Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Pritzker signs bill mandating pregnancy-related insurance coverage
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed an amended version of House Bill 5142, which mandates that health insurance policies in the state pay for pregnancy and postpartum coverage.
The governor said the law ensures competitive Medicaid reimbursement rates for doulas, lactation consultants, home visitors and other community-based providers.
The Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker says it would be ‘near impossible’ to get Bears stadium deal done this fall
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday said there is almost no chance that a deal will get done this year on a taxpayer-funded stadium for the Chicago Bears, especially since the team has yet to make a proposal that the governor thinks would be acceptable to lawmakers.
“I made it clear to the Bears leadership that it would be near impossible to get anything done — if there was a proposal put on the table that could get done, you couldn’t actually get it done, probably, during the veto session and would have to wait until next spring,” Pritzker said, referring to the year’s final legislative session in November, during an unrelated news conference in Chicago.
Chicago Sun-Times: Feds swat argument that Supreme Court saves Madigan: 'This dog will not hunt'
Federal prosecutors on Monday rejected the notion that charges against former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan should be tossed because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
“This dog will not hunt,” they told U.S. District Judge John Blakey, insisting in a 113-page filing that there is “no basis to disturb” their blockbuster case.
AP News: Biden decries ‘extremism’ on Supreme Court, details plan for term limits, ethics code for justices
President Joe Biden said Monday that “extremism” on the U.S. Supreme Court is undermining public confidence in the institution and called on Congress to quickly establish term limits and an enforceable ethics code for the court’s nine justices. He also called on lawmakers to ratify a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity.
Biden, who has less than six months left in his presidency, detailed the contours of his court proposal in an address at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, where he was marking the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. His calls for dramatic changes in the court have little chance of being approved by a closely divided Congress with 99 days to go before Election Day.
WTTW: Transportation Advocates Say There’s Plenty of Benefits to Lowering Chicago’s Speed Limit to 25 MPH
Some city officials want Chicagoans to slow down.
Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) is proposing to reduce Chicago’s citywide speed limit from 30 mph to 25. Advocates of the ordinance say the small change could significantly curb the amount of traffic injuries and fatalities, and improve public safety. However, some raise concerns over enforcement, practicality, economic drawbacks and question whether the measure is really an attempt to increase revenue through higher traffic fines.
The Daily Herald: ‘What we need is community support’: Advisory panel nixes fixed-site homeless shelter in Gurnee
A plan to repurpose the FairBridge Inn hotel on Grand Avenue in Gurnee to a fixed-site homeless shelter was rejected by an advisory panel last week leaving the village board with final say on the hot-button issue.
In a mixed ruling, the village’s planning and zoning board unanimously recommended adding “emergency shelter” as a special use in the East Grand Gateway Overlay District, a busy area between the Waukegan city limit and Route 41.
WAND TV: Champaign leaders call on the community's help following a deadly shooting
After a weekend of violence claimed the lives of two 18-year-olds Champaign leaders are sounding the alarm.
On Sunday, just after midnight, Champaign Police responded to the 2000 block of Cynthia Drive for a report of a shooting. Police said four people were hit, including an 18-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman who died after being taken to the hospital.
Central Illinois Proud: Roanoke’s stand-by emergency care may soon not be readily available
tand-by emergency care may soon be unavailable for the Village of Roanoke.
The village depends on volunteers to help run its ambulance department. They said that if that need isn’t met, it could ultimately slow down response times for people living in the village.
The Center Square: Illinois State Fair officials offer preview of this year’s event
The countdown is on for the start of the Illinois State Fair.
With the start of the fair just days away, fair officials offered a preview of the newly renovated grounds Monday. The taxpayer-funded upgrades were part of an over $50 million capital project, which included various road improvements and renovations to The Coliseum.