Black-owned businesses in Illinois face significant barriers to growth and opportunities that would enable them to compete with their white-owned counterparts, a problem that many Black leaders say is directly tied to Black unemployment rates and the deterioration of Black neighborhoods. That was the message state lawmakers heard Oct. 8 when three Senate committees held […]
Peter Hancock
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Lower compulsory school age to 5?
Illinois lawmakers may soon consider legislation to lower the state’s compulsory attendance law to include 5-year-olds, a measure advocates see as a way to expand access to early childhood education opportunities, especially among Black and low-income families. That was just one of the issues discussed Sept. 24 during a virtual joint hearing of the Illinois […]
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Child welfare officials cope during pandemic
Child welfare officials in Illinois told a panel of state lawmakers Sept. 14 that the COVID-19 pandemic has hindered but not completely prevented their efforts to monitor children at risk of abuse or neglect. “Without question, the pandemic has been and continues to be extremely challenging for all of us, both personally and professionally,” Marc […]
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Madigan hearings to begin next week
A special investigative committee of the General Assembly will begin meeting at the Capitol next week to decide the fate of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan, a Chicago Democrat and the longest-serving legislative speaker in U.S. history, was implicated in a bribery scheme in July when officials from the utility giant Commonwealth Edison admitted […]
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State investing $40M in Cairo river port
The state of Illinois is about to invest $40 million into developing an inland river port that officials hope will produce thousands of new jobs and turn the small town of Cairo into a major shipping hub. Gov. JB Pritzker traveled to Cairo Aug. 4 to announce the project, calling it “a game-changing investment for […]
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Pritzker warns of return to restrictions in counties with growing infections
Gov. JB Pritzker on July 30 traveled to two of the four counties in Illinois that are now in danger of having to reimpose economic restrictions because of rising COVID-19 numbers, warning that bars, restaurants and other businesses could be forced to close again if people don’t follow public health guidelines. “As much as I’d […]
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Chicago tavern sues insurer over ‘business disruption’ claim
A Chicago tavern that was closed since March 16 due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Illinois filed a lawsuit this week against an insurance company for refusing to pay out a claim under the tavern’s “business interruption” policy. Attorneys for Maillard Tavern said during a video news conference April 15 that the actions by Wisconsin-based […]
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Medical pot growers just got bigger
Less than two weeks before adult-use recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois, the state Department of Agriculture announced that all 21 cultivation centers that have been licensed to grow medical marijuana are now licensed also to grow for adult use. The final three companies to be approved were Bedford Grow LLC, in Bedford Park, IL […]
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U.S. Supreme Court won’t review Illinois ‘felony murder’ law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 25 declined to hear an appeal challenging a controversial state law that allows someone to be convicted of murder even if the death is caused by someone else, if it occurs during the commission of another forcible felony. The ruling means the Illinois law still stands, although at least […]
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Firearms dealers to need a state license
Following through on a new law that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed in January, the Illinois State Police published a set of proposed new regulations requiring gun dealers in Illinois to comply with stricter security and recordkeeping requirements. That law, however, is being challenged in Sangamon County Circuit Court by the Illinois State Rifle Association and […]
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Illinois to share in $700 million settlement with Equifax
Illinois residents could be eligible for up to $20,000 in compensation for damages they suffered as a result of a massive data breach at the credit-reporting bureau Equifax under terms of a proposed global settlement announced Monday. Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the settlement in a news release, saying the state of Illinois would also […]
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Some new laws taking effect; others already in place
SPRINGFIELD – Starting Monday, July 1, it will officially become illegal in Illinois for anyone to sell or provide tobacco cigarettes or other tobacco products to people under age 21. The so-called “Tobacco 21” bill, House Bill 345, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law April 8, is one of several new laws that will […]
