Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Illinois lawmakers, congressional leaders and business officials call for allowing migrants to work
A coalition of congressional leaders, Illinois business officials and immigration advocates want to get migrants into the workforce.
Over 13,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Illinois over the past year, many bused from Texas after crossing the southern U.S. border.
Chicago Tribune: Ex-Madigan aide Tim Mapes found guilty but he’s still collecting a big pension
Despite a federal jury last week convicting Tim Mapes of two felonies, the former chief of staff for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan continues to receive a nearly $150,000-a-year state government pension.
In fact, while he sat in the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse defending himself against a mountain of evidence, pension records show that Mapes automatically collected his monthly pension check of $12,492 for August.
Chicago Sun-Times: Downtown residents divided on NASCAR’s return to Chicago, new surveys show
Downtown residents have mixed feelings about the NASCAR Street Race returning to Chicago next year.
City Council members who represent the areas in and around the race course have surveyed their constituents’ thoughts on the event before deciding whether they will support future races.
Ald. Bill Conway (34th) polled his ward and found residents were evenly divided on whether the event should return in 2024.
Daily Herald: Climate change? Inflation? Why Illinois home insurance rates are up 30% since 2015
As natural disasters become more extreme and more frequent due to climate change, some states are seeing higher home insurance rates, and Illinois is no exception.
While weather definitely plays a part, experts say other factors like inflation, state regulation and home replacement costs are also adding fuel to the fire. Looking ahead, insurance companies are striving to support building more resilient homes to prepare for the effects of global warming.
WTTW: 3.6 Million More Workers Would Be Entitled to Overtime Pay Under Proposed Biden Administration Rule
The Biden administration will propose a new rule Wednesday that would make 3.6 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay, reviving an Obama-era policy effort that was ultimately scuttled in court.
The new rule, shared with The Associated Press ahead of the announcement, would require employers to pay overtime to so-called white collar workers who make less than $55,000 a year. That’s up from the current threshold of $35,568 which has been in place since 2019 when Trump administration raised it from $23,660. In another significant change, the rule proposes automatic increases to the salary level each year.
CBS Chicago: Residents protest plan to house 300 migrants at Hyde Park area motel
Fired-up residents raised their voices Wednesday night at a contentious meeting with city leaders in Hyde Park.
The city wants to house hundreds of asylum seekers at a motel in the area – but many residents who packed the meeting Wednesday night said, “No way.”
Capitol News: Dying and disabled Illinois prisoners kept behind bars, despite new medical release law
Phillip Merritt’s dementia is so advanced he’s lost the ability to speak. But with the help of his cellmates at Western Illinois Correctional Center, the 71-year-old still manages to get on the phone with his brother every few weeks.
“He has to have someone call me, and then I don’t know what to say to him because he can’t understand anything, so I’ll just talk,” said Merritt’s brother, Michael Merritt, in an interview. “All he can say are two words. … I mean, he’s just gone.”