-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
The new order sets deadlines for identifying potential sites for nuclear plants as well as for reviewing existing nuclear regulations and issuing recommendations for any changes to those rules.
A bill from state Sen. Julie Morrison could ban insurance companies from canceling, limiting, or denying coverage or changing rates based on genetic information collected for healthcare treatment.
The closure is set to commence Feb. 23 and all affected employees – as many as 1,000 – have been notified.
“As budgets swell, populations shrink and taxes climb, Fareed Zakaria questions whether America’s largest cities are delivering value for what they spend….Or take Chicago, with a mayor whose approval rating is deep underwater, where the pension promises are so large that they will surely bankrupt the city at some point. What is the theory of good government here?”
House Bill 3723 would limit annual property tax bill increases for homeowners receiving the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption. A related measure, House Bill 3724, would place a similar limit on annual tax increases for most owner‑occupied homes.
In the state budget released last week, the governor proposed $25.9 million for the Illinois Arts Council, up just slightly from the $25.7 million allocated in fiscal year 2026. In 2025, the state made a big increase in funding for the arts, growing the budget from $15.5 million to $25.5 million annually.
“While there are plenty of reasons to debate or oppose Trump‑era policies, no federal initiative from his administration created Illinois’ pension crisis, its sky‑high tax burden, its chronic outmigration, or its culture of late reporting and mismanagement; those are homegrown failures produced by progressive lawmakers and the agenda they have imposed on the state.”
More than 3,000 students in Champaign Unit 4 miss 10 percent or more of the school year, almost 10 percent higher than the state average. District leaders said they are seeing the highest number of absences among their youngest learners in kindergarten.
The plan includes $130 million in renovations to the stadium itself, including a new sound system and new dressing rooms. Another $500 million would go toward upgrading infrastructure and parking around it.
Mayor Brandon Johnson himself endorsed the “ABOLISH ICE” name for a snowplow on social media, a clip of an interview with the Rev. Al Sharpton in which he denounced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administration.
At less than 6.5 percent now, the local share percentage has dropped nearly 40 percent over the past decade. “You’re not even at the amount you’re supposed to be already, so now you’re going to cut $60 million? He cut gaming last year from local governments, the grocery (tax revenues),” House Republican Leader Tony McCombie said.
Optimistic assumptions account for $1 billion to close an estimated $2.2 billion gap. While the governor’s office has emphasized disciplined budgeting, much of the plan depends on volatile projections and temporary fixes rather than lasting reform.
Deputy State Director Brian Costin said, in part, Illinois is a case study in fiscal failure and has held the lowest bond rating of any state for more than a decade. After eight years under Governor Pritzker, Illinoisans have learned to be skeptical of his budget promises, because the fine print has meant higher taxes, more borrowing, and less transparency.”
When the project was approved in 2018, projections placed public infrastructure costs at roughly $350 million, split between the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago. Eight years later, the Illinois Department of Transportation says approximately $229 million in infrastructure spending was tied to the site, up from its earlier estimate of roughly $174 million. And Chicago officials have failed to produce a reconciled total.
Illinois Secretary of State Giannoulias is in a standoff with the Trump Transportation Department over its review of the state’s commercial drivers licenses which found that 1-in-5 licenses issued by Giannoulias’ office were done so illegally. Giannoulias has positioned himself as a defender of the state’s trucking and logistics industries, arguing the federal demands are damaging the state’s economy, its truckers, farmers, and others involved in the logistics sector.
According to Chicago police, the ages of the victims range from 15 to 40.
The higher fees took effect weeks after Mayor Brandon Johnson in December announced his “Cut the Tape for Small Business” initiative. A steep “increase in fees seems like a lot more red tape to me,” one applicant said. “It’s prohibitively expensive for small service-based businesses — cleaning, creatives, tutors, home-based businesses — many of whom operate on narrow margins. They are barely making ends meet and can’t absorb a sudden $1,000 upfront cost.”
“Consider Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois. A fearless opponent of Donald Trump, his bravery failed him when Chicago police and firefighter unions sought to raise pensions, often by thousands of dollars. Against the advice of civic and business leaders concerned about, as they put it, “grossly underfunded pensions,” Mr.
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