Archive for June 2025

Capitol News Illinois WOLF LAKE. Ill. — Standing on the edge of a 300-foot limestone bluff in southern Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest, Machaela Sweeney could thank the perfect words she typed into ChatGPT for bringing her to the unexpected spot. “I literally looked up lush, magical, fairytale areas,” she recalled, looking over the edge of…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker began his third campaign for governor on Thursday, but much of the buzz around his 2026 campaign announcement focused on 2028. Pritzker made four stops around the state to launch his campaign, fielding questions about any future interest in the presidency and what is driving him to…

Capitol News Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will run for a third term as governor. He’s officially making the reelection announcement Thursday in a four-stop tour that spans Chicago, Rockford, Peoria and Springfield. Should Pritzker win and serve a full term, he would become the only three-term Democratic governor in Illinois’ history. “I’m running for re-election…

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — In a hot gymnasium on Chicago’s South Side, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday morning he’s running for a potentially historic third term as governor. In his announcement speech, Pritzker said he is running to “protect” the story he’s been telling about Illinois — one that has been built largely in…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD —– Three main factors contribute to the formation of Midwest dust storms: strong winds, dry soil in farm fields and large amounts of loose soil. That’s according to Andy Taylor, the Science and Operations officer at the National Weather Service’s office in Lincoln. He said these are key ingredients that meteorologists,…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced this week he has joined another multistate lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to withhold billions of dollars in federal funds that had previously been approved for states and other grantees. The complaint, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, challenges several actions the…

Capitol News Illinois PEORIA — For 60 years, SkillsUSA Illinois has held workforce development competitions for young people entering the trades. For 60 years, there has never been an all-female team competing in the architecture and construction team competition. Until now, that is. This April, students competed at the Peoria Civic Center in a bid…

Capitol News Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Friday to make a series of changes to the Prisoner Review Board after it released a man who would go on to commit murder, leading to intense scrutiny in Springfield. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 19, which contains changes designed to include victims’ participation in Prisoner…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Immigration rights advocates in Illinois are anxiously awaiting the governor’s signature on legislation aimed at protecting K-12 students who may be in the country without legal authorization from being denied access to a free public education. House Bill 3247, known as the “Safe Schools for All Act,” passed both chambers…

Capitol News Illinois by Janelle O’Dea for the Illinois Answers Project CAHOKIA HEIGHTS — Arianna Norris, 63, paid cash for her home in Cahokia Heights. For as long as she’s lived there, during intense rainstorms, water surrounds her property and last year her basement started flooding. Norris was around four years ago when residents in…