If Illinois continues spending next fiscal year as it has been this year, the state will face an $891 million deficit. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is set to spell out exactly how he plans to address that on Wednesday, when he delivers an annual combined state of the state and budget address.
Stories by amanda vinicky
Migrant Spending, Education Funding and a Projected Shortfall Among Issues Facing Gov. J.B. Pritzker Ahead of Budget Address
Feb 20, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Early Voting Temporarily Paused in Chicago to Remove Candidate From Illinois Primary Ballot
Feb 16, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Voting machines must be updated after a local judicial candidate was knocked off the ballot by an appellate court.
DNC Host Committee Releases Chicago-Area Vendor, Venue Guides Showcasing Scores of Local Businesses
Feb 15, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
The online portal of entertainment options serves as a reminder of the opportunity for local establishments seeking a bite of the estimated $150-200 million pie the Democratic National Convention is expected to bring.
Illinois Finalizes Rules for Assault Weapon Registration, as New Lawsuit Seeks to Strike Law Completely
Feb 13, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Illinois’ assault weapons ban passed after a July 4, 2022, mass shooting in suburban Highland Park. The law banned the sale of AR-15s and scores of other guns beginning in January 2023. People who previously owned guns subject to the law are allowed to keep them, but the weapons must be registered.
Insurers Would Be Required to Cover Expanded Infertility Care Under Proposed Illinois Laws
Feb 12, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
“Some people feel it’s a stigma, and I don’t want people to feel like it’s a stigma,” state Sen. Cristina Castro said. “There’s great treatment out there. We’re just trying to help lower the barrier to that treatment.”
Lurie Children’s Hospital Systems Have Been Down a Week Over ‘Cybersecurity Matter’
Feb 6, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
It’s been seven days since Lurie Children’s Hospital first cited a “network outage that impacts internet and phone service.” The systems have been offline since Jan. 31, and there’s no telling when they’ll be back up and running.
Pritzker ‘Disappointed’ With Chicago’s Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution, Says It’ll Have No Impact on Foreign Policy
Feb 1, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
“The City Council, if they’re going to talk about the challenge of war in the Middle East, you’ve got to make sure that you include all the perspectives,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. “They did not do that.”
New Anti-Violence Initiative Aims to Reduce Chicago Shootings by 50% in 5 Years
Feb 1, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
The Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago initiative aims to link local community groups. The goal is to coordinate care and spending between the city, county and state governments, community organizations and the business community.
Effort to Remove Donald Trump From the Illinois Primary Ballot Continues in State Court
Jan 31, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Donald Trump is “not qualified for the presidency and cannot be placed on the ballot because he is ineligible under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, for having engaged in insurrection having previously sworn an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution,” Illinois residents argue in a petition asking the Cook County Circuit Court to take the case.
Illinois Election Board Votes to Keep Trump, Biden on March Primary Ballot
Jan 30, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
The Illinois State Board of Elections on Tuesday voted to reject attempts to knock former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden off the ballot. The bipartisan board was unanimous in each of the rulings.
Hearing Officer Says Donald Trump Should Be Removed From Illinois Ballot, but It’s a Decision for the Courts
Jan 29, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Election officials should vote Tuesday to allow President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to run in Illinois’ presidential primary contest, hearing officers and the state election board’s top lawyer recommend.
Illinois Election Officials to Decide Whether Trump, Biden Can Be Excluded From Primary Ballot
Jan 26, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
State election officials are set to decide Tuesday whether President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be on Illinois’ presidential primary ballot, following Friday hearings at which objectors to both men allege they don’t qualify because of the 14th Amendment.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Touts Biden’s Economic Initiatives, Meets With Pritzker During Chicago Visit
Jan 25, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
“The Biden administration has put in place the most extensive set of policies and investments to benefit the middle class and grow the economy that our country has seen in my lifetime,” Yellen said in a speech before the Economic Club of Chicago.
Advocates Urge Illinois Lawmakers to Pass ‘Karina’s Bill’ to Take Away Guns From Accused Abusers
Jan 24, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
“Without this law, Illinois is putting targets on the backs of domestic violence survivors,” said Yolanda Androzzo, the director of the gun control advocacy group One Aim Illinois.
Illinois Officials Look to ‘Knock the Dominoes Down’ and Ban Some Additives, Dye Used in Ultra-Processed Foods
Jan 23, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
A group of Illinois lawmakers have a proposal that would ban a handful of common additives in food made and sold in Illinois starting in 2027. California last year became the first state to ban the substances that are common in mass-produced and ultra-processed cereals, candies, salad dressings and sodas.
Tensions Between City and State Officials Continue as Pritzker Pushes Back on Johnson’s Migrant Shelter Expansion Pause
Jan 22, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday he’s “deeply concerned” that Chicago is not going to add bed space, as the flow of nearly 35,000 asylum seekers who’ve come to the city since August 2022 shows no signs of abating.
Illinois Supreme Court Upholds Law Consolidating Police, Firefighter Pension Funds
Jan 19, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
The 2019 law consolidated some 650 retirement funds for municipal public safety workers into two funds — one for firefighters and another for police officers. Chicago is not included.
Organizers Share What to Expect Ahead of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago
Jan 18, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Thousands of delegates, journalists and likely protestors will descend on Chicago for the DNC from Aug. 19-22 — tying up traffic and hotel rooms while also giving the city and its bars, restaurants and shops an opportunity to show off.
Metra Passengers Who Threaten, Harm Someone Can Be Banned Under New Policy
Jan 17, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
The new code of conduct prohibits pushing, waving a gun at someone, harassment and “acts of public indecency.”
Illinois Lawmakers Inch Closer to Finalizing Rules Around Assault Weapon Registration
Jan 17, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
The law, named the Protecting Illinois Communities Act (PICA), has banned the sale of hundreds of specific guns and types of guns since Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it in early 2023.
E-Learning or a Snow Day? Here’s How Illinois School Districts Decide
Jan 12, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
State law allows districts to switch to e-learning if an emergency like weather prevents students from being in school physically. But if districts want the option, they must have an electronic learning program established in advance.
Illinois Secretary of State Says Updates Will Make Booking Previously Hard-to-Get License, Driving Test Appointments Easier
Jan 11, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias says another round of updates should make it easier to book in-person appointments and reduce the number of people who actually need to make those appointments.
Little Village Shelter to House 220 Migrants as Asylum Seekers Continue to Arrive in Chicago Area
Jan 10, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Illinois officials said they don’t know when or where migrants will arrive, nor how many — making it difficult to coordinate care, particularly given that many asylum seekers don’t have coats and clothing appropriate for Chicago’s winter weather.
Chicago Public Schools Receives $20M to Buy 50 Electric School Buses
Jan 9, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Chicago Public Schools was among 67 winners of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first Clean School Bus Program.
US Supreme Court Takes a Pass on Latest Challenge to Illinois Assault Weapons Ban
Jan 8, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied to take up a petition filed by state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, that sought to overturn a ruling on a related case he’d brought before the Illinois Supreme Court.
Pritzker Picks Illinois’ Juvenile Justice Head to Lead Troubled DCFS
Jan 3, 2024 | Amanda Vinicky
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday announced that he’ll appoint Heidi Mueller, the current head of Illinois’ Juvenile Justice Department, to head the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) starting in February.