Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Daily Journal: Third grade reading scores show lack of proficiency locally, statewide
A recent report concluded that seven out of 10 third graders in Illinois were not reading at grade level in 2023 based on their test scores, suggesting a majority of students statewide will face major educational hurdles ahead.
The report from IllinoisPolicy.org compiled the percentages of third graders failing to meet or meeting reading proficiency standards on last year’s Illinois Assessment of Readiness.
The Center Square: Number of homeless Chicagoans jumped by 200% over a yearlong period
The latest “point-in-time” study finds that the number of homeless Chicagoans jumped by 200% over a yearlong period beginning in early 2023.
With the annual survey used by the federal government to track such trends, researchers also note that as more than 35,000 migrants poured into the city, the number of individuals living in city shelters or on city streets tripled and the number of longtime homeless residents spiked by 25%.
The Chicago Tribune: Sentencing for ex-Ald. Edward Burke offers referendum on Chicago’s old-school corruption
After a lifetime of backroom wheeling and dealing, former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke faces the most consequential negotiation of his life on Monday — and in the most public of places.
In a federal courtroom on the 25th floor of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, Burke, the longtime Democratic machine stalwart who dominated the City Council for most of his 54 years as an alderman, will be sentenced in a corruption case that rocked city politics and tanked Burke’s extraordinary career as a lawyer and elected official.
Chicago Sun-Times: ATF, DEA and FBI see number of new prosecutions fall in Chicago since COVID-19 pandemic
Chicago and other big cities have seen the number of new federal prosecutions drop steadily in recent years, likely because of a hangover from the partial shutdown of the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data provided by a Syracuse University research group.
In the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Chicago is expected to have a more than 37% decrease in prosecutions of cases from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives compared with fiscal year 2023.
The Daily Herald: With money to plan greenway, what’s next for defunct Route 53 extension — and should IDOT get paid?
A short paragraph on page 1,209 of the state budget marks a major milestone in the future of Route 53 in Lake County.
The budget, which goes into effect July 1, allots $1 million to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for “developing a land-use master plan for Route 53 expansion land.”
WCIA: Illinois gas tax will go up automatically on July 1st
Illinois residents, who pay the second highest gas tax in the country, will see an increase at the pump starting July 1st.
That’s when the automatic annual Motor Fuel Tax increases to account for inflation.
The Chicago Tribune: Minooka pushes back on massive rail project it says will flood village with truck traffic
For the past year, the village of Minooka has pressed Canadian National Railway for one big change to the 900-acre intermodal and warehouse complex it’s planning on the edge of town.
Instead of sending 900,000 diesel trucks a year north through Minooka’s main commercial district to access Interstate 80, the village wants the railroad to send them to a freeway entrance 5½ miles to the southwest.