Capitol News

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — By the time FBI agents came knocking at Omar Maani’s door on a January morning in 2018, the red-light camera entrepreneur had spent at least the last decade and a half getting ahead in business by bribing public officials. Maani, who quickly agreed to become a cooperating witness, told a…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office came under intense scrutiny after an unarmed Black woman was shot and killed by a deputy in her Springfield home in July 2024. The deputy charged with her murder, Sean Grayson, had a troubled employment record at other Central Illinois police agencies. Despite a former…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Illinois K-12 schools may soon be required to pick new mascots to replace those that reference Native American names and imagery. That would include logos, team names and mascots which 90 schools throughout the state use, such as the Mt. Zion Braves or the Cahokia Comanches, according to legislators. House…

Capitol News Illinois By Jackson Brandhorst, Bridgette Fox, Molly Parker, Julia Rendleman & Lylee Gibbs   The federal government has revoked the visas of some international students studying at universities across Illinois, but college administrators are sharing few details, including how many students have been impacted. A spokesperson for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this…

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — On a warm Tuesday evening in late June 2019, state Sen. Emil Jones III walked out onto the patio at a suburban steakhouse and into an hourslong dinner that would set the table for alleged bribes — and subsequent federal corruption charges. Jones, D-Chicago, dressed in a polo shirt that…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Road tests to renew driver’s licenses could be a thing of the past for many seniors in Illinois under a bill unanimously approved Wednesday by the Illinois House. The House voted 114-0 to approve House Bill 1226, which would raise the age that seniors must take a driving exam to…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Republicans waited too long to file a lawsuit challenging legislative maps drawn in 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. As a result, the Democrat-majority court will not hear the case. House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, along with a group of individual voters, asked the court to…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced the sixth annual winner of the “Makers Madness” contest Wednesday in Springfield. Chosen in a bracket-style competition from a field of more than 250 products, MTH Pumps’ aerial firefighting helicopter refill pump is the 2025 “Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.” This specific pump was designed to…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Illinois has been at the forefront of the data center boom, but state lawmakers are working to gauge and mitigate the impact these centers have on climate and energy consumption. In the last two decades, data centers have multiplied due to increased demand for cloud computing, information storage and data…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker vowed Tuesday that Illinois will remain a “stable” trading partner with nations around the world, despite President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs that have disrupted global markets. “Look, there are a lot of uncertainties at the moment, a lot of instability. There’s no doubt,” Pritzker said. “But…