“[Cook County’s] got all sorts of materials and policies and procedures developed and have worked out all of these arrangements with all the stakeholders,” said Loyola University Professor Dave Olson, also a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Pretrial Implementation Task Force. “In smaller jurisdictions, they just don’t have the capacity.” Olson said that might make it more challenging for those jurisdictions, some of which don’t have a full-time public defender, to hold detention hearings right away.

“Our government is based on a two-party system with checks and balances, and it applauds healthy, even spirited debate. But, Illinois Republican Party, you are in big trouble. I just can’t look at you right now.”

Illinois was the first state to enact specific AMBER Alert legislation. Since the first alert in 2002, the Illinois AMBER Alert System has been used to broadcast 118 alerts of abducted children. The alerts contributed directly in the recovery of 67 children and indirectly for 22 more.

The position works in the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to direct state agencies on regulating and taxing Illinois’ cannabis industry, as well as make sure the state is reaching its social equity goals.

““Google and iHeartMedia misled customers with fabricated advertisements,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “I am committed to seeking enforcement against businesses and others who violate the law to take advantage of Illinois consumers.”

Illinois’ unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a percent to 4.6% in October, nearly a percentage point higher than the national rate of 3.7%. Illinois added just 3,600 jobs in October, significantly fewer than in September and the fewest jobs added during 2022.

A survey by the small businesses network Alignable shows 40% of those asked in Illinois could not pay their rent in November in full and on time, up 8% from October. Nationwide, 41% said they could not pay their rent, a new high for 2022.

“In FY2022, the OEIG received a total of 3,075 complaints, 63% of which were filed through the OEIG’s website,” the agency reported. “In addition, the OEIG completed 88 investigations, including 20 that resulted in findings of wrongdoing and 21 that resulted in systematic or process recommendations to the governing authority.” About $8.2 million is budgeted for the OEIG in fiscal 2023, a 24% increase from the year before.

“Northwestern’s nonexistent response to recent Qatari censorship demonstrates why branch campuses in authoritarian nations are a bad idea. Northwestern has lent its credibility to the propaganda of an authoritarian and anti-Western regime, whitewashing its censorship and inevitably participating in self-censorship to maintain ties…. As long as the Medill School of Journalism continues to work with Qatar, its commitment to ‘fight for the freedom of the press’ will remain hollow.”

More than a year before the Nov. 8 election, Black leaders filed a lawsuit because they believed legislative redistricting would pave the way for a white candidate to win in a district that includes the predominantly Black communities of East St. Louis and Cahokia Heights. Their concerns became a reality with Republican Kevin Schmidt of Millstadt unofficially taking the House District 114 race over incumbent Democrat LaToya Greenwood of East St. Louis.

A surge of anti-trans legislation has been brought to statehouses across the region, with numerous bills that would limit or eliminate access to gender-confirming health care, especially for transgender youth. “And we’ve not seen any of that in the state of Illinois,” said Dave Bentlin, president of the Prairie Pride Coalition. “So I think from a legislative and political standpoint, I think this is a better environment than most states, especially in the Midwest.”

“Illinois’ GOP has alienated many of its traditional, moderate voters with the embrace by many in the party, particularly in southern parts of the state, of far-right ideologies. As the first downstate representative to lead House Republicans since George Ryan 40 years ago, McCombie stressed the need for the GOP to attract new supporters.”