“Illinois taxpayers should be aware of what’s happening in the halls of power in Washington, D.C., because what happens has the ability to make the tax system worse and possibly force them to pay more for reckless spending in high-tax states,” said Joe Bishop-Henchman, Executive Vice President of National Taxpayers Union Foundation.
“Summer jobs offer young people valuable opportunities to gain experience and responsibility, but it’s essential that their safety and rights are protected,” said IDOL Director Jane Flanagan. “We urge employers and families to understand the requirements of the Child Labor Law so that minors can work in secure, lawful, and supportive environments.”
Illinois is currently the only U.S. state requiring seniors to pass a driving test solely due to age. If signed into law, HB 1226 would align Illinois more closely with other states’ renewal policies, while still maintaining safeguards for road safety through vision and written testing and medical reporting.
The pursuit took place on Sunday, May 18, around noon. Warren County reported that the driver refused to stop even after posting speeds over 100 miles per hour. The pursuit went through the City of Danville for around 10 minutes and then proceeded east on US Route 150 outside the city limits. The vehicle eventually crashed attempting to take the I-74 westbound entry ramp at the 210-mile marker.
Champaign County Coroner Laurie Brauer has confirmed the identity of a deceased male discovered on May 15, 2025, in Heritage Lake, located in Rantoul. With the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the individual has been positively identified as Matteo Antonio-Antonia, a resident of Champaign.
The officers then found 41-year-old Daniel Kist of Danville nine blocks from the scene. Kist was then arrested and taken to the Public Safety Building to be questioned. Daniel Kist was booked and charged with Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon and is being held at the Vermilion County jail pending a pre-trial hearing.
Expect a mild and mostly cloudy Memorial Day weekend across Central Illinois. Friday night will be cool with a low near 46°. Saturday brings sunshine and a high around 69°, before clouds return overnight.
With just days remaining in the legislative session, Illinois lawmakers are scrambling to finalize a state budget under mounting financial pressures. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget has reduced revenue projections by more than half a billion dollars for the upcoming fiscal year, adding to a complex mix of fiscal uncertainty and political tension. Lawmakers must approve a budget by May 31 with a simple majority; after that, a three-fifths vote is required.
Urbana residents will soon see a shift in their electricity billing as the city’s municipal electric aggregation contract with Constellation comes to an end. The expiration of the contract means that eligible accounts will revert to Ameren’s Basic Generation Service unless residents choose a different electricity provider.
lllinoisans are bracing for a significant hike in electric bills this summer as grid stress, rising demand, and legislative uncertainty converge. Beginning in June, the average residential customer in northern Illinois served by Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) will see an increase of about $10.60 per month, while downstate Ameren Illinois customers face steeper hikes of 18% to 22%.