U.S. Rep. Mary Miller Welcomes Marjorie Taylor Greene At Effingham Fundraiser
EFFINGHAM, Ill. – At the U.S. Capitol, Marjorie Taylor Greene told a downstate crowd Thursday night, she and fellow freshman Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller are “not the popular girls.” In February, soon after she and Miller began their first terms in the U.S. House, Greene lost her committee posts. Then last month, Greene received a […]
Transgender Students Protest Deadnaming At University of Illinois Graduation.
URBANA – Donned in a blue and orange cap and gown, Cyrus Arnieri had prepared for his graduation ceremony at the University of Illinois longer than most. As a transgender student, Arnieri says he had been corresponding with the University for months to ensure his preferred name was called at the ceremony. Despite legally changing his […]
Bills Would Increase Pharmacy Access, Allow Easier Gender Identity Changes To Birth Documents
SPRINGFIELD – The House Human Services Committee on Tuesday moved bills aimed at closing disparities in access to pharmacies and allowing transgender and intersex individuals to change their sex on their birth certificate. Another measure would eliminate a requirement that individuals be deemed ineligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits for prior felony drug […]
Illinois Lawmakers Vote For LGBTQ Equality Along Party Lines
WASHINGTON — Illinois lawmakers voted along party lines Thursday, as the House of Representatives voted 224-206 to pass H.R. 5, titled the Equality Act, a bill to protect LGBTQ Americans from discrimination. Listen to this story here. An earlier version of the bill passed the House once before in 2019, with the support of eight […]
Federal Court Denies State Motion In Transgender Prisoner Case
SPRINGFIELD — A federal district court in Southern Illinois denied a request Thursday from the Illinois Department of Corrections to dismiss a class-action lawsuit against the department for its treatment of transgender prisoners. That case, Monroe v. Jeffreys, was originally filed in 2018 as Monroe v. Rauner by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf […]
News Around Illinois – January 13, 2020
2 Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan From Illinois, Virginia KABUL, Afghanistan — The Pentagon says the two soldiers killed Saturday in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb were from Illinois and Virginia. On Sunday, military officials identified the casualties as 21-year-old Pfc. Miguel A. Villalon of Joliet, Illinois; and 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Ian P. McLaughlin of Newport […]
Transgender Students Secure Unrestricted Locker Room Access
PALATINE – A more than four year fight to secure equal access to locker rooms for transgender students in a north suburban Chicago school district ended Tuesday when a new policy allowing them unrestricted access took effect. The Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board voted 5-2 in favor of the policy change in November, WLS-TV […]
News Around Illinois – January 7, 2020
Decatur Schools, TA Union Fail To Reach Agreement In Latest Talks DECATUR – Negotiators for Decatur Public Schools and the union representing its teaching assistants met with a federal mediator for more than three hours Monday night. It was the first bargaining session between the two sides in nearly a month. A statement released by […]
News Around Illinois – December 27, 2019
Students Serve Ex-Prof With Sexual Assault Suit Via Email URBANA – The alleged victims of a former University of Illinois associate professor turned to email to finally serve him with their federal lawsuit accusing him of sexually and emotionally exploiting them. The civil lawsuit filed by some of Gary Xu’s former students had been held […]
News Around Illinois – December 23, 2019
Rantoul To Vote Monday Night On Sports Complex RANTOUL – The Rantoul Village Board is holding a special meeting Monday night, where they’ll vote on an agreement to acquire land for a 65-acre outdoor sports complex. The resolution calls for the village to lease the site south of the Rantoul Walmart for the first six […]