. “Here in Illinois, we recognize that gender transition is a personal journey that doesn’t always follow a prescriptive medical…
Capitol Cast: State of the State
Capitol News Illinois · State of the State Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, talks with Peter Hancock and Jerry Nowicki about the budget proposal that Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled during his State of the State address Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Pritzker hits the road to sell his budget plan
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – One day after delivering his budget address, Gov. JB Pritzker took to the road Thursday to rally support for his proposed “Smart Start” program to expand access to preschool and child care throughout the state. “It is important for us to make sure that every 3-…
After Pritzker’s budget address, lawmakers jockey for their own spending priorities
By HANNAH MEISEL & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Even factoring in the possibility of a “mild recession” this year, the proposed budget Gov. JB Pritzker laid out on Wednesday includes nearly $50 billion in state spending, bolstered by projections of continued near record-high tax revenues. Without invoking partisan labels, the…
Pritzker lays out $49.6 billion spending plan
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday laid out a $49.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that calls for significant new spending for early childhood education and efforts to combat homelessness among other areas. He also claimed credit for putting the state back on more…
Full text of Pritzker’s Fiscal Year 2024 state budget address
As prepared for delivery on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Leader McCombie, Leader Curran, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, our Constitutional Officers, members of the General Assembly, Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court, Cabinet Members, First Lady MK Pritzker, Second Gentleman Bryan Echols, esteemed guests — it’s a distinct honor to come before you today.…
Pritzker’s second-term agenda buoyed by ongoing strong revenue expectations
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker proposed a state budget Wednesday that anticipates continued strong revenue receipts even as federal COVID-19 stimulus funds dry up, allowing for increased spending across all levels of education and most of state government. Giving his annual speech from the state House chamber for…
Newly signed laws include creation of tourism districts, criminal justice reforms
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed 15 bills into law, tackling policy areas from tourism to prison reform and making it easier for people previously convicted of felonies to legally change their name. The laws passed the General Assembly in their recently concluded lame duck legislative…
Capitol Cast: Budget Address Preview
Capitol News Illinois Bureau Chief Jerry Nowicki takes a look at the state budgeting process and what to expect when Gov. JB Pritzker gives his fifth state budget address on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Capitol News Illinois · Budget Address Preview
Impending Medicaid changes could leave hundreds of thousands uninsured
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – As many as 700,000 Illinoisans may lose Medicaid coverage in the months following March 31, but the Department of Healthcare and Family Services says it is working to reduce that number and help those affected find health insurance elsewhere. Medicaid is a health insurance program for…
‘Tired of being abused:’ Watchdog report shows Choate patients forced to handle own excrement
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois & MOLLY PARKER Lee Enterprises Midwest [email protected] This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Lee Enterprises, along with Capitol News Illinois. Newly released reports from the Illinois Department of Human Services’ watchdog office reveal shocking instances of cruelty, abuse and poor care of patients…
Advocacy groups push for expansive paid family, medical leave in Illinois
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A coalition of advocacy and labor groups is pushing for a state law to give Illinois workers 26 weeks of paid leave if they need to recover from an illness, domestic or sexual violence, or take care of a sick family member or new child. The…
On Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, advocates spotlight ongoing racial disparities
NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers and advocates commemorated National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Tuesday, calling attention to the disproportionate impact the disease has on Black communities. “It’s important that we commemorate or we talk about that on February 7, so that we can spark a debate with all of our…
Approaching ‘Medicaid cliff’ could leave hundreds of thousands uninsured
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – As many as 700,000 Illinoisans may stand to lose their Medicaid coverage after March 31, but the Department of Healthcare and Family Services says it is working to reduce that number and help those affected find health insurance elsewhere. Medicaid is a health insurance program for…
CAPITOL RECAP: Pritzker preparing for fifth state budget address next week
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker’s second-term legislative agenda will kick off in earnest next week as he proposes his fifth annual state budget to lawmakers in the General Assembly. But while a governor’s proposal usually provides the framework for the state’s annual spending plan, it rarely makes it through the General…
Push for state child tax credit begins, could face uphill battle
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A group of Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday called for creating a state-level child tax credit that would give low- and middle income families up to $700 per child each year in tax relief. But whether Gov. JB Pritzker includes such a plan in his budget proposal,…
What to know ahead of Pritzker’s budget proposal to lawmakers
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s second-term legislative agenda will kick off in earnest next week as he proposes his fifth annual state budget to lawmakers in the General Assembly. But while a governor’s proposal usually provides the framework for the state’s annual spending plan, it rarely makes it…
CAPITOL RECAP: Supreme Court ruling strengthens internet privacy law
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD — People who’ve been subject to fingerprinting, face or retinal scans as either employees or customers of Illinois companies have five years to file lawsuits if they believe the business violated a stringent state privacy law, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled this week. It’s the latest in a handful of…
Pritzker announces $40 million grant program to promote development-ready ‘megasites’
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced the creation of a $40 million grant program to incentivize the creation of large development-ready areas known as “megasites” across the state. Megasites are large swaths of land, developed to attract businesses such as manufacturing plants, warehouses and distribution centers.…
Illinois’ biometric privacy law strengthened by latest high court ruling
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – People who’ve been subject to fingerprinting, face or retinal scans as either employees or customers of Illinois companies have five years to file lawsuits if they believe the business violated a stringent state privacy law, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled this week. It’s the latest in…
Pritzker seeks more info on AP African American Studies course
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker this week asked the College Board for more information about its reasoning for changing the final framework of a new Advanced Placement course in African American studies after it had been criticized by Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. “Although we are pleased to…
Report pushes for greater focus on teacher recruitment and retention amid shortages
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois schools are still grappling with a teacher shortage that seems to only be getting worse, a recent survey by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools shows. This mirrors the state’s own data, which shows Illinois’ teacher shortage is at the highest level in…
Illinois’ COVID-19 disaster proclamation to end in May
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol news Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Exactly 38 months after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, Illinois will no longer be under a disaster proclamation as of May 11, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday. That’s the same day President Joe Biden will end the national public health emergency, which…
Local News
Star student earns college scholarship
St. Laurence High School senior Priscilla Bonilla stands with her family, minutes after learning she has earned a four-year academic scholarship to the University of St. Francis. In college, she plans to study theology and secondary education, with a hope to return to St. Laurence one day as a teacher. A West Elsdon resident, she…
Worth Park District asks voters to support parks
Worth Park District officials will ask residents on April 4 if they are willing to pay a little more to support facilities. The district will ask voters to approve a 0.2000 percent tax rate increase. If approved, residents would pay about an additional $5 per month for every $100,000 of equalized assessed value of their…
OLCHS, Richards Contest Play advance to state finals
Both Richards High School and Oak Lawn Community High School Contest Play productions advanced to state finals March 24 and March 25 at Glenwood High School in Chatham after earning the title of Sectional Champions. OLCHS’ Mariana Salazar, Mariam Chuli, Melanie Cabrera, Jet Peleaz, Matthew Perry, Shawn Perry, Vasili Patrianakos, and Kathryn Fragapane were all…
Yarbrough and O’Grady join elected officials to recruit Election Day workers
Facing a critical shortage of election poll workers, Cook County Clerk Karen A. Yarbrough on Tuesday joined Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady and Maywood Library Board Director Erica Sanchez to ask suburban residents to heed the call, help their local community, and get paid to volunteer as poll workers for the upcoming April 4 Consolidated…
At Stagg, bald is beautiful for St. Baldrick’s Foundation
By Dermot Connolly Students and staff at Stagg and Sandburg high schools raised thousands of dollars for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation on St. Patrick’s Day, with many going all out and getting their heads shaved. Leah Ellis, a counselor at Stagg, has been coordinating the Palos Hills school’s participation in the annual fundraiser for the…
Sterling Estates woman charged in death of 19-month-old son
A woman from unincorporated Sterling Estates in Justice was charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment stemming from an incident involving her 19-month-old son that started in October, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced Thursday. On Oct. 17, Sheriff’s Police responded to a residence in the 800 block of Victory Lane in unincorporated Sterling Estates after…
Centennial Park West band shell project ready to roll
By Jeff Vorva A project that has been 20 years in the making finally is good to go. The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees voted Monday, March 20, to give a green light to the Centennial Park West project. The revamped park will have a permanent stage to host three major concerts a…
Taking sides in mayoral race
. Clearing, Garfield Ridge endorsements start to emerge By Tim Hadac While neither Paul Vallas nor Brandon Johnson has campaigned to any significant degree in Clearing or Garfield Ridge, their supporters—including several here in the neighborhood–are starting to go public. The latest endorsement to be snagged occurred last Friday, when U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García…
Casten still learning the lay of the land in the south suburbs
By Jeff Vorva Sean Casten is getting to know his new mayors. Casten, the Democratic Congressman of the revamped 6th District, has been spending a lot of time meeting 40 mayors in recent weeks after he was sworn into office in January. Casten beat out Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau in the November election, but…
Court’s in session for Palos Park mayoral candidates
By Jeff Vorva Yes, they are lawyers. And they know how to give a closing argument. Longtime Palos Park Commissioner Nicole Milovich-Walters and Ronette Leal McCarthy are a pair of lawyers seeking the job as mayor to take over for John Mahoney, also a lawyer, who is retiring and did not seek a fifth term. …