#illinois
#illinois

Social justice

Op-ed: Can we make Illinois counties even less reliant on prison?

The number of people sentenced to prison in Illinois has dropped almost 50% from 2010 to 2023.

A larger share of those being sentenced to prison are now being sentenced for serious felony offenses. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

State, food bank step in to keep migrants fed during December

The state of Illinois and the Greater Chicago Food Depository are partnering to ensure that migrants in Chicago's shelter system receive meals through the end of the year.

The city of Chicago delayed the start date for a new food vendor contract, raising concerns about whether migrants would be fed throughout December. [ more ]

Yahoo Sports

Atlanta Braves

White Sox get two Illinois natives in Aaron Bummer trade

The White Sox traded Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves and received five players in return.

Two of the players acquired by the White Sox are from Illinois. [ more ]

New York Post

US politics

Jail-bound father of July 4th parade shooting suspect rebuked for 'Political Pawn' shirt

The father of the alleged Illinois Fourth of July parade shooter turned himself in to begin a jail sentence.

Robert Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct for sponsoring his underage son's firearm application.

The younger Crimo is facing charges of murder and attempted murder for the massacre at the parade. [ more ]

moreIllinois

Ars Technica

1 month ago

OMG science

The entire state of Illinois is going to be crawling with cicadas

Two broods of periodical cicadas, on 13-year and 17-year cycles respectively, are emerging simultaneously in central Illinois after over two centuries.

Cicadas play a crucial role as a rare feast for other Midwestern animals, plants, and microbes, revitalizing forests in a unique cycle. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

2 months ago

Education

3 Children and 2 Adults Killed as School Bus and Truck Collide in Illinois

Fatal school bus collision in Illinois

Investigation ongoing into the cause of the crash [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Education

Ingleside Catholic school to remain open after raising $400K; 'Our focus is on sustainability'

St. Bede School in Illinois raised over $425,000 in just 32 days to cover a budget deficit and remain open for the next academic year.

Contributions came from students, alumni, businesses, neighboring Catholic schools, and strangers, but the school now needs to focus on long-term financial sustainability. [ more ]

Steelers Depot

2 months ago

Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Director Of Player Scouting Mark Sadowski Attends Illinois' Pro Day

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Director of Player Scouting Mark Sadowski attended Illinois' Pro Day.

DT Jer'Zhan Newton is a top prospect from Illinois, facing some challenges despite high potential. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

2 months ago

New York City

Why a $25 Million Plan to Relocate N.Y.C. Migrant Families Is Struggling

The Migrant Relocation Assistance Program in New York has only resettled about 170 families out of the intended 1,250.

The program in New York has fallen significantly short of expectations, in contrast to a similar program in Illinois that has resettled a much higher number of households. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

US politics

Afternoon Briefing: State officials to weigh removing Trump from March ballot

A retired judge in Illinois has recommended that former President Donald Trump be removed from the state's primary ballot due to his involvement in the January 6th Capitol attack.

Attorneys for Trump and citizens seeking to keep him off the ballot presented their arguments before the hearing officer, who is a retired Republican judge. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

US politics

Pair of mass shootings in suburbs offers grim reminder: Illinois and Chicago routinely rank among nation's worst for such crimes

Illinois and Chicago have seen more mass shootings than any other state and city in the country over the past decade.

Chicago accounted for 34 mass shootings in 2023 alone, resulting in 27 deaths and 143 injuries. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Daywatch: Appeals skyrocket as courts grapple with bond reform

Cash bail was abolished in Illinois in September, but there have been numerous appeals of detention decisions since then.

The state's highest court has formed a task force to handle the large number of appeals related to the Pretrial Fairness Act. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Saturday forecast: Dense fog advisory until 10 a.m., flood watches near rivers and creeks, officials say

Dense fog advisory issued for parts of Illinois and Indiana

Flood watch in effect for northern and central Illinois and northwest Indiana [ more ]

Redfin | Real Estate Tips for Home Buying, Selling & More

The 10 Most Bikeable Cities in Illinois

Evanston is the most bikeable city in Illinois, with a bike score of 89.

Chicago and Urbana are also highly bikeable cities in Illinois. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Weather officials issue dense fog advisory in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday

Dense fog advisory issued in Illinois

Hazardous driving conditions and limited visibility [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Weather officials warn of slick conditions before 9 a.m. in alert

Winter weather advisory issued for ice covered roadways in north central and northeast Illinois.

Slippery conditions expected on untreated roads and sidewalks due to ice. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Jim Nowlan: Illinois downstaters and their city 'cousins' live in different worlds

Rural and urban Illinoisans live in starkly different worlds.

Differences in wealth, income, education, and family cohesiveness contribute to the divide. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Media industry

David Greising: Journalism is in a sorry state in Illinois and nationwide. But there is hope for local news.

The nation has lost a third of its newspapers and two-thirds of its newspaper journalists since 2005.

Illinois has been hit hard with many counties losing their local news sources. [ more ]

HuffPost

Illinois Governor Asks Texas To Halt Sending Migrants Amid Winter Storm

Illinois governor asks for a break in the flow of migrants due to dangerous winter storm

Governor Pritzker calls for the federal government to address the issue of overwhelming migration at the border [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Canada news

Illinois sets another record for recreational cannabis sales in 2023, but purchases by out-of-staters decline

Illinois set a record for recreational cannabis sales in 2023, with over $1.6 billion in sales.

Sales to out-of-state residents showed a significant drop, while sales to Illinois residents increased. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Medicine

Illinois abortions surged the year Roe fell, with nearly 17,000 patients traveling from other states - a 49% spike

In 2022, there were over 56,000 abortions performed in Illinois, the highest number since the mid-1990s.

The increase in abortions was driven by a 49% spike in out-of-state patients, with nearly 17,000 people traveling to Illinois to terminate a pregnancy. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Op-ed: Illinois is the place to be for businesses

Illinois has attracted a diverse range of companies, including Pringles, Pop-Tarts, EV battery makers, and cultivated meat companies.

382 companies relocated or expanded in Illinois in fiscal year 2023, demonstrating the state's appeal for businesses and job creation. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Law

U.S. Supreme Court declines to review Illinois high court ruling upholding gun ban

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request for review of a ruling upholding Illinois' gun ban, closing the door on one of numerous legal challenges to the law.

The court's denial comes after Justice Amy Coney Barrett declined to put the law on hold ahead of a registration deadline for banned weapons. [ more ]

WSJ

Law

Opinion | Illinois Concedes on Pregnancy Centers

Illinois has been targeting pro-life pregnancy help centers using fraud laws, but the state is now backing down in federal court.

The state's Attorney General agreed to a permanent injunction preventing the enforcement of the law. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Law

Under proposed agreement, state would drop enforcement of law aimed at deterring deceptive anti-abortion practices

Illinois would drop enforcement of a new law aimed at deterring deceptive practices by anti-abortion pregnancy centers under a proposed agreement.

The agreement would make a federal judge's decision to permanently block the law from being enforced. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Daywatch: Illinois homeowners turning to solar power

Residential solar power is experiencing a surge in Illinois due to concerns about climate change and government incentives.

Illinois saw a record 12,600 residential rooftop solar systems connected to the grid in 2023, compared to just 98 in 2013. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Letters: Op-ed about Illinois' gerrymandered district map distorts the data

Illinois Republican voters had more opportunities to vote for their party, leading to a larger vote total than Democrats in 2022.

Republicans lost seats in the election because they simply lost, not because of gerrymandering. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs measure lifting Illinois' moratorium on new nuclear power plants

Illinois will end its nearly four-decade moratorium on nuclear plant construction next year.

The new measure focuses on small modular reactors as a tool to help the state reach its carbon-free power generation goal. [ more ]

Chicago Tribune