Federal agency casts further uncertainty on Illinois’ credit card ‘swipe fee’ law
byJerry Nowicki A federal agency says Illinois can’t limit credit card swipe fees for federally chartered banks, even though a federal judge earlier this year ruled that it could. Two interim filings posted last week by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, an independent subsection of the U.S. Treasury Department, represent the latest…
Read More7th Circuit upholds ex-Speaker Madigan’s conviction of bribery, other corruption
byHannah Meisel CHICAGO — A federal appeals court on Monday, April 27, upheld the 10 guilty verdicts that sent former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to prison, finding no errors in the way the jury was instructed or the “mountain of evidence” the government used to prosecute the influential Democrat during his lengthy bribery trial.…
Read More3D printed homes, an abandoned $590,000 deposit, the FBI: What really happened in this small town?
byMolly Parker CAIRO — Outside a repair shop in rural southeastern Illinois, the parts of a massive 3D construction printer sat disassembled on a flatbed trailer, weeds climbing the wheels. The $1.1 million investment wasn’t meant to end up there, abandoned. Two local men had taken out a loan from a tiny bank to buy…
Read MoreEnergy demand in ComEd territory could double by 2040, in part driven by data centers
byNikoel HytrekandUIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) A House committee got an overview this week of how data centers are driving up energy demand and threatening potential shortfalls in the second of three planned hearings on the matter. The fundamental issue is that data centers have created a sudden and massive spike in demand for electricity,…
Read MoreJudge dismisses National Guard mobilization suit after loss at Supreme Court
byHannah Meisel CHICAGO — A federal judge on Monday, April 20, officially closed the book on a lawsuit filed against the federal government last fall when the White House ordered 500 National Guard troops to Chicago as the “Operation Midway Blitz” mass deportation campaign was escalating. U.S. District Judge April Perry, whose October 9 temporary…
Read MoreBill would give Illinois EPA greater oversight of manufacturers’ plastic pellet runoff
byGabriel CastilhoandMedill Illinois News Bureau CHICAGO — While looking closely at each seedling stem at the floating gardens of Chicago’s Wild Mile, Emily Kowalski found eight tiny plastic pellets hidden within the leaves and soil. “Once you see them, you see them everywhere,” said Kowalski, the associate director of the non-profit organization Environment Illinois, picking…
Read MoreIllinois Democrats still weighing budget options as strong revenue mixes with uncertain outlook
byBen Szalinski SPRINGFIELD — The biggest item on Illinois lawmakers’ agenda this spring is still a work in progress with six weeks left in the legislative session. Democrats are entering the home stretch of budget negotiations ahead of their scheduled May 31 adjournment while monitoring better-than-expected revenue growth alongside the uncertainty that is a hallmark…
Read MorePritzker executive order bars state employees from using insider info in prediction markets
byMaggie Dougherty CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order barring state employees from using insider information to place bets on prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi. The apps, which allow users to bet on real world events like the outcome of Illinois’ gubernatorial race or whether the Bears will leave the state by…
Read MoreTransportation providers, schools, state officials ease school bus driver shortage
byJenna Schweikert A nationwide school bus driver shortage, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, persists in some parts of the country. But in Illinois, efforts to attract new demographics of bus drivers and make hiring easier have paid off. Illinois school districts and transportation providers partnered with the secretary of state’s office to increase hiring and…
Read MoreReport: Illinois stalls in efforts to expand preschool compared to other states
byJenna Schweikert A new report from the National Institute for Early Education Research found Illinois’ rate of growth in enrollment and funding for universal preschool is slowing, despite state efforts to expand preschool programming. While the report noted Gov. JB Pritzker’s Smart Start initiative increased access in recent years, flat funding for the current year…
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