State News - Chronicle Media

Ex-Madigan aide sentenced to 30 months in prison
February 19, 2024

CHICAGO — For most of his adult working life, Tim Mapes only had one boss: former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. And for the more than 25 years he served as Madigan’s chief…
Chicago organization receives funding to jumpstart regional clean water industry
February 6, 2024

A Chicago organization focused on drinking water sustainability will receive a $15 million federal grant over the next two years for a project aimed at jumpstarting a regional clean…
Staffing agencies not exempted from antitrust law, state Supreme Court rules
January 31, 2024

Staffing agencies — a fast-growing industry that employs nearly a million Illinoisans — are not exempt from the state’s antitrust law, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled late last…
State Supreme Court upholds downstate police, firefighter pension consolidation
January 31, 2024

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a 2019 law that consolidated nearly 650 municipal police and firefighter pension funds, rejecting arguments from…
Patchwork aid system and uncertain funding leave thousands of migrants in limbo
January 31, 2024

As Illinois faced sub-zero wind chills, thousands of recently arrived migrants are sleeping in precarious situations throughout Chicago and its suburbs — overcrowded shelters, police…
Lawmakers clear path for assault weapon registration rules
January 23, 2024

SPRINGFIELD — New permanent rules will soon go into effect spelling out how people who own assault weapons and related items that are now heavily regulated in Illinois can register…
As online DMV services plagued by no-shows, secretary of state launches changes
January 23, 2024

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched an online appointment system in September for Illinois drivers needing to come to a driver’s services facility, ostensibly to reduce…
Illinois Supreme Court to determine if cannabis odor can be cause for vehicle search
January 23, 2024

The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday as to whether the smell of cannabis alone is grounds for police officers to search a vehicle, marking a test of the state’s 2020…