State

Lockport Township High School drafting and design students took home a record number of trophies from the Illinois Design Educators Association State Competition, with five championships.

Illinois' state legislature has introduced four bills that would dismantle many townships across the state.

Illinois recorded an 8.3% drop in overall drug overdose deaths in 2023, a rate double the national decline, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Thursday.

To boost interest in the career, in addition to meeting the demand, the Chief Judges of Illinois have approved a tuition-free training program in exchange for a two-year employment contract with Court Reporting Services of Illinois.

The Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park is among five Illinois Department of Natural Resources areas receiving grants for deferred maintenance projects.

The Biden-Harris Administration has announced a group discharge for 261,000 borrowers with loans from Ashford University. Largely an online institution, Ashford had a campus in Clinton, Iowa, that was formerly the home of Mount St. Clare College.

January is National Radon Action Month and IEMA-OHS Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau warns that each year more than 1,100 people in Illinois are estimated to develop radon-related lung cancer.

Blessing J. Aoci was abducted around 6 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, near the intersection of 14th 1/2 Street and 13th Avenue, Rock Island, according to Rock Island police.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office is working to launch mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet by the end of the year, enhancing security and convenience for residents.

State Reps. Brad Fritts, R-Dixon, and Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, were two of 118 sworn into office Wednesday. McCombie was named the House Minority Leader.

Li Arellano now represents the 37th District, which is composed of all or parts of Bureau, DeKalb, Henry, La Salle, Lee, Marshall, Ogle, Peoria, Rock Island, Stark, Whiteside and Woodford counties.

Sterling’s Park District is set to receive $600,000, while Morrison will get $81,500.

The Healthy Forests, Wetlands, and Prairies Act would require Illinois to establish a grant program for local governments to restore degraded forests and prairies. State Senator Rachel Ventura from Joliet sponsored the bill.

New additions to the Illinois State Museum’s art collection are on display at its Lockport Gallery through Oct. 12.

Marquette defeated (Jacksonville) Routt in the Class 1A baseball semifinal game on Friday, May 31, 2024 at Dozer Park in Peoria. The Crusaders will play in the championship at 1p.m. on Saturday.

Senate Bill 2751 calls for counties to waive building permit fees for veterans with disabilities and their caregivers when modifications are needed to accommodate the veteran’s disability,

Proponents say it's better to keep families together and provide substance abuse treatment to parents. McHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally said the decision shouldn't be left in DCFS's hands.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs explains what his office does and doesn't do.

Multiple rounds of severe storms are possible Tuesday through Wednesday this week, according to the National Weather Service.

Fox Valley Robotics teams have been successful in winning a variety of awards over the last few months, leading to several teams competing in the upcoming World Competition.

Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis was in Springfield along with law enforcement officials to speak with Illinois House and Senate leaders to discuss funding of programs for children that prevent crime.

Mike Nussbaum, reputed as the oldest professional actor in America with a prolific stage career and roles in films including “Field of Dreams” and “Men in Black,” has died. He was 99.

The Illinois Conservation Foundation has launched the first in a new series of annual Illinois state park holiday ornaments, showcasing the distinct landscape of Starved Rock State Park

Miller: The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget released a revised state revenue and spending forecast last month for the current fiscal year and it’s pretty good. Its projections for next fiscal year, however, were not nearly as strong.

Illinois families who need help paying their utility bills have been offered an extra boost by Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration. Here's how to apply:

The Skip-the-Line program for residents includes simplified online services beginning Sept. 1.

The Illinois Supreme Court upheld a statewide gun ban on Friday in a win for proponents of stricter laws over the types of semi-automatic weapons that have been used in mass shootings across the country.

Supervision was intensified and staff will undergo, or has undergone, more training after an apparent sexual assault at the Jack Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon, according to a plan the center submitted to the state Department of Public Health.

Republicans Tony McCombie, Illinois State House GOP minority leader from Savanna and State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore talked the SAFET-T Act, estate taxes and the Illinois semiautomatic gun ban with Genoa area constituents this week.

Illinois lawmakers aim to make their state what they say will be the first in the country to create protections for child social media influencers

The bill is sponsored by state Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, and would only allow declawing if deemed medically necessary.

Carolyn Ubriaco, commissioner of the Elmhurst Park District, recently was elected to the Illinois Association of Park Districts’ Board of Trustees.

Cheer teams competed in the IHSA Cheer State Finals in Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 in Bloomington.

Fritts will be opening a district office at 101 W. First St., Suite 501, in Dixon.

The American Farm Bureau Federation says the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 in Illinois has climbed from last year’s $58.15 to $65.53. That’s a 13% jump over the past year. Worse, Illinois families face higher costs than other Americans.

Illinoisans with expired driver’s licenses, ID cards and learner’s permits now have until July 31 to renew the documents following a deadline extension announced by Secretary of State Jesse White.

The candidate filing period opened Monday and closes March 14.

In a statement issued Wednesday on the indictment of former House Speaker Michael Madigan charged with federal racketeering and bribery, Representative Jeff Keicher said the news ‘should be a wakeup call' for Springfield legislators.

Deputy House Minority Leader Tom Demmer filed HJRCA 36 Wednesday “to make state government more efficient and cost effective.”

The main contractor for a storm sewer improvement project in Polo reached out to more than 100 companies in an effort to comply with a grant requirement, but was unable to secure the minimum level called for by the state. The $3.1 million Colden Street Project is meant to help alleviate water buildup on Illinois Route 26 during torrential rain events.

Online services will remain open, but driver service facilities to close Jan. 3 because of COVID-19 surge

Four regional airports will be getting a share of $94 million in Rebuild Illinois grant money to improve access roads and parking and other upgrades.

The state is cracking down on making sure drivers have car insurance.

In the meantime, a four-way stop should be installed to slow traffic on Route 40 and Science Ridge, engineers say

Jobless rates last month across the Sauk Valley increased by fewer than half a percentage point

Sauk Valley nursing homes, long-term care facilities continue to record new coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths

State Rep. Tom Demmer, of Dixon, is considering a run for statewide office in 2022. Whether for governor, U.S. Senate or another position, he has not decided.