Pritzker to call for health insurance reforms in State of the State address
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker plans to take on the state’s health insurance industry this year by calling for legislation to curb many of the standard practices they use to hold down costs and boost profits. He plans to outline those reforms in his State of the State and budget address Wednesday, according to an […]
Governor Pritzker Gives the 2024 State of the State and FY25 Budget Address
Governor J.B. Pritzker’s 2024 budget proposal for Illinois forecasts $49.9 billion in revenue, down by $1.4 billion from last year, after setting aside funds for emergencies. Spending is slightly reduced but focuses on boosting education and behavioral health. Despite a projected surplus, Pritzker warns of potential deficits without careful planning, amid rising demands on state […]
Downtown Champaign bar manager dies nine days after shooting
Champaign Police are reclassifying the shooting of a downtown bar manager as a homicide, following the death of Brandon L. Hardway. The Champaign County Coroner’s office says the 45-year-old Hardway, of Champaign, died early Saturday at Carle Hospital, due to injuries he received in a shooting on the afternoon of February 8. Police say the shooting happened outside Hardway’s bar, Pour Brothers Craft Taproom, 40 E. University Avenue in downtown Champaign. Police say Hardway had come outside for a cigarette break, and was shot in the back.
With influx of state and federal funding, Illinois looks to add enough chargers to support 1 million EVs
Illinois’ electric vehicle charging infrastructure is on pace to double this year, buoyed by an influx of state and federal dollars. The investments are aimed at supporting both federal and state environmental goals. The Biden Administration set the goal of EVs making up half of all U.S. vehicle sales by 2030. Under the Climate and […]
Here’s what research shows about how couples can thrive despite political differences
As the 2024 election season approaches, political news coverage will rise — and with it, so might conflict between couples with differing political views. It’s something Emily Van Duyn is paying attention to. Van Duyn, an associate professor of communications at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, led a research study where she interviewed 67 individuals who are in […]
Ex-Illinois lawmaker abruptly pleads guilty to fraud and money laundering, halting federal trial
McCann was a state senator from 2011 to 2019. He formed the Conservative Party of Illinois in 2018 to run for governor.
Capitol Briefs: IDOT workers authorize strike; attorney general warns of AI election scams
Negotiations over contracts represent about 3,800 Teamsters around the state.
Trump’s Illinois ballot challenge to move forward
Cook County judge declines to stay case pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Colorado case.
Former Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey running to unseat Mike Bost in Illinois’ 12th District
Darren Bailey and Mike Bost running in Illinois 12th District primary.
Accidents, injuries and a death at ADM Decatur raise concerns for workers’ safety
Just months before he was planning to retire, 66-year-old Robert Dautel was killed in an accident at the railyard just off of the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) West plant in Decatur, Illinois. On April 11, 2023, Dautel was in a locomotive operated remotely by a trainee. The locomotive struck a line of 25 stationary rail cars, crushing […]
5 Ways America’s courts could change health care in 2024
Health care policy experts are keeping close tabs on the courts in 2024. Judges are poised to weigh in on health policies — new ones, like Medicare’s power to negotiate drug prices, and old ones, like the Affordable Care Act’s insurance rules. The ramifications of these decisions, some on politically charged issues such as abortion […]
US hits hard at militias in Iraq and Syria, retaliating for fatal drone attack
President Joe Biden says the strikes demonstrate to “all those who might seek to do us harm” that “if you harm an American, we will respond.”
Trump stays on Illinois’ ballot as election board declines to ban him over insurrection amendment
The Supreme Court next week is scheduled to hear arguments on a Colorado case in which Trump was stricken from the ballot. A decision in Maine is on hold.
C-U residents protest for ceasefire in Gaza
Dozens of people attended a rally in Champaign demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. aid to Israel amid ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces. The Champaign-Urbana branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Prairie Liberation Center organized the protest as part of a national day of action organized by […]
State election board to rule on challenge to Trump candidacy
Hearing officer recommends dismissal but says Trump ‘engaged in insurrection’.
