State & Local News Headlines

QUINCY — I have never written a Letter to the Editor in my life. I’ve read many. Agreed with some and disagreed with others. I have always appreciated that people took the time and made the effort to express their opinions. Today is a first for me. I have known Chris Pratt for many years.…

The 78-year-old was assigned to FMC Lexington in Kentucky, according to Bureau of Prisons online records QUINCY–Michael McClain reported for his two-year sentence this week at an administrative security federal medical center with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, according to the BOP website. Judge Manish Shah granted McClain until December 29 to report for his…

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) struck $11.2 million from Ameren Illinois’ $59.6 million multi-year rate reconciliation request. The decision is the first in a new performance-based evaluation process designed to reconcile actual utility spending with the approved investments outlined in the utility’s multi-year grid and rate plans. “The ICC’s responsibility is to balance…

A former Illinois attorney general candidate says the state’s first civil hate crime lawsuit, while based on “horrendous” conduct, sets a troubling precedent by allowing the attorney general to punish criminal behavior through civil fines that may exceed constitutional limits.

"That’s why our goal is to make sure every member of the Foundation team is committed to anti-racism, sets expectations for how we will engage, and makes space for the work," the statement said. "We’re focused on making sure our actions match our intent – removing barriers for diverse vendors, building anti-racism and equity into […]

In the year that just ended, sales of high-end homes surged to a new record in the Chicago area, climbing past the old benchmark by almost 15%.

Two Republicans running for Illinois governor this year are calling for Springfield to clean up its act in the wake of Minnesota's rampant fraud scandal, citing multiple areas of alleged vulnerability under incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker.

Chicago’s job market has remained challenging for years. Chicago-area unemployment stood at 4.5 percent as of November 2025 compared to a national rate of 4.3 percent, the latest data showed. Chicago’s unemployment increased from 4.1 percent in September.

In 2017, for instance, fewer than 60 BIPA lawsuits were filed. But 2019 marked the first of six consecutive years in which more than 300 BIPA class actions were lodged, until lawmakers took action in 2024 to rein in the potentially big paydays for plaintiffs and their lawyers. The report indicated trial lawyers had filed […]

"(Illinois House Speaker Chris) Welch strongly defended the state law throughout his comments, insisting that the SAFE-T Act 'is working' and that judges and police officers 'will tell you that the bad guys are in jail because judges are locking them up. The SAFE-T Act is allowing judges to do their job.' I dunno about judges, but […]

“Congress enacted this critical funding to support families and help working parents access child care, and the president does not have the authority to withhold it in this way,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. “This move comes with zero justification, and in the administration’s own words, targets only Democrat-led states.”

In the governor’s race, JB Pritzker is unchallenged in the Democratic primary.