Springfield News
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NOV 28, 2021
Illinois schools saw setbacks to students’ academic progress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new data shows. [Unsplash/CDC]
Enrollment, graduation rates and math proficiency rates have all ebbed in Illinois schools during the last year, according to data released this month from the Illinois State Board of Education.
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NOV 23, 2021
Cook County Judge Lorraine Murphy swears in firefighter Michael Kelly as the new state representative for the Illinois 15th House District. [39th Ward Democratic Organization]
Firefighter Michael Kelly, a self-described “center Democrat” and ally of retired Rep. John D’Amico (D-Chicago), is the newest member of the Illinois House of Representatives after being blessed by a gaggle of local Democratic Party officials late Tuesday.
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NOV 23, 2021
Home heating will become more expensive this winter for more than a dozen Illinois counties. [Unsplash via @realaxer]
On Thursday, the Illinois Commerce Commission voted unanimously to approve a $240.2 million rate hike requested by Nicor Gas in January.
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NOV 22, 2021
Five of the seven candidates (lower two rows) to replace John D’Amico in the 15th House District took part in a 39th Ward Neighbors United candidate forum on Saturday.
A community organizer, a municipal financial consultant, a former president of the Chicago Bar Association, a community college professor and a former Democratic volunteer are among the candidates who will vie on Tuesday to replace Rep. John D’Amico (D-Chicago) in the 15th House District after his Nov. 5 resignation.
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NOV 18, 2021
Rep. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights), who sponsored a bill to phase out the use of prone restraint in schools, said lawmakers will track implementation but are unlikely to follow up with additional legislation.
After a bombshell investigation revealed the use of brutal practices of restraining and isolating students in Illinois schools last year, state officials responded quickly.
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NOV 17, 2021
Rep. Denyse Stoneback (D-Skokie) and Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) speak during a House Housing Committee meeting on Tuesday.
An Illinois House committee on Tuesday held the second of three public hearings set to discuss the future of affordable housing in Illinois. The hearing was led by the chair of the Housing Committee, Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago), who called for the state to prioritize affordable housing with the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) monies streaming into state capitals including Springfield.
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NOV 17, 2021
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the Reimagining Electric Vehicles act as members of the legislature applaud behind him.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act (HB 1769) Tuesday, marking the next step in state leaders’ efforts to make Illinois a hub for electric car and battery manufacturers.
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NOV 16, 2021
Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot attended President Joe Biden's signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Monday. [White House]
As Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot were in Washington D.C. Monday to celebrate the signing of Democrats' long-awaited Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, elected officials from across Illinois were already making plans for the $17 billion that will come to Illinois.
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NOV 16, 2021
Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) introduced an omnibus elections bill on the final night of the veto session that contained provisions changing how state judicial races could be funded. Gov. JB Pritzker signed the bill into law on Monday.
After a day traveling to Washington D.C. and back, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 536, better known to many as the omnibus elections bill.
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NOV 15, 2021
State senators participate in a Redistricting Committee hearing on March 30, 2021. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]
Now that the General Assembly has wrapped up its redistricting process to draw new boundaries for the Illinois state legislature, congressional districts and the state Supreme Court, the immediate focus has turned to the legal challenges and the decisions candidates are making ahead of the 2022 filing deadline.
