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Should all Illinois schools be equipped with metal detectors?
Voting ends: Nov. 19, 2018 @ 12:00 AM
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STATE NEWS
Prosecutor drops felony charges against teen who recorded school principal
Nov 15, 2018
An Illinois teen won't face felony eavesdropping charges for recording a talk with a school principal after prosecutors decided to drop the matter Thursday after the case got national attention. Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe dismissed the charges against...
State lawmakers looking ahead to next General Assembly
Nov 15, 2018
Republicans will have to reach pretty far across the aisle in the 101st General Assembly if they want to get anything done next year. The 101st General Assembly will be seated in January, but lawmakers in the 100th General Assembly...
After midterm election, school scholarships program could be in jeopardy
Nov 15, 2018
With Democrats firmly in control of all Illinois branches of government, the future of the state’s private school scholarship program – and the thousands of students that are using it – is uncertain. As part of last year’s sweeping school...
Illinois Senate backs bill to use local public safety taxes for mental health, substance abuse treatment
Nov 15, 2018
Counties would have more flexibility with sales tax dollars meant for public safety under a bill that has been sent to the Illinois House. In counties were voters had previously approved tax hikes to fund public safety, the bill would...
Illinois' most popular deer hunting season begins this weekend
Nov 15, 2018
Illinois deer hunters have been in the field for over a month, but the state's most popular deer season begins this weekend. The first weekend of shotgun deer season will bring thousands and thousands of hunters out across the state...
Illinois educators wary of bill to require metal detectors in every school
Nov 15, 2018
A group of Illinois lawmakers are promoting legislation that would use a combination of state, local and federal funds to put metal detectors in every school in the state, but some school leaders say it’s simply not feasible. State Rep....
Op-Ed: Illinois looks for leadership, but familiar faces remain
Nov 15, 2018
It’s easy to criticize longevity in politics. “Career politician” is a pejorative for a reason. But there’s a big difference between persistent public service and a political machine. Unfortunately, the latter has won out in the Illinois General Assembly. Senate...
Illinoisans share tax concerns with lawmakers
Nov 15, 2018
Taxpayers gathered at the Illinois capitol Wednesday to share concerns about the state's high taxes. Connie Cane came to Springfield from Gilberts, Illinois. She said her chief concern is property taxes, and not being able to sell her home if...
At budget time, Illinois towns consider tax hikes as pension costs mount
Nov 14, 2018
Municipal leaders across Illinois face cutting services or hiking taxes to pay for growing police and fire retirement contributions as pension costs continue to increase. The Carterville City Council <a href="https://www.visitcarterville.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/City-Council-Agenda-November-13-2018.pdf">voted Tuesday</a> to approve a 30 percent property tax increase...
Senators override Tobacco 21 veto, send to House
Nov 14, 2018
Lawmakers in the House could soon decide to raise the age limit for buying tobacco products to 21 despite a veto from the governor. The Senate approved the bill Wednesday with enough votes to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto. It...
Veto session resumes after evacuation of parts of statehouse in Springfield
Nov 14, 2018
At least two floors of the Illinois Capitol were evacuated Wednesday afternoon on the second day of the fall veto session after an apparent bomb threat. The third and fourth floors of the building were evacuated. The House was called...
Op-Ed: Target's decision highlights Chicago's, state's poor policy decisions
Nov 14, 2018
Picketers rallied outside a Chicago Target store this week, protesting the retail giant's decision to close two stores on the city's South Side. That's their right, but perhaps these picketers also should have rallied outside of City Hall – and...
Illinois Top 200 voting almost complete
Nov 14, 2018
Believe it or not, Illinois is one list away from its final Top 200 list. The voting at IllinoisTop200.com is almost complete. Bicentennial best-of voters last week picked Abraham Lincoln as the state's best leader. That was the second-to-last list....
Website ranks Illinois at No. 21 of best states to live
Nov 14, 2018
What makes a state a great place to live? A new report narrows it to three factors and ranks Illinois in the middle of the pack at number 21. The financial and opinion website 24/7 Wall St. used three socioeconomic...
Rental companies push for taxes on car-sharing startups in Illinois with veto override
Nov 14, 2018
Illinois lawmakers, encouraged by car rental companies facing competition from startups, are gathering the needed votes to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill that would tax and regulate the emerging peer-to-peer car sharing industry. Startups say their established...
As Amazon passes on Illinois, business community asks why
Nov 13, 2018
Despite offering over $1 billion in tax incentives and other perks to lure online retail giant Amazon, Illinois won’t get the company's $5 billion investment or thousands of high-paying jobs. Amazon announced Tuesday that it plans to split its new...
Foundation wants $9.2 million from the state to avoid selling off Lincoln artifacts
Nov 13, 2018
The leaders of a private foundation that supports the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield told Illinois lawmakers that the organization is prepared to sell prized Abraham Lincoln artifacts to pay off a multi-million loan unless the state...
AAA, Illinois tell drivers to get ready for winter
Nov 13, 2018
It's that time of year again, time to get ready to drive in the snow and ice. AAA's Beth Mosher said anyone who's driven in Illinois has heard winter weather driving advice before. But she said it bears repeating. November...
Judge finds Illinois prisons failing to meet the needs of mentally ill inmates
Nov 13, 2018
A federal judge said the Illinois Department of Corrections has failed to meet the needs of mentally ill prison inmates. The finding comes two years after the state reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by former inmates. That 2016...
Tax experts say Illinois millionaires could try to flout progressive tax
Nov 13, 2018
J.B. Pritzker, Illinois' next governor, promised higher taxes on the wealthy would provide for new state revenue to spend on everything from roads to schools, but some tax experts say other states have sometimes had trouble collecting from wealthier residents...
Some Illinois schools seeing epidemic-level absenteeism
Nov 13, 2018
More than 100 Illinois schools reported half of their students were chronically absent. Statewide, Illinois schools reported slightly more absenteeism than the national average. Some individual schools reported alarming rates of kids missing class. When a child is missing for...
Governor Rauner thanks Illinois veterans for debt that can't be repaid
Nov 12, 2018
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner marked Veterans Day by telling Illinois vets that the state can never repay them for their service. Governor Rauner spent Veterans Day talking to vets in Chicago. He simply told them: Thank you. "We are the...
Illinois farmers focus on economics of sustainability
Nov 12, 2018
Sustainable farming practices in Illinois designed to improve water quality also face a financial test. Through emerging projects like Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, farmers are working to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus levels in their soil to prevent runoff into what...
Veto session for Democrats could include 'football spiking,' waiting for new governor
Nov 12, 2018
Most of the election dust has settled, and lawmakers are headed back to the capitol on Tuesday to address some of the 78 bills that outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed over the summer. Rauner lost reelection last week to Democrat...
Hearing Tuesday on whether taxpayers should pay for a hat with questionable links to Lincoln
Nov 11, 2018
State representatives have conflicting goals headed into an Illinois House tourism committee hearing about a hat the private Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Foundation bought and then sought tax dollars to foot the bill. More than a decade ago,...
Lower unemployment tax rates scheduled for Illinois businesses in 2019
Nov 11, 2018
Most employers in Illinois will see reduced payroll taxes in 2019 as unemployment continues to decline. The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced lowering unemployment insurance taxes for more than 90 percent of employers in 2019. Nearly 300,000 businesses will...
Small businesses in Illinois can't find enough workers to fill open positions
Nov 10, 2018
Small businesses in Illinois and across the country can't find enough workers to fill open positions. That’s the word from a recent national survey from the National Federation of Independent Business in which nearly 90-percent of respondents reported few or...
Illinois bicentennial voters picking the state's best leaders
Nov 10, 2018
Illinois' bicentennial best-of voters are looking for Illinois' best leader of the past 200 years, and it's tough. There are four presidents on Illinois' latest Top 200 list. Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama. Former First Lady,...
Numbers show a ‘brain drain’ in Kankakee; locals say there’s more to it
Nov 09, 2018
It’s no secret that Illinois is losing population, but a new report found that one Illinois town is losing its educated people at a faster clip than every other town in the nation except one. Local officials say the report...
Illinois officials seek to fight myths about organ donation
Nov 09, 2018
Illinois officials and religious leaders are hoping the National Donor Sabbath this weekend will convince people to look past some of the common misconceptions about organ donation. The National Donor Sabbath runs this Friday through the weekend. Illinois officials use...
Pritzker election opens door for legal weed
Nov 08, 2018
Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker said he wants to legalize marijuana for recreational use soon after taking office, but even advocates say won't fix the state’s budget problems. Michigan voters approved a referendum Tuesday to legalize it recreational marijuana use. State Rep....
Illinois among highest in nation for property tax on businesses, report says
Nov 08, 2018
In a measure of how much property owners pay in taxes, Illinoisans pay more than all but just a couple states in New England. In their annual <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/ranking-property-taxes-on-the-2019-state-business-tax-climate-index">business tax climate index</a>, the nonprofit Tax Foundation put’s Illinois at fifth...
As Chicago suburbs go blue, southern Illinois gets redder
Nov 08, 2018
In addition to giving Illinois a new governor, Tuesday's election gave Illinois a new political balance. Illinois' regional political balance has been slowly changing for years. Professor John Jackson with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University...
Op-Ed: Illinois’ richest governor, meet the nation’s most powerful state lawmaker
Nov 08, 2018
Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is about to see two things he’s never seen before. And given he’s been in the Statehouse since 1971, that’s saying something. The first is the strength of his majority. Democrats have never held more...
Two days after election, Pritzker forms budget working group
Nov 08, 2018
Illinois Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday that dealing with the state's financial problems will be a top priority. To that end, Pritzker said he created a Budget and Innovation Committee that will work to address the state’s dire finances before...
Illinois Democrats return to 'trifecta' government with near total control
Nov 08, 2018
Illinois Democrats have returned to what experts call a “trifecta government” that can push through policies with little more than protest votes from a marginalized Republican Party. Democrats defeated Gov. Bruce Rauner and all other statewide Republican candidates. In addition,...
Pritzker inherits fiscal mess while groups warn of disaster
Nov 07, 2018
The incoming administration inherits a fiscal mess that some experts have said is beyond repair. “One metaphor that comes to mind is some people have the best seats on the Titanic,” said Bill Bergman, research director at Truth in Accounting....
Op-Ed: State government faces idea shortage now that it returns to one-party rule
Nov 07, 2018
As if Illinois taxpayers didn't have enough meaningful concerns heading into Tuesday's midterm election, they'll have new ones come January. Now that the votes are counted and the races decided, the threat of an idea shortage at the top of...
Just how big was the blue wave of voter turnout in Illinois?
Nov 07, 2018
Voters in Illinois showed up yesterday in a way that they hadn’t since they were voting for Jim Edgar’s first term. The final vote tallies won’t be locked in until December 3rd, but preliminary voting totals show 54 percent of...
Gov.-elect Pritzker picks transition team
Nov 07, 2018
Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker has selected his transition team. The team includes a former governor, a union leader, a social services professional and others. “I am honored to be chairing the transition committee with a remarkable group of leaders who represent...
Democrats take over Illinois state government on blue wave
Nov 07, 2018
Voters handed Gov. Bruce Rauner a decisive rebuke Tuesday, turning the governor's mansion to Democrat J.B. Pritzker and giving Democrats even more power in Springfield. Democrat J.B. Pritzker rode the wave of significantly higher turnout, with many pollsters calling the...
Chinese tariffs slash profits from Illinois soybean harvest
Nov 07, 2018
Illinois farmers are dealing with the effects of a retaliatory tariff imposed by China on soybean imports. A 25-percent Chinese tariff on American soybeans was imposed by the country in response to the Trump administration’s steel tariffs on China. For...
Kwame Raoul wins race for Illinois Attorney General
Nov 07, 2018
Illinois' new attorney general is talking about his role both in and outside of the state. In his victory speech Tuesday night, State Sen. Kwame Raoul spoke about his new job as Illinois Attorney General not just being limited to...
Democrats maintain control of Illinois General Assembly
Nov 07, 2018
It’s not just all the statewide constitutional offices that Democrats now control. They also maintain control of the Illinois General Assembly. Preliminary numbers were still being crunched into the night Tuesday, but Democrats are expected to maintain a majority, if...
Mixed bag for Illinois’ contested U.S. House races
Nov 07, 2018
It was a mixed showing for Illinois Republican members of the U.S. House. U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Wheaton, fell to Democratic challenger Sean Casten. U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, beat two challengers in Illinois’ 12 Congressional District. Two races went...
J.B. Pritzker rides blue wave to governor mansion in Illinois
Nov 07, 2018
Voters handed Gov. Bruce Rauner a decisive rebuke Tuesday, turning the governor's mansion to Democrat J.B. Pritzker and giving Democrats even more power in Springfield. Democrat J.B. Pritzker rode the wave of significantly higher turnout, with many pollsters calling the...
Live updates: Casten, Kelly ride blue wave in Illinois; Pritzker takes governor's mansion
Nov 06, 2018
10:18 p.m.: U.S. Rep. Mike Bost: "I'm incredibly proud of the campaign we put together. We fought hard, focused on the issues, and always made Southern Illinois values our top priority. I congratulate Brendan Kelly on a hard-fought campaign. It's...
Up to $1 billion in pension buyouts to be offered next year
Nov 06, 2018
The state’s largest public employee pension system, the Teachers’ Retirement System, is moving forward with a $1 billion buyout option for eligible pensioners. Lawmakers included a $1 billion pension buyout plan in the state's budget, which was passed in May,...
Election Day Roundup: Where and how to vote
Nov 06, 2018
Today is Election Day in Illinois. Those who have not registered to vote in Illinois still have time. With the exception of all but the most rural counties, Illinois State Board of Elections Spokesman Matt Dietrich said it only takes...
Political reform advocates: Big money in politics threatens candidate independence
Nov 06, 2018
A political reform advocacy group says it has grave concerns about the amount of big money in Illinois elections. Alisa Kaplan, policy director for Reform For Illinois, said Illinois’ gubernatorial candidates have raised $284.5 million. “I use the term raise...
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SPORTS
Man still missing after disappearing from San Francisco 49ers game Monday night
8 hours ago
iStock/Thinkstock(SAN FRANCISCO) -- Authorities are calling on the public’s help in finding a man who disappeared after a San Francisco 49ers home game on Monday. Ian Powers, 32, was last seen at the 49ers game at Levi's Stadium, which he...
How Serena Williams learned to love her body, stop comparing herself to Venus
10 hours ago
Theo Wargo/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- In one of her most candid interviews yet, Serena Williams opens up about her formative years and trying to emulate her older sister, Venus.Williams, 37, has inspired so many on and off the tennis court....
Nick Diaz to fight in March after four-year absence from UFC
13 hours ago
David Dermer/Diamond Images/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Nick Diaz is returning to the Octagon after four years.The UFC welterweight will face Jorge Masvidal on March 2 in Las Vegas at UFC 235, according to UFC President Dana White.While contracts for the...
Houston Rockets ‘parting ways’ with Carmelo Anthony
14 hours ago
Allen Kee / ESPN Images(HOUSTON) -- Carmelo Anthony’s time with the Houston Rockets is officially over.The team announced on Thursday that it will be “parting ways” with the power forward. Anthony, 34, joined the Rockets this past summer and played...
Scoreboard roundup -- 11/15/18
16 hours ago
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Thursday's sports events:NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONHouston 107, Golden State 86Denver 138, Atlanta 93L.A. Clippers 116, San Antonio 111NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEColumbus 7, Florida 3Tampa Bay 4, Pittsburgh 3New Jersey 3, Philadelphia 0N.Y. Islanders 7,...
LeBron James tops Wilt Chamberlain on NBA all-time scoring list
Nov 15, 2018
Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- LeBron James is now fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list after passing basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain for the spot in Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.The Los Angeles Lakers forward topped Chamberlain’s...
Scoreboard roundup -- 11/14/18
Nov 15, 2018
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday's sports events:NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONOrlando 111, Philadelphia 106Washington 119, Cleveland 95Miami 120, Brooklyn 107Boston 111, Chicago 82Detroit 106, Toronto 104Oklahoma City, 128 N.Y. Knicks 103Minnesota 107, New Orleans 100Memphis 116, Milwaukee 113Dallas...
Calgary, Alberta residents vote against hosting 2026 Winter Olympics
Nov 14, 2018
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Who wouldn't want to host the 2026 Winter Olympics? A lot of places, it turns out. Calgary, Alberta on Tuesday became the fourth city to turn down the opportunity after its residents voted down a bid for...
Rutgers’ Stringer reaches 1,000th career win as head coach
Nov 14, 2018
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images(PISCATAWAY, N.J. ) -- Rutgers women's basketball head coach C. Vivian Stringer made history Tuesday night when the Scarlet Knights defeated Central Connecticut State.With the 73-44 win, Stringer achieved her 1,000th career win, becoming the sixth women's head...
Scoreboard roundup -- 11/13/18
Nov 14, 2018
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Tuesday's sports events:NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONCleveland 113, Charlotte 89Houston 109, Denver 99Golden State 110, Atlanta 103NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUENew Jersey 4, Pittsburgh 2N.Y. Islanders 5, Vancouver 2Florida 2, Philadelphia 1Buffalo 2, Tampa Bay 1Detroit...