More than 1,400 riders surveyed in December and January listed “public safety” and “improving service” to be top priorities of the NITA board, which replaces the RTA June 1. Those results took priority over “expanding service” and “seamless and affordable fares.” The survey also found that satisfaction with “cleanliness” and “personal security” were rated the lowest of all other categories, rated an average of 5.6 and 5.7, respectively, on a 1-10 scale.

Findings on the financial impact on film and entertainment tax credits on New York’s state economy show only about 30 percent of subsidies return to the state through increased taxable income. Additionally, recent studies on similar tax incentive programs in Georgia by an independent researcher – along with findings from the California Legislature’s Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor – have found an overall weak impact on a state’s overall economy.

“I think the implication is that the state could be doing a better job using transportation funding, particularly fuel taxes, to maintain roadways and improve roadways,” report author Baruch Feigenbaum said. “What this shows is that the systems that the state has in place are not doing a great job at improving bridges, which is one of the most important things that IDOT does or improving pavement condition.”

For instance, according to the complaint, named plaintiff John Adams, of Illinois, allegedly uploaded a close-up photo of his face to the Gemini platform in late 2025, and then allegedly asked Gemini to complete a number of edits and modifications to the image. While Adams willingly uploaded the photo and asked Gemini to modify it according to his instructions, the complaint asserts Google must still pay, because the scans allegedly violated the BIPA law.

Illinois law does not specifically shield companies from having to pay employees for time spent completing required pre- and post-work activities, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled. Although federal regulations exclude that requirement, the court found Illinois’ wage law does not include any similar provisions.

At issue before the 7^th Circuit is a constitutional challenge to the Protect Illinois Communities Act, or PICA, a sweeping ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Illinois lawmakers passed that ban during a lame duck session in January 2023 following a mass shooting the previous summer at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park that left seven people dead.

“The General Assembly is currently in session in Springfield and there is no pending legislation to create an independent commission, by constitutional amendment for any other manner, to draw new districts after the 2030 census. Lack of time was given as another lame reason why Pritzker, who was first sworn into office in 2019, couldn’t get his Democrats to create non-partisan maps after the 2020 count.”

“All I hear from schools on a bipartisan basis is ‘stop with the mandates,’” state Rep. Jeff Keicher said. “‘We need to teach kids and you keep throwing additional things on our plate.’” The measure does not provide funding or any guidelines for its implementation, leaving some to worry that school districts could make registration drives partisan. Keicher added he’s not sure the bill would affect turnout.

”The reality is you’ve got a governor here that has his sights set on a presidential candidacy and I think Governor Pritzker is gonna do everything that he can to rally his teammates, his legislators, his Chicago deep blue democratic regime in together for the good of the state,” said Arlington Heights Mayor James Tinaglia.

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski has been a staunch advocate of improved mail service, while strongly opposing efforts toward privatization. Budzinski leads the bipartisan Congressional Postal Service Caucus, a bipartisan group that focuses on these issues in the House of Representatives.

They plan to instead honor Dolores Huerta on her birthday which is April 10.

Illinois, Kentucky, and New Jersey are the states with the poorest pension funding, all having saved up only about half of the assets needed to pay for promised benefits.

Voters showed their support for school choice, and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) had a bad night.

Residents in all or part of 31 Illinois counties had the opportunity to vote on whether they think the state’s students should benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program. A resounding 135,000 Illinoisans — over 63 percent of the vote total on the question as of Wednesday morning — had registered their support for participating.

“The Illinois Republican Party is not failing because Illinois is unwinnable — after all, Donald Trump got roughly 44 percent of the vote here in 2024 — but because it behaves like a party one election away from a breakthrough instead of a party that must rebuild from the ground up.”