Capitol News

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — John Petruszak opened his email Feb. 27 to find a message he called “shocking”: the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development had rescinded two grants it had awarded to his advocacy organization, the South Suburban Housing Center. The grants, which represent 37% of the center’s budget, hadn’t been rescinded…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation updated lawmakers Wednesday on its new online licensing system to streamline the process and eliminate backlogs. Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, called for the subject matter hearing in the House Health Care Licensing Committee to discuss the progress IDFPR has made on the…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday delivered more harsh criticism against President Donald Trump’s administration over attempts to drastically downsize, and possibly eliminate, the U.S. Department of Education. His remarks came just two days after the agency abruptly laid off 1,300 employees, or about half its workforce, including an estimated 50…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers are growing concerned with the use of artificial intelligence in health care. Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, is sponsoring two bills that would place restrictions on the use of AI in online therapy services as well as AI use in decision-making processes that determine a person’s health insurance coverage.…

Capitol News Illinois Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of State Street which had previously been identified as Cherry Street. SPRINGFIELD — When Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan Pearce saw a white pickup spotted outside a motorcycle shop that had been burglarized earlier that night, he punched the gas and…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – A House committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would give high school student athletes the right to participate in both school-sponsored teams and nonschool teams in the same sport at the same time, despite concerns that such a policy could create friction between coaches and jeopardize students’ safety. House Bill…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — It’s been just four months since the last election concluded, but another election is on the horizon in Illinois: the April 1 elections for school boards and municipal offices. Though municipal and school board races in Illinois are nonpartisan, voters may see many of the same political themes that were…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – When Gretchen Weiss applied for a teaching position at Macomb Middle School in west-central Illinois more than 20 years ago, the school’s policy was to keep applications on file for only a year due to the large volume of applicants. That is no longer the case. Now, applications are kept…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – From hiring retired educators to adjusting class offerings, Illinois schools are relying on a variety of short-term, innovative measures to cope with a prolonged and critical statewide teacher shortage. The most recent survey of education leaders from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, or IARSS, shows overall shortage…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Increased pay for educators, better school conditions, mentoring and mental health support are key factors cited by educators that could help alleviate the critical ongoing teacher shortage in Illinois. “Poor Working Conditions” are among the top three causes of the shortage, according to the 2024-2025 Illinois Educator Shortage Survey released…