The Democratic National Convention will be held this week in Chicago from Monday through Thursday, and while delegates flock to the site to rally for the Harris-Walz ticket, the Windy City is approaching a decade of declining population amid rising taxes and crime.

A report by the Illinois Policy Institute found that Chicago has seen its population decline each of the last nine years with the city losing a net 128,034 residents, according to Census Bureau estimates.

Chicago is facing criticism for sweeping its crime, migrant crisis, and homeless encampments “under the rug” ahead of the Democratic National Convention starting today — even as the months-long clean up efforts have further highlighted the challenges faced by the Windy City and internal infighting among progressives about how best to address them.

The last minute touches — trimming trees, removing graffiti, picking up litter, and sweeping the streets — have been evident in the area surrounding the convention site in recent days, as some have criticized the efforts as politically-motivated.

Barrington Township voters will see a question on the November ballot about pension reform, but the outcome will only be advisory.

Last week, the township board voted to authorize a non-binding ballot question asking: “Do you support constitutional pension reform to protect workers’ existing retirements and generate savings which could provide property tax relief or be reinvested in the community?”

The baton has officially been passed: Democrats bid a fond farewell Monday to President Joseph Biden, who in a late-night speech that closed the first day of the Democratic National Convention ticked off his political and policy victories and gave an unqualified endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to become the nation’s 47th president.

During the roughly 50-minute speech, Biden denied any anger about the pressure he received from fellow Democrats to drop out of the race following his debacle of a debate against former President Donald Trump. And he insisted he would complete unfinished business in the remaining five months of his presidency. He also leaned heavily in endorsing Harris.

Dozens of protesters broke through a security fence near the site of the Democratic National Convention on its opening day Monday as thousands took to the streets to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza.

Families with babies in strollers, students, elected leaders and others holding signs and flags joined the march to the United Center, where the convention is being held, to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. As the larger group marched peacefully, a few dozen who broke away tore down pieces of the security fence.

Illinois lawmakers have passed a law banning vaping companies from targeting teens in advertising by marketing or promoting electronic cigarettes resembling school supplies such as highlighters, markers or erasers.

The changes come at a time when lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in Springfield have been bombarded with complaints about students bringing vapes into schools that could easily be mistaken for such common items.

Voters in a handful of communities in the south and southwest will weigh in on state funding for public schools in advisory referendums on the Nov. 5 ballot.

An initiative by two south suburban mayors and helped by the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association started earlier this month to try to get the question before voters in several Southland communities.

It’s the start of a new school year and classrooms throughout Illinois could be looking different through new laws going into effect now and in the near future.

Whether it be a preschool classroom, all the way to college, here are some changes you can expect.

New data on travel and tourism to East-Central Illinois is showing significant increases across spending, job growth and taxes generated for Champaign-Urbana’s economy.

“Is it, $667 million in economic impact in 2023? This is a 9.4% increase over last year’s numbers, said President and CEO of Experience Champaign Urbana Jayne Deluce”