State News

By BRIDGETTE FOX Capitol News Illinois   [email protected]   SPRINGFIELD — The House passed a bill Tuesday that would ban public schools from using mascots that discriminate against people with disabilities. The bill, if signed into law, currently would affect just one high school in St. Clair County. Freeburg Community High School’s mascot, the “Midgets,” is…

By BEN SZALINSKI, PETER HANCOCK & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected]  SPRINGFIELD — An improved revenue forecast is helping ease pressure on state finances as Gov. JB Pritzker calls for tightened spending to balance the budget without tax increases on everyday Illinoisans. During his annual state of the state and budget address on Wednesday,…

By Jade Aubrey and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) A second protest against the Trump administration took place in front of the Illinois Capitol Monday, less than two weeks after the first such protest was held. The protest was part of the “50501 movement,” which calls for 50 protests in 50 states on one day.…

By BEN SZALINSKI [email protected] Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Foster care officials will have to prioritize placing children with their relatives under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday.  Pritzker signed the Kinship in Demand Act, or KIND Act, at a ceremony at the Statehouse. The new law puts an obligation on…

‘50501’ demonstration part of a nationwide event calling for protests at state capitols By JADE AUBREY Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday to protest President Donald Trump’s administration and Elon Musk. The group stood in the rain holding signs and chanting phrases like “dump Trump,…

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected]  Illinoisans can now vote on whether they want a new state flag.  The Illinois Secretary of State’s office officially opened the voting portal on Friday, and votes will be accepted through Feb. 14.  Voters can choose from 10 designs for a new flag, the current flag, the 1918…

By BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — A task force created in the wake of a deadly Metro East tornado has issued recommendations for better protecting warehouse workers. Six people were killed when an EF3 tornado with 150 mph winds struck an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville on Dec. 10, 2021. The incident raised…

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Criminal convictions of actor Jussie Smollett will be dismissed, and a defamation lawsuit against the Chicago Sun-Times will be allowed to continue, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in a slate of opinions Thursday. The high court ruled disorderly conduct charges against Smollett should be dismissed because…

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A federal judge in East St. Louis on Friday struck down Illinois’ assault weapons ban on the grounds that it violates the Second and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution and issued an order barring the state from enforcing it. That order, however, was stayed for…

By MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CAIRO – A massive 12-ton 3D printer has arrived in Cairo to construct a duplex on vacant land behind the town’s city hall. The towering gantry system stretches into the sky as the machine, guided by a computer rendering, layers a specialty concrete mix like toothpaste squeezed from…