Gas rate increase public comments
The Illinois Commerce Commission is encouraging Northern Illinois Gas Company (Nicor) customers to publicly comment on the utility’s proposed rate hike at a hearing in Elgin Thursday evening.
Nicor filed a request for a $308.6 million general increase in January 2025.
Customers unable to attend the hearing may submit comments via the ICC website or call the Consumer Services Division.
Insurance regulations urged
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is planning to resume efforts to ban insurance companies from using age, credit scores or zip codes to determine auto coverage rates.
State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, and state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, are scheduled to join Giannoulias in Chicago Wednesday to announce the “Driving Change” campaign.
Previous efforts failed after opponents said the restrictions would raise premiums and drive insurers out of Illinois.
Gun violence rate
A study by a Las Vegas law firm has revealed that Illinois has the second-highest gun violence rate across America.
Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers analyzed shooting incident data between 2014 and 2024 via The Trace database.
Illinois had 288 shooting incidents per 100,000 residents, second only to Louisiana.