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“(President) Donald Trump gave billionaires in Illinois a $5 billion tax break,” Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said. “The governor, the supermajority in the House and the Senate can figure out how billionaires get to pay more. So there is money lying around.”
Supporters say the law ensures safe access and reduces disease risks, while critics warn it could make needles easier to obtain for illegal drug use and create public safety concerns. “It shouldn’t just be where you can walk into a pharmacy and get up to 100 needles,” state Rep. John Cabello said.
The Illinois Policy Institute found that Illinois’ education budget increased by nearly $4 billion over the last decade, while the number of students enrolled in public schools decreased by about 177,000 during the same period. “Spending is up 24 percent, reading is just up 9 percent and math has actually dropped by 11 percent, so we’re seeing poor outcomes for students,” analyst Hannah Schmid said.
State Rep. Nicole La Ha said House Bill 3377 requires school districts to annually report their number of identified homeless students, as well as how much funding they’re getting to support them and what those funds are spent on. In the past, Central Unit School District 301 in Kane County spent $673-per-homeless-student of their Title I budget — as opposed to $1.91 in Freeport and $6.67 in La Salle.
Harmon contributed $100,001 to his own campaign in January 2023. However, the State Board of Elections ruled the contribution only lifted the cap through the primary – meaning about $4 million collected after the primary was accepted improperly. While Harmon wasn’t on the ballot, legislative leaders frequently eliminate fundraising caps each election cycle to use their campaign funds to contribute to other candidates in their caucus.
Operators paid out $42.8 million in June taxes, an astounding 200 percent increase from the previous June, which was the last month before Illinois’ tiered tax rate went into effect.
Standard layoffs accounted for 310 of the Illinois job losses, more than two-thirds of the mass layoffs reported in July while business closures impacted an additional 80 workers. The layoff cause for the remaining 54 jobs was not provided.
In the ruling, the appellate justices said they believed the city’s ordinance and its closure action “was a valid exercise of the City’s police powers in abating a public nuisance” and “was clearly an attempt by the City to mitigate the public safety threat that stemmed from the operation of” the gas station, regardless of the financial impact to the business and its owners.
“In partnership with the city of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services, the Survivor Fund dispersed over $5 million to 4,111 survivors, making it the largest direct cash assistance program for gender-based violence survivors in the country.”
“Ameren blamed this solar farm wreckage…. The stupid generation thinks they are saving the world. When your power goes out – know who to blame.”
“Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke announced that her office would not file charges against four Chicago police officers who shot and killed Dexter Reed after Reed opened fire on them during a traffic stop. The decision was backed up by an independent appellate prosecutor … It may not be the end. It may not be the beginning of the end. But make no mistake — it is the end of the beginning of the counterrevolution against the progressive crusade to make criminals the victims and cops the villains.”
In the auditorium at CPS headquarters in the Loop Tuesday, the board’s divide over the budget — between elected and mayoral-appointed board members — was on full display. “Balancing the budget on the backs of our children so that we can help out our mayor. That’s not our responsibility,” said Jennie Custer, who was elected to represent the far Northwest Side.
A single hyperscale center of the sort operated by tech giants such as Meta or Microsoft — 10,000 square feet or more, with 5,000-plus servers — can consume 1 million to 5 million gallons of water each day. That’s as 12,000 Americans’ annual use put together. Not a single Great Lakes state currently has water management mechanisms in place to curb over-extraction, or what could be termed “de-watering,” before it happens.
The senator described the trip as “running a relay race” between Gov. JB Pritzker’s team and her own when it comes to promoting Illinois in several sectors. The trip marks Duckworth’s 12th trip to Asia and 14th congressional member delegation trip since 2018.
According to Fair Maps Illinois, the commission would be required to follow clear legal standards, which include no use of political party or voting history in drawing districts and maps prioritizing compactness and the preservation of communities and municipal boundaries. Former Illinois State Board of Elections Chairman Bill Cadigan said about 320,000 valid signatures would be needed to get the referendum on the 2026 general election ballot.
Illinois’ unemployment rate was stable in July at 4.6 percent, meaning 301,000 Illinoisans were actively looking for work, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois’ unemployment rate ranked 11th highest in the nation, remaining above the national average of 4.2 percent in July. The rate improved from a year earlier, when it was 5.1 percent.
New City on Chicago’s Southwest Side reported the largest percentage increase in active business licenses since 2015, with the count of neighborhood business licenses climbing from 1,429 to 2,580.
Mark and Dan discussed the policy direction of the state and the political consequences, with Mark pointing out Pritzker’s administration has prioritized messaging over results, such as expanding access to financial aid for undocumented students and new requirements for mandatory mental health screenings in schools. Mark also criticized the lowering of statewide academic standards and ongoing financial mismanagement at Chicago schools.
Weekly crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department: Report through 8/10/25
Gov. JB Pritzker’s Safe Schools for All Act prohibits public schools from denying any student access to a free education based on their immigration status or that of their parents; prohibits schools from disclosing or threatening to disclose information related to the immigration status of the student or an “associated person;” and requires schools to develop procedures for reviewing and authorizing requests from law enforcement trying to enter a school.
Ken Woodward, an attorney and father of six who grew up in the area, said, “It looks like this big piece of rock that just landed here out of nowhere in what used to be a really nice landscape of trees and flowers. … It feels like a washing away of the neighborhood and culture that used to be here.”
“In the multibillion-dollar world of pension management, falling short by a percentage point or even half a point means losing out on big money. Between the four city pension funds, the difference between how they performed and how the median public pension fund performed meant more than $1 billion.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers approved the plan to provide compensation if crops, trees, fences, shrubs, livestock, or other objects are damaged during carbon capture construction.