Illinois faced an increasingly bad week of air quality heading into the holiday weekend as smoke is being blown into the state from Canadian wildfires. State officials issued an air quality alert for much of the week, as conditions were between “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” levels […]
The Illinois State Police Merit Board is currently processing applications for both of its 2024 classes. These two classes consist of a Traditional Cadet Class and a Fast Track Class. The Traditional Cadet Class is open to all who apply and make it through the interview […]
This week, the rail service between Chicago and St. Louis upgraded to a higher-speed service. Now, trains on the Lincoln Service Route will travel up to 110 miles an hour. An increase of 20 miles per hour, this change is expected to shave from 15 to […]
Beginning July 1, Illinoisans will again be paying more when they check out at the supermarket as the state’s grocery tax returns on July 1. Last summer, the short-term suspension of the one percent sales tax took effect as part of a series of temporary relief […]
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has officially announced the dates and locations of the upcoming waterfowl hunting blind drawings. These drawings take place throughout Illinois from July 16 to Aug. 5. Hunters must register in person and be at that location when the drawing […]
The National Weather Service has issued an alert to tell Illinois residents that with the recent dry weather, the risk of widespread fires has also risen. As such, extra care is needed when it comes to fires, and several fire agencies around Illinois have announced “no […]
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the preliminary unemployment data from May, showing Illinois as having one of the highest state unemployment rates across the country. While there is no clear trend so far in 2023, the state measured 4.1 percent unemployment rate. Illinois’ […]
This week, after months of Republicans calling attention to the increasing costs of Illinois’ undocumented immigrant healthcare program, the Governor’s Administration filed an emergency rule attempting to rein in state spending on the program for non-citizens, which had ballooned to more than $1 billion.  While the […]
June is National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month, intended to raise public awareness about issues related to PTSD, reduce the stigma associated with PTSD, and help ensure that veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of war receive proper treatment. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs […]
The latest drought monitor revealed that Illinois is seeing the worst drought conditions in a decade. While severe drought is not unusual in Illinois, the number of counties under severe drought conditions is higher than normal. According to the drought monitor’s data, more than 14 percent […]