Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: New report gives Illinois 'F' grade for educational choices
A new report on educational freedoms gives Illinois a failing grade.
The American Legislative Exchange Council 2023 Index of State Education Freedom measured all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on several categories: funding and financing for school choice programs, support for charter schools, homeschooling, virtual schooling and open enrollment policies.
Chicago Sun-Times: Government shutdown averted with little time to spare as Biden signs funding
The threat of a federal government shutdown suddenly lifted late Saturday as President Joe Biden signed a temporary funding bill to keep agencies open with little time to spare after Congress rushed to approve the bipartisan deal.
The package drops aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of GOP lawmakers, but increases federal disaster assistance by $16 billion, meeting Biden’s full request. The bill funds government until Nov. 17.
Chicago Tribune: Will Mayor Brandon Johnson’s transfer tax plan deliver for the homeless amid a real estate downturn?
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s bold plan for Chicago to pour roughly $100 million more a year into programs for homeless services relies on an often-overlooked tax that only buyers of real estate have to pay and has generated inconsistent proceeds for decades.
As members of Chicago’s City Council soon begin examining the nuts and bolts of the Bring Chicago Home proposal with an eye toward deciding whether to ask city voters through a ballot referendum whether it should be implemented, questions abound about the plan’s fiscal structure, its revenue projections, and what impact it will have on the city’s broader real estate market.
Daily Herald: 'It's pretty devastating': Losing territory and revenue, Elk Grove Twp. fire department closes shop
The Elk Grove Township Fire Department answered its first call in 1979. On Sunday, it finished its last shift.
In the wake of annexations by surrounding communities that have shriveled its territory, tax base and revenue, the fire district bowed to the inevitable Sunday morning and discontinued fire and emergency medical services.
WCIA: UPDATE: Emergency operations ending in Teutopolis
Emergency response teams are wrapping up their operations in Teutopolis, Illinois State Police announced.
Since Friday night, a number of local, state and even federal agencies have worked together in responding to 4,000 gallons of leaked anhydrous ammonia. Those agencies included the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Teutopolis Fire Protection District, Illinois Departments of Transportation and Public Health, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.