This 87-page report claims that higher education in Illinois has “racial injustices embedded in the postsecondary system” and that the state has a “moral obligation and economic interest to dismantle and reform structures that create or exacerbate racial and socioeconomic inequities in higher education.” The funding plan would also require roughly $1.4 billion to “fully meet student needs in an adequate and equitable manner.”

Eighty-two new cannabis stores opened in Illinois in the past fiscal year, marking “explosive growth” in sales outlets for an industry that surpassed $2 billion in sales, the state reported. A state disparity report showed social equity businesses collected only 12 percent of statewide revenues in the past year.

2024 is the first year Illinois school districts have been required to include native history curriculum in social studies classes; A growing number of people want Illinois to ban K-12 schools from using Native American mascots and logos. A 2023 law required the Illinois State Museum and federally recognized tribes to return native remains and artifacts for proper burial. It also allowed the state to create a cemetery for unidentifiable remains.

“They don’t understand what we face in our day. Each and every day as we go out there in fear!” Elise Foster with the Illinois State Association of Letter Carriers said at a rally at Chicago’s Federal Plaza. “We’re getting assaulted in the neighborhood just for doing our job. Having guns pulled on us while we’re delivering the mail,” Mike Caref with the National Association of Letter Carriers added.

The United Auto Workers blames Stellantis’ decision to delay the reopening on “gross mismanagement,” while Stellantis claims it is industry-wide volatility and slowing EV adoption that’s causing plans to change.

House Bill 5891 would increase the age to 18 from 14 for when a firearm must be secured inside a location where a minor is present. Leaving in place that a firearm must be placed in a securely locked box or container, the proposal strikes a provision from law that a firearm can be “placed in some other locations that a responsible person would believe to be secure from a minor.”

“These principles — developed through a lens of achieving government efficiency and accountability and fair treatment for state employees and taxpayers; maintaining our state’s fiscal strength; and supporting economic growth — can help policymakers draft and implement a reform that will benefit our state for generations to come.”

Metra analysts expect ridership to reach about 37 million in 2024 and hit 39 million in 2025, equaling $184 million from fares. In comparison, there were 74 million passenger trips in 2019.

Jule Fosdick, a Central Illinois landowner and opponent of CO2 pipelines, said there are currently 22 injection well applications with the Environmental Protection Agency for sites in Illinois that are scheduled to have draft permits issued in the next six months. “So now both of their monitoring wells have failed, and that tells me that the technology is just not there to know how to engineer a monitoring well that’s going to last,” said Fosdick.

Proponents of relocating Logan Correctional Center say it would give women incarcerated there better access to health care and other services that aren’t as readily available in central Illinois. But the economic impact for Lincoln could be harsh. According to an April study from the University of Illinois, closing Logan would result in the direct loss of 493 jobs, while the Lincoln area could lose out on more than $61 million, a figure that includes county, state and federal taxes.

“In May 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided Tyler v. Hennepin County, a landmark case that strengthened property rights across America. The Court declared that if a property owner falls behind on their taxes and the local government takes it from them (exactly what happened to me), the remaining surplus, after tax debts are settled, cannot be kept by the government. … Despite the Supreme Court’s clear stance, property value continues to be unlawfully seized in Illinois and other states.”

The company cited multiple insurmountable business challenges for the decision, including economic and market forces, as well as changing consumer lifestyles.

New legislation eliminates out-of-pocket costs for police, firefighters, correctional officers and other first responders to get counseling when they’re experiencing mental health concerns.

Jim Dey: “A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that put a stamp of legal approval on ‘gratuities’ paid to public officials for past favors raised questions about the viability of the corruption case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. … But the government sharply responded; the case against Madigan doesn’t involve now-legal ‘gratuities’ — one-time payments made in appreciation — but instead concerns an illegal ‘stream of benefits’ — multiple payments made over a long period of time designed to win official favors.”

Cities like Moline and Rock Island have expressed concerns over how the replacements will be paid for. “An estimated cost—you know, millions.” Rock island Utilities Superintendent Jason Upton said. “And we are just one city in Illinois.” Upton says Rock Island is trying to apply for funding, but so is every other municipality.

“You have election officials with minimal training, no magnifying glasses, no proper lighting and 30 seconds to make a decision,” said Linton Mohammed, an international expert in handwriting analysis. “That’s not a way to make a decision.”