State & Local News Headlines

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Every child learns differently. Some students need extra help after school. Others benefit from tutoring, specialized instruction or educational technology that gives them additional support outside the classroom. Illinois has an opportunity to help more students access those resources, and it doesn’t require raising taxes or creating a new state-funded program. But…

Coming up this weekend on Muddy River News This Week, brought to you by Prairie State Bank and Trust, Bob Gough sits down with Illinois lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar, who is running alongside Darren Bailey. The two discuss the upcoming election, the current state of Illinois, and why Del Mar believes their ticket…

Article Summary This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story. Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. on July 22 to add a comment Gov. JB Pritzker made about the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota just days after Rachel Tarrence was shot in Illinois. Gov.…

The Illinois Republican Party filed its quarterly campaign finance report on the July 15 deadline. The party reported having just $223K in the bank. The next day, the party sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections saying they were “reconciling” their records after a leadership change, and then noted that their actual…

QUINCY — State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) has earned a 100% pro-small business voting record from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Illinois’ leading small business advocacy organization. The NFIB’s 2025-2026 Small Business Legislative Voting Record recognizes legislators based on their votes on key issues affecting Illinois small businesses, including reducing burdensome regulations, opposing…

An armed robbery crew carried out a string of holdups and carjackings across Humboldt Park, West Town and nearby neighborhoods Wednesday morning, firing a shot when a witness tried to follow them, according to Chicago police reports.

Before the bill was signed last year, adults aged 18 to 54 were required to work, volunteer or enlist in a training program for 20 hours a week, totaling 80 hours a month, while anyone living in a household with a dependent child under age 18 was exempt. Now, those requirements apply to adults 18 […]

If enacted, the bill would significantly expand workplace protections by expressly covering menopause-related conditions and by requiring reasonable accommodations for affected employees absent undue hardship.

Jim Dey: "July’s 5 percent increase continues the revenue growth that marked the 2025-26 fiscal year, a period when the state set a revenue-collection record: $56.3 billion. It was the second straight year for record-setting revenues."

"There is a gigantic price to pay when a CEO speaks out. The first price is in the media. The media is a left-wing mouthpiece bordering on a far-left-wing mouthpiece. The media will faithfully assassinate the character of the CEO who speaks out. They will take statements out of context. The next price will be […]

"Senate Bill 3777 helps preserve an important civil rights framework that allows us to identify and address barriers to opportunity when they disproportionately harm protected communities. This legislation provides clarity, consistency and continued protections for Illinois residents while advancing our shared commitment to fairness and equal opportunity."

Gov. JB Pritzker’s letter to the CEOs says their businesses are profiting “while families across my state and the nation face sharply higher prices at the pump.” Since the war began, the price of regular gasoline in Illinois has risen by more than $1.30 per gallon, averaging $4.34 per gallon statewide and costing residents an […]

"It should not be lost on taxpayers that Mayor Brandon Johnson’s controlled school board has raised property taxes by another $300 million, bringing the total to $725 million in higher property taxes during Johnson's term in office. In addition, nearly $1 billion in property tax revenues from the TIF program has been redirected to the […]

The purpose of the proposal is to "assist the police department in having another mechanism during teen takeovers and help to weed out undesirable individuals from the community," Mayor Jason House said at the meeting.