Illinois was one of the few states to see an increase in the amount of residential solar added, due in part to a rush to install rooftop solar before a Jan. 1 change affecting how customers are credited for supplying solar energy to the grid. That change in bill credits could result in some customers seeing somewhat lower savings.

This comes as large out-of-state food companies often receive massive contracts from the state to provide mass produced meals for schools, universities, hospitals, prisons and veterans homes. Less than 5 percent of the food consumed in Illinois comes from local farms despite farmland covering 75 percent of the state.

Issues such as legalizing magic mushrooms, universal healthcare, and banning voter ID laws have been singled out as distractions from critical issues like balancing the state budget or instituting ethics reforms.

The Illinois Pollution Control Board is considering a proposal to ban most new non-electric vehicle sales in the state by 2035.

If there are violations of federal rules, Illinois has no clue as to how many workers are impacted. The state doesn’t know what the penalties might be. It hasn’t studied the legal questions. Pension calculations by actuaries have not been performed to determine the need or the cost.

Of the 1,666 Illinois layoffs, 550 hit Schaumburg after Elite Staff Inc. and Labor Network, two Nation Pizza companies owned by Nestlé USA, announced they would be restructuring their workforces. Chicago had the second-highest number of mass layoffs as three companies, including Home Partners of America LLC and Heartland Health Alliance, cut workers.

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.

State Rep. Dan Ugaste explained, “One of the reasons I’m going to be against it is in the last session … other bills were passed that provided for five weeks or 20 days of paid leave and 40 weeks or 200 days of unpaid leave and I just think it’s a bit much to ask our businesses at this point to provide additional paid leave, be it for a good cause or not.”

The Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act would incentivize private industry to partner with arsenals by giving preference to public-private partnerships in Army contracting.

However, Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery was disappointed the governor did not mention the Tier 2 pension issue in his address. The tiered pensions in Illinois continue to be one of the top priorities for Labor leaders in Illinois this year. “The IFT remains committed to pension reforms that ensure all public servants can retire with dignity and receive what they earned,” Montgomery said, calling Tier 2 a “grossly unfair” pension that hobbles the state’s ability to recruit and retain educators.