The bill is called the Illinois Biometric Surveillance Act, and it’s being pushed by state Rep. Kelly Cassidy. Her proposed law would ban the use of facial recognition and other biometric identifiers by law enforcement statewide. No agency could use the technology or enter into an agreement with a state or federal agency to use it. The bill would still allow “fingerprinting pursuant to an arrest or conviction, or to collect forensic evidence at a crime scene.” The bill does not include the ultimate biometric, DNA, among its “biometric identifiers.”

“So if the priorities getting funded in FY 2027 are somehow wrong, they’ve been wrong for generations, and neither party has seen fit to change them. Better yet, perhaps (gubernatorial candidate Darren) Bailey could enlighten the rest of us as to which core service area — education, healthcare, social services or public safety — shouldn’t be a priority.”

The unofficial results of three non-binding questions on Tuesday’s primary ballot show voters favored cutting personnel and services to address Champaign County’s general fund deficit. Voters were given three options, including raising property taxes and raising sales taxes.

According to the complaint, the reported incidents occur nearly daily. Workers accused the defendants of opting against corrective action and affirmatively acting to cause or increase attacks. The women say the situation constitutes violations of Civil Rights Act Title VII protections against sex discrimination and hostile work environments.

Under the proposal, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services would administer the fund and oversee a grant program designed to support scientific research and innovation related to pediatric cancer. Funding could come from legislative appropriations as well as private donations and other contributions made to support the cause.

“Criminally prosecuted, civilly prosecuted,” Pritzker said. “Whatever it is that we can do.”

After decades of drift, the troubled city has a chance to restore public order and competitiveness.

Sunday’s incident is only the latest episode of gun violence on and around the ISU campus. One person was shot last April outside an event at ISU’s Bone Student Center. Another shooting happened Sept. 29, 2024, near the Bone during ISU’s homecoming weekend. One person was killed and another injured in that incident.

State Rep. Regan Deering emphasized that Illinois families already shoulder some of the nation’s highest property taxes, much of which goes toward funding education. “If we have an opportunity to expand educational opportunities without increasing taxes, that’s going to deserve some serious consideration,” she said.

He has also come out squarely against federal immigration agents in Cook County, a stance likely to resonate with voters following last fall’s “Operation Midway Blitz. “The whole ICE situation should’ve looked a lot different and better coordinated,” Bailey said. “And I’ll even go so far as to say there shouldn’t be federal agents in Cook County doing this work.”

Sheila Weinberg, of Truth in Accounting: “Unfortunately, Springfield is now considering mandating Tier 2 benefit enhancements for Champaign and other cities. But when similar reforms were considered for Chicago’s police and firefighters, the governor and lawmakers acknowledged that they did not fully understand how much unfunded pension debt would be added. … If similar Tier 2 enhancements were applied to Champaign, the city’s police and firefighter pension debt could grow from $50.2 million to roughly $199 million.”

“The political infrastructure of Democrat Illinois – from the government employee unions to the bar associations – are loyal to the machine that controls almost everything.”

“As far as my own plans for 2028, here’s what I’ll say right now, I’m 100% focused on the people of Illinois,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “That’s not just me talking. That’s also a 2006 quote from Barack Obama.”

Illinois plans to pump $5 million into alternative protein research at state universities, aiming to boost the plant-based and fermentation food-tech sector. State Rep. Chris Miller voiced skepticism about the initiative, questioning whether taxpayer money would be better spent supporting traditional farmers directly.