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TOP STORY

New Details Emerge On Chicago Shooter

Disturbing new details are emerging about the man who killed three people… including a Chicago cop and a doctor… at Chicago&rs...

9 hours ago

LOCAL HEADLINES

Pritzker Realizes Challenges for Upcoming Budget

Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker is acknowledging the scope of the budget problems he’s facing&hel...

9 hours ago

Durbin Calls for a Return to Civility in Politics

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says the level of anger… and threats… being directed toward p...

10 hours ago

Illinois AG Files Fraud Lawsuit Verse Dream Turf Lawn Care

A Springfield-based company is the target of a fraud lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa...

10 hours ago

Authorities Remind of Parking Laws Ahead of Black Friday

Springfield’s city treasurer is issuing a reminder about not parking illegally in handicapped ...

10 hours ago

Veteran Owned Businesses Get New Logo From State

Illinois veterans who own and operate their own business can display that with a new identifying log...

10 hours ago

Four Dead, Including Gunman, Cop, In Shooting At Chicago Hospital

Four people are dead, including the shooter and a Chicago police officer, after a shooting Monday at...

Nov 20, 2018

RAY LYTLE

John Kasich Impresses On 'The View' [VIDEO]

AQUAMAN: This Movie Looks Better And Better [VIDEO]

'Captain Marvel' Is Coming In 2019

MIKE & MOLSON

Pakistani Artist Breaks Record For Cracking 243 Walnuts With His Head [VIDEO]

'Friendly' Monkey Helps Bus Driver Steer In India [VIDEO]

Discounted Nutella Causes Chaos In French Supermarkets [VIDEO]

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STATE NEWS

Report: Illinois recycling less than rest of U.S.

Nov 19, 2018

Illinoisans aren’t recycling as much as their neighbors. And when they do, they don't always do it properly, meaning some towns with bad recycling habits could lose their recycling programs or end up paying more to keep them. This is...

One-quarter of new jobs in Illinois were in the government

Nov 19, 2018

In what one analyst called an alarming trend, nearly one-quarter of jobs created in the past year in Illinois were government positions. Government jobs in Illinois outpaced manufacturing jobs in the most recent jobs report from the Illinois Department of...

Illinois’ public universities seek double-digit funding increases

Nov 19, 2018

Most of the state's public universities want double-digit funding increases next year, but one member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education said that's just not possible without additional tax hikes. The state's nine universities last month turned over budget...

Fire Marshal: Don't burn the house down this Thanksgiving

Nov 19, 2018

Fried or smoked turkey is delicious. But the Illinois State Fire Marshal wants to make sure everyone enjoys that deliciousness safely. Open flames and hot oil don't mix. The Illinois State Fire Marshal's office is reminding people of that fact...

State negligence could soon cost taxpayers more

Nov 19, 2018

Taxpayers could be on the hook for bigger payouts to those wronged by the state with a bill headed for a possible veto override. Last week the Senate voted to override Senate Bill 2481 which increases the cap on awards...

Incoming Democrat won't back Madigan

Nov 18, 2018

In Illinois, next year’s legislative leaders are the same as this year’s, which is a cause of concern for some. The Senate already chose legislative leaders ceremonially, and they will stay the same as they are now for both the...

Rockford-area communities top the list of healthiest housing markets in the state

Nov 17, 2018

Three communities in the Rockford area have landed at the top of a list of healthiest housing markets in the state. Rockton, Machesney Park, and Roscoe took three of the top four spots on the list produced by financial company...

Health officials warn against overuse of antibiotics

Nov 17, 2018

The Illinois Department of Public Health has launched an antibiotic awareness campaign to get people to think twice before taking the commonly overused medication. While antibiotics can save lives, people tend to use them when they’re not needed. As much...

Illinois lawmakers want to audit the Lincoln Foundation

Nov 16, 2018

Two Illinois lawmakers are calling for a closer look at the financial ties between the state-run Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the private foundation that supports it. Central Illinois Republican State Sen. Jason Barickman and state Rep. Tim...

Illinois Senate votes to expand legal protections for people in Illinois illegally

Nov 16, 2018

Illinois is a step closer to giving more legal protection to illegal immigrants. The idea behind the plan approved by the Illinois Senate is to give people who are not in this county legally some legal protection when they go...

‘Star Wars’-type robot called Gita visits Illinois capitol

Nov 16, 2018

State lawmakers and visitors to the capitol this week witnessed a robot prototype that seemingly came straight out of a "Star Wars" movie. Is this the droid you’ve been looking for? While walking around at the capitol in Springfield this...

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 Cain 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 it won't fix the state’s budget problems. Michigan voters approved a referendum Tuesday to legalize 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...

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SPORTS

UFC plans to open world's largest MMA training facility in Shanghai

15 hours ago

Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images(LAS VEGAS) -- The UFC announced on Tuesday it plans to open the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) training facility in Shanghai next year.UFC Performance Institute Shanghai will measure more than 93,000 square feet, making...

Yankees acquire James Paxton in trade with Mariners

16 hours ago

Scott Clarke / ESPN Images(NEW YORK) -- The New York Yankees acquired ace pitcher James Paxton in a trade with the Seattle Mariners on Monday.In exchange for Paxton, the Yankees sent three prospects to Seattle: left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield, right-handed...

Scoreboard roundup -- 11/19/18

17 hours ago

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONPhiladelphia 119, Phoenix 114Charlotte 117, Boston 112Detroit 113, Cleveland 102Indiana 121, Utah 94L.A. Clippers 127, Atlanta 119New Orleans 140, San Antonio 126Memphis 98, Dallas 88Milwaukee 104, Denver 98Sacramento...

Teen hockey player returns to the ice after suffering traumatic brain injury in accident: 'I feel great'

Nov 20, 2018

ABC News(BOSTON) -- Since he was a young boy, Gage Senter has loved hockey.Three years ago, Senter was a high school freshman in Merrimac, Massachusetts, when he made the varsity starting lineup as a center."It was the most important thing...

Former NFL player Jeff Rohrer marries Joshua Ross

Nov 19, 2018

iStock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- Retired NFL player Jeff Rohrer tied the knot with Joshua Ross over the weekend in Los Angeles, making the former linebacker one of the first ex-NFL players to proudly be in a same-sex marriage.The former Cowboys star,...

Teen survives dramatic racing crash at 170 mph

Nov 19, 2018

Mai Shangmin/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images(MACAU, China) -- A teenage race driver is lucky to be alive today after a crash that stunned everyone at the Macau Grand Prix in China over the weekend.Sophia Floersch, a member of the...

LeBron James scores 51 points, gets first win in Miami since leaving Heat

Nov 19, 2018

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images(MIAMI) -- LeBron James finally claimed his first win in Miami since parting ways with the Heat four years ago.James scored 51 points Sunday night, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Heat, 113-97. The win marks his...

Redskins quarterback Alex Smith suffers season-ending injury

Nov 19, 2018

Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images(LANDOVER, Md.) -- Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith suffered a serious leg injury on Sunday, and now the team has to prepare to finish the season without him.Smith, 34, was sacked in the third quarter of...

Scoreboard roundup -- 11/18/18

Nov 19, 2018

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONMemphis 100, Minnesota 87Portland 119, Washington 109Orlando 131, NY Knicks 117L.A. Lakers 113, Miami 97San Antonio 104, Golden State 92NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEDallas 6, NY Islanders 2Carolina 2, New...

German Teen Survives Formula Three Crash

Nov 18, 2018

Mark Thompson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- German Teenager Sophia Floersch survived a high speed crash during a Formula Three race in Macau on Sunday. Floersch was going 167 miles per hour when she lost control of the car and vault up...