WATCH: As Pritzker claims hospitals will close, Republican points to $50B fund | Illinois
(The Center Square) – While Illinois Democrats say hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans are going to lose health insurance and rural hospitals are going to close, Republicans say that’s not true. President Donald Trump’s one big beautiful bill has been criticized by Democrats like Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who claims “people will die.” “We have […]
Illinois quick hits: Cartel boss pleads guilty; Measles outbreak ends | Illinois
Cartel boss pleads guilty The son of Sinaloa Cartel boss “El Chapo” Guzman has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in Chicago. Federal prosecutors announced Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who succeeded his father as one of the leaders of the cartel in Mexico, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly […]
Illinois quick hits: State to receive $23 million in opioid settlement | Illinois
State to receive $23 million in opioid settlement Illinois could receive more than $23 million from a recently announced settlement states had with eight pharmaceutical manufacturers. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office announced the settlement totalling $720 million nationwide, alleging opioid manufacturers worsened the nationwide opioid crisis. Three charged with COVID fraud Three individuals face […]
IL may boost abortion funding if federal support is cut, concerns rise | Illinois
(The Center Square) – After a new federal law cut Medicaid funding for most abortion providers, Planned Parenthood of Illinois warns nearly 30,000 low-income patients could lose care. Critics say abortions won’t stop, they’ll just shift to the mailbox. A provision in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act aims to cut Medicaid funding […]
Illinois quick hits: Illinois joins lawsuit against EPA over grant cuts | Illinois
Illinois joins lawsuit against EPA over grant cuts Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is joining a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for canceling so-called climate justice grant projects. Raoul says one example in the $3 billion in such funding is $2.7 million for sewage backups alongside the Chicago-Calumet River system. Raoul joins 19 […]
IL state rep. pushes for rapid changes in hemp cannabis regulations | Illinois
(The Center Square) – Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, is turning up the heat in his quest to bring greater reforms to the growing hemp industry. Ford is slated to join the Illinois Healthy Alternatives Association Thursday morning for a panel discussion on Chicago’s West Side. The panel aims at discussing establishing formal […]
Chicago mayor: Shootings show ‘how far we still have to go’ | Illinois
(The Center Square) – Despite a mass shooting just north of downtown Chicago Wednesday night, Mayor Brandon Johnson says he wants people to enjoy the city this holiday weekend. The shooting outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge on Chicago Avenue left four people dead and 18 others wounded. Police said a vehicle pulled up near a […]
Illinois officials react to Congress passaging Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ | Illinois
(The Center Square) – Illinois elected officials are taking expected positions after the passage Thursday of the “big, beautiful bill” in Washington D.C. U.S. House Republicans finally united around the Senate-revised “big, beautiful bill” and passed it in a 218-214 vote Thursday afternoon, sending the multitrillion-dollar budget reconciliation package to the president’s desk. President Donald […]
Congress passes ‘no tax on tips’ as Illinois legislator eyes policy for state | Illinois
(The Center Square) – Congress passed the “one big beautiful bill” and in it a provision that temporarily exempts certain tipped income from federal taxes, a major shift from long-standing tax policy treating tips as taxable income. Alex Morishaner, an analyst with the Tax Foundation, said their estimate from last year found that excluding tips […]
Illinois quick hits: Body cam footage from police-involved shooting released | Illinois
Body cam footage from police-involved shooting released Illinois State Police have released body camera footage of a nonfatal police-involved shooting that happened in Macon. The footage from May shows a suspect stealing a squad car that had a shotgun. After a pursuit, the suspect is seen pointing the shotgun at police, at which time officers […]