Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Illinois legislators consider more tax credits; Invest in Kids not among them
Illinois legislators continue to consider different types of tax credits, but some are urging the General Assembly to renew one that expired at the end of last year.
At a recent House Revenue and Finance Committee, legislators heard about a tax credit for affordable housing. State Rep. Dagmara Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, said the measure is needed to create more housing options.
The Chicago Tribune: Mayor Johnson at one year in office: Former activist grapples with being the boss
Mayor Brandon Johnson paused to soak in the scene as row after row of longtime union members and leaders sprang to their feet.
As he approached his first anniversary in office, the freshman mayor whose political career began at the firebrand Chicago Teachers Union looked right at home before the adoring crowd of self-proclaimed troublemakers at the annual Labor Notes conference in April near O’Hare International Airport. During his speech to the group, Johnson commended the City Council’s controversial, razor-thin January endorsement of a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The Daily Herald: Why suburban police, lawmakers want to make fleeing from cops a felony
In his more than two decades as a law enforcement officer, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres has witnessed plenty of reckless behavior and dangerous driving on suburban roads.
But nothing compares to what he’s seen over the past few years of what officials are calling an “epidemic” of drivers fleeing from police, often at high speeds that put everyone on the roads in peril.
Capitol News: Labor-backed bill banning 'captive audience' meetings awaits House action
With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand.
Dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” Senate Bill 3649 advanced out of the Senate on May 2 with only Democratic support.
Chicago Sun-Times: Facing a budget cliff, CPS lets teachers out of school to lobby Springfield
Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union plan to turn up the heat on state lawmakers Wednesday, with more than 600 staff being given the day away from classrooms to go to Springfield to rally for more revenue.
Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and the school board president will join staff at the state capital as the district stares down a budget deficit of more than $400 million this year. So far, the district has yet to say how it is going to balance the budget, instead insisting it is counting on the state to provide more funding.
The Center Square: Prison closures could cause hundreds of jobs to leave the Central Illinois
“Save Logan Correctional Center” signs are popping up on front lawns in Lincoln as legislators raise concerns about a plan to close and demolish the facility in Logan County.
The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability held a hearing in Springfield Friday. The topic that the bipartisan group of state legislators reviewed is the proposed closures of Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill and Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln.
State Journal-Register: Calls continue for an increase in pay for Direct Service Professionals in Illinois
Due to higher turnover rates and vacancies, state legislators and Direct Service Professionals are asking for $3.00 rate wage increase.
The call for a rate increase comes after a $2.50 wage increase for the workers in Fiscal Year 2024.
NBC Chicago: Cicadas are starting to emerge in Illinois. Here's a map of where to expect them
Cicadas are officially emerging from the ground in several parts of the Chicago area as the start of a historic emergence begins. But where can you expect them most?
The emergence of Brood XIII and Brood XIX, which haven’t sprouted simultaneously in more than two centuries, has started earlier than average in Illinois.