Area Breaking News

byBen Szalinski SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers began investigating alleged misconduct by Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, that was outlined in a federal indictment. Ammons pleaded not guilty on July 16 to 10 felony charges, including wire fraud, lying to the FBI and conspiring to obstruct justice. Her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, also faces a…

byPeter Hancock SPRINGFIELD – Despite a $350 million increase in base funding for public schools this year, Illinois is falling further behind in its quest to bring all school districts up to adequate funding levels. That’s according to new data from the Illinois State Board of Education, which announced the details of how it will…

byPeter Hancock Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday, August 4, that will give the Illinois Department of Insurance authority to review and approve rate changes for homeowners and automobile policies. “It’s not asking too much to say to insurance companies, if you’re telling your customers that rate hikes are necessary, you should be able to…

byPeter Hancock Students in all Illinois public schools will soon have to abide by rules barring them from using cellphones or other personal electronic communication devices during school hours unless they have been given specific permission to use them. Although many districts already have similar policies in place, Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday, July…