This is the way.
Speaking to the Chicago Tribune as part of a lengthy piece on the fate of ethics reform legislation in the recently completed spring session, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, landed on the reality of the situation that applies to many other Statehouse issues when she suggested certain proposals might’ve passed had they not been lumped into a larger bill with provisions that couldn’t garner sufficient support.
State lawmakers passed the budget for the next fiscal year, meeting their midnight deadline over the weekend.
CHICAGO – FanDuel customers in Illinois will soon see a new $0.50 fee added to each bet they place, part of a larger industry reaction to recent tax changes passed by the state.
What we know:
Flutter Entertainment, FanDuel’s parent company and one of the world’s largest online betting firms, announced that beginning Sept.
With a looming service cuts to public transportation, the Chicago Transit Authority is holding a series of pop-up chats to talk about the transit agency’s future.
When federal prosecutors recommended a lengthy prison term at Friday’s sentencing hearing for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, defense lawyers called it outrageously “draconian.”
“The government seeks to condemn an 83-year-old man to die behind bars for crimes that enriched him not one penny,” Madigan lawyers countered in a filing submitted to U.S. Judge John Blakey.
Atomic energy is getting a surge of support these days, including from people who not too long ago opposed any expansion of its use.
Gov. JB Pritzker, for example, now enthusiastically backs lifting Illinois’ long-standing moratorium on new base-load nukes, a 38-year-old prohibition he previously urged retaining. Lifting the moratorium was part of a sprawling energy bill that — like many other major issues in Springfield this past spring — was left for another day to be completed.
Despite assurances from Gov. JB Pritzker that state taxpayers would not end up footing the bill for a migrant tent encampment in Chicago that was never built, the state recently agreed to pay $1.3 million to the project’s contractor.
Pritzker made the highly publicized decision to halt construction of the shelter encampment in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood in December 2023, saying “serious environmental concerns” were still present at the city-selected site.
<p>Illinois joined 15 other states Monday in suing the Trump administration over plans to return <a class="Link" href="https://apnews.com/article/forced-reset-triggers-rifles-machine-guns-atf-a17b5aaeda285a780286e209683955b6" target="_blank" >forced-reset triggers</a> that were confiscated by federal law enforcement and once again allow them to be sold. The devices are used to make semiautomatic rifles fire faster.</p><p>The suit, filed in Maryland, argues the administration’s action violates federal law and poses a threat to residents and law enforcement because of the capacity of the devices to worsen gun violence.</p><p>There
Ex-Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s wife spoke on his behalf regarding his upcoming sentencing. She missed most of her husband’s trial and is asking the judge for a lower sentence.
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The end of the school year is supposed to mark the beginning of long, carefree days filled with freedom and adventure for our children. Yet for many families in Illinois, the summer months are clouded by fear and uncertainty because when the school doors close, so too go the daily routines, supervision and safe spaces that protect our kids throughout the year.
(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker prepares to testify about the state’s migrant sanctuary policies in the wake of violent protests in California around immigration enforcement.
Riots through the weekend between state and local law enforcement in Los Angeles led to the Trump administration calling in the National Guard. California Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t request the National Guard and announced he’s suing President Donald Trump.
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan’s lawyers accused prosecutors of a “gross breach of the rules” Monday, complaining that the feds “gratuitously plastered Madigan’s estimated net worth” in a public court filing leading up to his sentencing this week.
Late last week, they also accused prosecutors of seeking “to condemn an 83-year-old man to die behind bars for crimes that enriched him not one penny.”
<span class="field field–name-title field–type-string field–label-hidden">Judge Rejects Michael Madigan’s Motion for Acquittal as Ex-Speaker’s Corruption Case Heads Toward Sentencing This Week</span>
<span class="field field–name-uid field–type-entity-reference field–label-hidden"><span>Matt Masterson</span></span>
<span class="field field–name-created field–type-created field–label-hidden"><time datetime="2025-06-09T14:38:21-05:00" title="Monday, June 9, 2025 – 14:38" class="datetime">Mon, 06/09/2025 – 14:38</time>
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One in five Americans has created an online sports betting account in the seven years since the Supreme Court ruled states can legalize sports betting. For men between ages 18 and 50, that number is double. Sports betting access is at an all time high and taboo at an all time low — the thrilling promise of a winning bet is always just a few clicks away.
SPRINGFIELD — The “Clean Slate” Act, which could have sealed thousands and potentially millions of nonviolent criminal records in Illinois, had bipartisan support but failed to pass in the final flurry of legislative action this spring, the sponsor says.
Senate Bill 1784 would have required law enforcement agencies to automatically seal eligible nonviolent criminal records twice a year for people who remain conviction-free during designated waiting periods.
Bally’s initially offered a 25% stake in the project to only women and minority investors as part of the company’s bid to win the casino license from the city in 2022. It was part of a broader effort to create wealth among disenfranchised communities that historically don’t reap the benefits of Chicago’s biggest developments.
But shortly after Bally’s filed an initial offering with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in December, Richard Fisher and Phillip Aronoff filed suit, along with the conservative legal group American Alliance for Equal Rights.
Imagine if a single law could wipe out years of progress in a federally legal industry. That’s the threat facing Illinois’ hemp producers and retailers today.
Hemp isn’t a loophole — it’s a lifeline for small businesses and communities. Policies must support innovation and safety, not criminalization. The people turning to hemp are people looking for a healthy alternative to pain management and a life free of the fear of addiction.
Let’s be clear: This is not a talent problem. These students are driven and capable. Rather, students, especially those who are low-income and first-generation, often lack access to the career-readiness skills, networks, confidence boosters, and experiences that will allow them to land that first strong job — a full-time role that requires a bachelor’s degree and includes some combination of promotion pathways, benefits, and a market-competitive starting salary — or enrollment in graduate school.
Students often get discouraged, but there are ways to bridge the funding gaps. More generous “last mile” scholarships are available from the state’s public universities, even as those schools are strapped for cash. Scholarships from foundations and nonprofits, such as Hope Chicago, also make a difference.
Counselors worry that the future of Pell grants is uncertain with the Trump administration attempting to dismantle the U.S.
