Pritzker criticizes Trump’s courting of tech CEOs, lack of communication

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — A wave of executive orders and bold pronouncements of his vision for the country highlighted President Donald Trump’s first day back in the White House Monday. In Illinois, Trump’s ascension back to power kicked off new frustrations for Gov. JB Pritzker, who ripped into the new president at an unrelated…

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Potential immigration raids spark fear, protests on Inauguration Day

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO – Immigrant communities around Illinois braced Tuesday for threatened mass deportations. But the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago, facing subzero temperatures, saw little foot traffic and no anticipated raids as of Tuesday afternoon on the second day of the Trump Administration. Trump has vowed to carry out the “largest mass deportation…

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Pritzker signs bill to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a long-awaited bill to stop Illinois organizations from paying less than the minimum wage to workers with disabilities. The bill applies to businesses and other facilities that hold what is known as a 14(c) certificate, named after the section of the Fair Labor Standards…

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Five big obstacles to opening child care facilities in rural Illinois

Capitol News Illinois This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Sixty percent of rural Americans live in child care deserts — regions with too few licensed slots for children. In rural Illinois, that number rises to nearly 70%. Over the past decade, Illinois has experienced a 33%…

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Sangamon County enters agreement to end DOJ investigation

Capitol News Illinois Sangamon County, its sheriff’s office and its central dispatch system on Thursday announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve an investigation spurred by the shooting of Sonya Massey. Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was experiencing a mental health crisis, was shot in her kitchen by Sangamon County…

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Illinois Supreme Court hears arguments on a challenge to Illinois’ concealed carry law

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Amid multiple recent challenges to state gun control laws, the Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday concerning the constitutionality of concealed carry licenses and open carry bans. Under Illinois’ aggravated unlawful use of a weapon statute, individuals are not allowed to carry a firearm in public unless the person…

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