Capitol News
Indoor vaping, cat declawing could be banned under recently passed bills
By JERRY NOWICKI & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed 68 bills this week while the House had advanced 284 as of Friday morning with hundreds more to go before their adjournment for the week. It was the first in a two-week stretch of legislative deadlines for bills to…
Lawmakers approve kindergarten reform, plan to address childhood literacy
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Lawmakers are looking at several ways to improve learning outcomes and access for young students in Illinois. On Thursday, members of the House of Representatives approved a proposal that would require school boards in Illinois to provide full-day kindergarten starting with the 2027-2028 school year. The…
Former Madigan political director details push by speaker’s office for key ComEd bill
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – As was the case with many big legislative efforts in Springfield, former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s staff was deeply involved in negotiations over what would become the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2015 and 2016. FEJA had many backers in environmental circles and organized labor…
House narrowly passes bill allowing all-gender bathrooms
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House narrowly passed a bill Thursday that would allow businesses, universities and other building owners to designate multi-occupancy all-gender bathrooms if they choose to do so. The bill passed on a vote of 60-40, the bare minimum number of “yes” votes needed for passage…
House narrowly passes bill allowing all-gender bathrooms
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House narrowly passed a bill Thursday that would allow businesses, universities and other building owners to designate multi-occupancy all-gender bathrooms if they choose to do so. The bill passed on a vote of 60-40, the bare minimum number of “yes” votes needed for passage…
House narrowly passes bill allowing all-gender bathrooms
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House narrowly passed a bill Thursday that would allow businesses, universities and other building owners to designate multi-occupancy all-gender bathrooms if they choose to do so. The bill passed on a vote of 60-40, the bare minimum number of “yes” votes needed for passage…
Advocates push for tax credit aimed at increasing affordable housing
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers are considering bills that would create a new tax credit for affordable housing, referred to as the “Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit.” The legislation, contained in the identical House Bill 2044 and Senate Bill 1737, would mirror a federal program administered by the Illinois Housing…
Utility’s indicted CEO considered Madigan when hiring, witness says
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – In April 2017, a top staffer in then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office was looking to leave his job after a combined nearly 18 years working for the speaker’s office and as his political director. Will Cousineau applied for a high-level job with electric utility Commonwealth…
House passes bill prohibiting book bans
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House passed a bill Wednesday that would prohibit libraries from banning books or other material because of partisan or doctrinal pressure, prompting strong opposition from Republicans who called it an assault on local control. House Bill 2789 is an initiative of Democratic Secretary of…
ComEd’s former top lawyer paints Madigan confidant as ‘double agent’ in testimony
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Being the longtime friend of longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan granted Mike McClain certain privileges not afforded to other lobbyists in Springfield, jurors heard Tuesday in a federal corruption trial that, in part, centers around the relationship between the two. McClain “had pretty free access”…
House sends 41 bills to Senate as Friday legislative deadline looms
By Capitol News Illinois [email protected] The Illinois House passed 41 bills to the Senate Tuesday ahead of a scheduled Friday deadline. The measures, among others, included a ban on polystyrene food containers, bills focusing on gender inclusivity in state law and a requirement that expectant parents have a “duty” to split pregnancy-related costs, including for…
‘You’re a street fighter,’ Madigan confidant counseled former speaker: wiretapped call
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Facing a perceived betrayal during a make-or-break election season in 2018, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan called the person he often sought counsel from: longtime friend and confidant Mike McClain. Several Democratic candidates running for the state Senate were using lines in their campaign ads…
Lawmakers advance measure to regulate ride-shares as ‘common carriers’
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers are considering a bill that would treat ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft as “common carriers,” opening them up to the same level of liability as other forms of public transportation. House Bill 2231 passed on the House floor this week with a 73-36…
Nuclear option: Illinois grapples with the future of nuclear power
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – A measure allowing the construction of new commercial nuclear power plants has bipartisan, bicameral support in the state legislature as the body considers its next steps in meeting carbon-free energy goals while maintaining grid reliability. Its advocates say the measure would open the door for the…
Wiretaps show Madigan, through McClain, forced ally out of legislature to protect himself
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – In fall 2018, longtime former State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, received a phone call from Mike McClain, who had spent decades lobbying for electric utility Commonwealth Edison after 10 years in the General Assembly. McClain was delivering a message from House Speaker Michael Madigan, who was…
House panel debates ranked choice voting
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are debating whether the state should join a growing list of jurisdictions in the United States that allow voters to pick more than one candidate for an office, ranking them in order of preference rather than choosing just one. Ranked choice voting, or as…
Madigan looms large in trial of ex-ComEd lobbyists, exec
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan isn’t set to go on trial for racketeering and corruption charges until next summer, but his decades of power in Illinois government and politics loomed large Wednesday as opening arguments got underway in a related case. Madigan’s name was uttered…
Transit agencies look to the state to help make up projected $730 million budget gap
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Officials with the state’s largest transit agencies met with lawmakers on Tuesday to sound the alarm for what Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Leanne Redden called a “looming operational crisis.” “By 2026, the region will face an annual budget deficit of nearly $730 million per year,”…
Pritzker: Tax cuts on the table if state revenues continue to exceed expectations
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – With two months to go before the legislature adjourns and current-year revenues continuing to smash expectations, Gov. JB Pritzker said he and legislative leaders are considering tax cuts. His comments came one week after the legislature’s nonpartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or COGFA, increased…
Pritzker touts higher education plan, joins call for pharmacies to state abortion pill plans
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – On his latest marketing tour to sell his state budget plan, Gov. JB Pritzker visited a community college in Normal Tuesday to highlight his proposed investments in higher education. “With an additional $100 million directed to the (Monetary Award Program) grant program, a student can pair…
Justices consider constitutionality of SAFE-T Act’s pretrial detention provisions
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The state’s highest court heard arguments Tuesday in a case that could drastically alter the legal landscape for criminal defendants who are incarcerated as they await trial. It’s the latest development in the ongoing legal challenge to the pretrial detention provisions of the SAFE-T Act criminal…
Moody’s gives Illinois another credit upgrade
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Moody’s Investors Service announced Tuesday that it has upgraded Illinois’ bond rating to A3, up from Baa1, marking the eighth credit upgrade the state has received in less than two years. Moody’s is now the second major rating agency to put Illinois in the ‘A’ category…
Pritzker signs measure guaranteeing five days paid leave for Illinoisans
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 208 into law Monday, ensuring at least 40 hours of paid leave for Illinois workers. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, workers will begin to earn paid leave on their first day at a rate of one hour of leave for every…
Bill aims to guarantee youth sentenced to life in prison a chance at parole after 40 years
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers advanced a bill last week that would effectively abolish life sentences for any incarcerated individual who was under the age of 21 when they received their sentence. In January, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law that makes any individual who was under the age…
Local News
Wade implores Palos Park residents to stop the infighting
By Jeff Vorva Palos Park Commissioner Mike Wade has not been on the council for a year yet and hasn’t said much over that time except to talk about the business at hand with building and public property matters. But Wade came up with a strong speech on Monday night regarding some of the controversy…
Oak Lawn trustees back police, complain about threats from protesters
By Joe Boyle Oak Lawn officials spoke out in unison on Tuesday night, proclaiming their support for the village’s police department. Trustee Alex Olejniczak (2nd) served as mayor pro tempore because Mayor Terry Vorderer was unable to attend the village board meeting. Olejniczak began the meeting by requesting a moment of silence in memory of…
Straz emphasizes ‘quality of life’ in Palos Heights during annual presentation
By Jeff Vorva Palos Heights Mayor Bob Straz used the phrase “quality of life” quite a bit Tuesday afternoon. The longtime mayor gave his annual State of the City Address sponsored by the Palos Area Chamber of Commerce at the Palos Heights Parks and Recreation Department and his theme was about the quality of life…
Palos Park native helps write screenplay for ‘Knock at the Cabin’
By Dermot Connolly Palos Park native Steve Desmond, 40, has been thinking about making movies for most of his life, and now one he co-wrote can be found in a theater near you. Desmond and his screenwriting partner, Michael Sherman, share writing credits with director M. Night Shyamalan for the screenplay for “Knock at the…
Village honors 100-year-old who has lived in Orland Park for 50 years
By Jeff Vorva The Village of Orland Park honored resident Lea Luchini, who is enjoying a couple of milestone celebrations. She turned 100 on Feb. 15 and this is the 50th year she has lived in Orland Park. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau read a proclamation recognizing Luchini at the Feb. 20 village board meeting.…
Price tag for Stagg expansion grows to $15 million
By Jeff Vorva The Stagg High School expansion project has a heftier price tag than originally thought. Consolidated High School District 230 officials were bracing for the project to cost roughly $12.5 million. At the Feb. 23 board meeting at Andrew High School, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services John Lavelle told the board that now…
Shepard students have taken the plunge.
By Kelly White The high school, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights, honored Special Olympics Illinois with a unique school-based Polar Plunge on Thursday, March 2. “This year was our biggest group plunging yet,” Ashley Lythberg, Special Education Teacher (POWER PE teacher) and Special Olympics Coordinator at Shepard, said. “Every year is special, but since…
Justice junior officials run board meeting
By Carol McGowan Village officials in Justice took a step back at their last board meeting and handed the reins over to students from Indian Springs School District 109. The February 27 village board meeting observed the yearly tradition of Honorary Junior Official Day, as students had the honor of sitting in the seats of…
Wearing o’ the green: Countryside St. Paddy Parade colored a success
By Steve Metsch St. Patrick’s Day arrived 13 days early in Countryside, but nobody was complaining. The city’s seventh St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held on March 4 beneath cloudy and cool skies. Many attending wore green. That included Zeva, a Boston terrier owned by Melanie Blando, 33, of Burr Ridge. Zeva was in parade…
McCook hopes study stops loss of 5 million gallons of water monthly
By Steve Metsch The village of McCook hopes a study will determine where it is losing 5 million gallons of water monthly. The leak was determined when the village, which buys water from Chicago, didn’t sell as many gallons as were coming in, Mayor Terrance Carr said. “We sell roughly 170 million gallons of water…