Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Illinois State Police: ‘Assault weapons’ bought during week of injunction are illegal
Illinois State Police say any purchase of firearms or attachments the state deems as “assault weapons” from during the six-day injunction against Illinois’ gun ban will be illegal after Jan. 1, 2024.
In January this year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted the ban on more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities. Part of that includes a registry of already owned guns starting Oct. 1 with the deadline to register being Jan. 1, 2024.
Chicago Tribune: Cannabis operators big and small argue over who should oversee the industry in Illinois
A battle over legal cannabis oversight in Illinois pits startup social equity business owners against big multistate operators, and could determine the future regulation of the industry in the state.
At issue is the desire for a single regulatory body to oversee the complex fledgling industry. Currently, at least seven agencies regulate various aspects, giving rise to sometimes contradictory guidelines. The state’s licensing system has come under heavy criticism and litigation for delays, inconsistent scoring of applications, and non-responsiveness to applicants with questions about the process.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot bids tearful farewell to fifth floor of City Hall, but not people of Chicago: ‘My work is not done’
Mayor Lori Lightfoot bid a tearful farewell to Chicago on Monday, saying she is “more optimistic about our city’s future than ever” because of the “work our administration has done” to “plant the seeds of equity.”
One week before handing the reins of power to Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, Ohio native Lightfoot said she is leaving the mayor’s office on the fifth floor of City Hall — but not her adopted city.
Daily Herald: No real 'forward progress': Bears redevelopment could take at least a decade, officials say
Officials at Arlington Heights village hall are more than two years into their work on the Arlington Park redevelopment project, but most agreed Monday it could be at least another decade until the Bears kick off at a new stadium there.
That’s amid the additional planning, studies, negotiations and approvals still to come, though officials didn’t provide a more exact timeline during a village board committee meeting that was mostly focused on what they’ve done to date.
State Journal-Register: Bipartisan, local lawmakers back voluntary firefighter tax credit
A legislative push to ease the impact of a voluntary firefighter shortage has resurfaced in the Capitol following last week’s Interstate 55 crash just south of Springfield.
Last Monday’s dust storm-related pileup in Montgomery County led to the deaths of seven and required fast response from nearby emergency workers. Now, a week later, local and bipartisan legislators announced their support for a bill which would provide $500 tax credits to voluntary emergency workers.
Chicago Tribune: Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson pushes his own plan to reshape City Council
A week before he’s inaugurated, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson is pushing his own leadership proposal on Chicago’s City Council with allies helming key committees, but it remains to be seen whether his Unity Plan lives up to its name or sets an early discordant tone as he tries to avoid the acrimony that marked his predecessor’s relationship with aldermen.
Johnson’s move to switch up council committee leadership that 33 aldermen pushed through in late March is an early key test of the new mayor’s strength and savvy. Mayor Lori Lightfoot picked a fight with aldermen by proclaiming on her Inauguration Day in 2019 that she was going to clean up the council, then spent the next four years feuding with many members, which critics said needlessly hamstrung her broader agenda.
WCIA: Illinois leads nation in tornadoes this year, nearly twice above state average
If it seems like you’re preparing for tornado threats a little more than usual lately, there’s some truth to that, at least if you live in Illinois.
According to the National Weather Service, Illinois is leading the nation in tornadoes this year. Eighty-six tornadoes have already rolled through the Prairie State in 2023, nearly double the state’s average of 50 twisters per year.