Illinois Capital News
What happens when cash bail ends? As task force works to ready justice system, amendments could be forthcoming
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, cash bail will be abolished in Illinois. The measure that will eliminate it has been on the books since early 2021, giving the justice system two years to plan for the major overhaul of the state’s pretrial detention system. It’s also given…
Read MoreChief Justice Anne Burke to retire from Illinois Supreme Court in November
Court’s third female justice will be replaced by Appellate Justice Joy V. Cunningham By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke announced Monday she will retire from the bench effective Nov. 30. She has served on the state’s high court since 2006 and has been chief…
Read MorePritzker calls for changes after “awful” reports of abuse at developmental center
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois MOLLY PARKER & BRENDEN MOORE Lee Enterprises Midwest This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Lee Enterprises, along with Capitol News Illinois. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called patient abuses at the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in rural Anna “awful” and “deeply concerning,”…
Read MoreAhead of amendment vote, union membership grows in Illinois
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – As voters in Illinois prepare to decide on a state constitutional amendment that would guarantee workers the right to organize, a new study shows union membership in the state grew last year for the first time in four years. The study also showed, however, that the…
Read MoreANALYSIS: Late-night legislating not unusual in Illinois, but process can be messy
Budget bills were filed after committee hearing scheduled to discuss them By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com It was 6:00 a.m. Saturday, April 9, by the time lawmakers adjourned their regular spring session which had been scheduled to conclude the day prior. When all was settled, lawmakers had passed 236 bills from April 1…
Read MoreMan who received pardon for felony arson and became fire chief is now also a police officer
State board shows Jerame Simmons joined the force March 14 By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Jerame Simmons spent nearly 24 years as a convicted felon after pleading guilty to arson in 1999 until a 2021 pardon cleared that record and allowed him to head the department that put out the fire he started.…
Read MoreGas companies push back against effort to repeal surcharge
Consumer advocates say fee is no longer needed By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Natural gas utilities in Illinois warned of job losses and possible risks to public safety if state lawmakers repeal a law allowing them to add a surcharge on customer bills that consumer advocates say is being used to…
Read MoreRepublicans cite SAFE-T Act as reason Chicago man not charged with murder
Grand jury approved weapons charges, not first-degree murder By GRACE KINNICUTT Capitol News Illinois gkinnicutt@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Republicans on Wednesday, February 9, continued a push to repeal a criminal justice reform bill passed one year ago, citing the law as the reason a Chicago man was not charged with murder for his role…
Read MoreGOP reintroduces crime reduction package; Pritzker touts public safety spending
Rising violent crime has become major campaign issue By GRACE KINNICUTT Capitol News Illinois gkinnicutt@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Senate Republicans unveiled an updated package of crime bills this week that they say will help curb violent crime and provide a morale boost to law enforcement. It’s substantially similar to the package the GOP introduced three months…
Read MoreState Supreme Court asked to rule in case of woman allegedly raped by Lyft driver
Lawsuit centers on a state law passed on final day of 2014 legislative session By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The rideshare company Lyft argued before the Illinois Supreme Court Wednesday, November 10, that a 2014 state law protects it from being held liable for the criminal actions of one of its drivers who…
Read More