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More than 70 school districts in Illinois to close for the upcoming solar eclipse – NBC5 (Chicago)

The closures come as many cities, particularly those in the path of totality, prepare to navigate unprecedented traffic and crowds; many are closing to offer families a chance to witness what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience together. The state’s board of education said while many will not have kids in school, it does not encourage schools to use e-learning days for the event.

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FOID card numbers are up as gun owners prepare to march on Springfield – Center Square

While there are pending lawsuits against the state’s gun ban, there are also challenges against the state’s FOID card. The FOID card, issued by Illinois State Police, is needed by Illinois residents to purchase or possess firearms or ammunition. Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson said a recent separate federal ruling that illegal immigrants can have firearms means FOID should be void.

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DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events – Capitol News IL

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services hosted this event to boost numbers around the state as part of Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed headcount increase at the agency. Under the plan, the agency would grow from 3,450 employees to 4,000. DCFS consolidated its 12-step hiring process, which includes interviews, grading, fingerprinting, and put it all in one place.

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Richard Porter: Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board ‘throwing Illinoisans to the wolves’ – Prairie State Wire

Illinois’ Republican National Committeeman Richard Porter says Gov. JB Pritzker’s move to free more violent criminals from Illinois prisons is “throwing Illinoisans to the wolves.” Porter said, “Governor Pritzker turned the Prisoner Review Board into the Prisoner Release Board. He craves love from crazy activists and sacrifices our security to suck up to radicals.”

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Sub-minimum wage for restaurant servers could go away in Illinois – NPR Illinois

Restaurant owner Abby Strader-Boesenberg said the initiative comes at a precarious time for restaurant operators. First, there was a pandemic shutdown, then carry-out only, then they could be partly open. There was a return to full service, then inflation hit, and some new government mandates. She said it’s has been one thing after another. “Okay, well now minimum wage is going to go up a dollar every year until 2025. Okay, well, we’re doing that now and we’re going to throw in paid time off for all employees. Sounds good. Probably how it should be. We’re doing that now. And

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Bridges of Illinois: Where the state ranks on a national level of safety – WICS (Springfield)

According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, in the land of Lincoln, the state has 26,873 bridges. Of them, 4,125 bridges need repairs, and 2,472 bridges are classified as structurally deficient. “In Illinois we don’t have any large cargo ships in our navigable waterways, however, we do have many barges on our waterways, and barge impacts, they do occur,” said Paul Wappel, of the Illinois Department of Transportation.

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Federal complaint alleges Western Illinois University limits some scholarships by race and gender – Campus Reform

Cornell University law professor William A. Jacobson, who filed the complaint on behalf of the Equal Protection Project, contends that 16 scholarships offered by Western Illinois University are discriminatory, being exclusively available to specific racial, ethnic, gender, and gender identity groups. The complaint, as filed, asserts that such practices run afoul of key federal laws, including the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

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Proposed Illinois bill would prevent employers from requiring microchip implants – WCIA (Champaign)

Senator Steve Stadelman has filed a bill that prevent Illinoisans from being microchipped without their consent. The law protects all Illinoisans from being required, coerced, or compelled to undergo the implanting of an identification chip under their skin by anyone, but has special protections for employees. The senator said rules are needed to safeguard human rights and ethical standards in the face of technological innovation.

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Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal – Capitol News IL

Senate Bill 3481 would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency by February 2026. The state’s Pollution Control Board would set the regulations for the proper storage of EV batteries. Senate Bill 3686 would require battery producers and importers to implement an IEPA approved battery stewardship plan starting in 2026. Retailers would be encouraged — but not required — to serve as collection facilities.

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School survey: Teacher shortage in Illinois persists, but progress is being made – Center Square

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools partnered with Goshen Education Consulting to survey more than 750 school districts, and found that more than 90 percent of schools said they have a teacher shortage problem, and that teacher shortages are the most severe in city districts, in vocational centers, and in more rural parts of the state, such as west-central, southwest and east-central Illinois.  The number drops to as little as 20 percent of schools in some more affluent counties.

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John Kass: You Count the Votes Over and Over Until They Add Up Right

“(Gov. JB) Pritzker must not study history or classic film noir. But that hasn’t stopped him from bragging his fool head off like some idiot chumbolone. The other day on X he couldn’t help himself. Happily, for the Non-Chumbolones (meaning the rest of us) there was Mark Glennon, founder of wirepoints.org. He wrote about Pritzker’s boast … ‘With polls showing as few as 37 percent of Americans confident that our elections are open and honest, you wouldn’t think anybody would be bragging about integrity of the process,’ wrote Glennon. ‘That’s especially true in Illinois, where the bungled vote count for Cook

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Illinois Supreme Court agrees to hear Jussie Smollett case – CBS2 (Chicago)

Smollett took his case to the state’s highest court last month, asking justices to overturn his convictions on five counts of disorderly conduct, after an Illinois Appellate Court panel last year upheld his guilty verdict. Should Smollett’s appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court fail, he could take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court since he is arguing his conviction violates his Fifth Amendment protections against double jeopardy.

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March Madness pushed Illinois sports wagers to $335M last year – Illinois Policy

The state could take an even bigger share of the winnings in the future if Gov. JB Pritzker gets lawmakers to agree to more than doubling the sportsbook tax from 15 percent to 35 percent. Pritzker proposed the hike as part of $898 million in new taxes, including taking $45 from the average family’s income taxes, to balance his record $52.7 billion budget for 2025.

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