Illinois

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said gun violence is "a public health crisis that requires public health solutions" in announcing the launch of the agency's new dashboard to track violent deaths and gun injuries.

As prosecutors began their closing arguments Wednesday in the trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, they accused the longtime Democratic powerbroker of lying to the jury when he testified in his own defense earlier this month.

A Will County judge allowed the jail release of a Plainfield man facing charges of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child after ruling there were conditions that could mitigate his danger to the alleged victims.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he saw no evidence in Trump’s executive orders that the president was following through on campaign promises to lower costs for Americans

The “unimaginable loss” of a Joliet family who were killed in a mass shooting one year ago continues to be “felt deeply within our department and across our community,” said Joliet’s police chief.

A Lockport woman who partially blamed U.S. President Donald Trump for her role in the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot is among five people from Will County who’ve been pardoned for their crimes.

Immigrant communities around Illinois braced Tuesday for threatened mass deportations. But the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago, facing subzero temperatures, saw little foot traffic and no anticipated raids as of Tuesday afternoon.

Can you please show your ID? Illinoisans can anticipate whipping out their iPhones to display driver’s licenses instead of digging into their wallets later this year.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a long-awaited bill to stop Illinois organizations from paying less than the minimum wage to workers with disabilities.

The Illinois State Police have announced that data from 2024 shows a decrease in shootings on Illinois interstate roads for the third year in a row.

Sixty percent of rural Americans live in child care deserts — regions with too few licensed slots for children. In rural Illinois, that number rises to nearly 70%.

Sangamon County, its sheriff’s office and its central dispatch system on Thursday announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve an investigation spurred by the shooting of Sonya Massey.

Representatives from the Illinois Treasurer’s Office will be available to assist residents with claiming any unclaimed property they may have. 

The Illinois State Police reports recovering 245 stolen and/or hijacked vehicles from October through December.

Amid multiple recent challenges to state gun control laws, the Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments this week concerning the constitutionality of concealed carry licenses and open carry bans

An appellate court upheld the pretrial detention of a former Joliet Outlaws motorcycle club member who for a second time is facing charges of killing a woman and hiding her body.

When state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch was sworn in for another term as speaker of the Illinois House this month, he called on his colleagues to “rise to the occasion” and confront the moment that faced them.

Attorneys for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan rested their case Thursday, marking the beginning of the end of the longtime Democratic powerbroker’s corruption trial.

Under the Ethics Act, a high-level state employee can’t take a job with an organization that was subject to certain contracts, licensing or regulatory decisions from the state within one year of leaving their government position

Before Madigan’s attorneys put their defense case to bed, they questioned final witnesses and put final bits of evidence into the record, including a sort of message from Gov. JB Pritzker

The Illinois State Board of Education voted Wednesday to approve a budget request for the upcoming fiscal year of nearly $11.4 billion, a 4.6% increase over this year’s budget

Revenue returns remain on track halfway through Illinois’ budget year, though it’s next year that is causing concern in the Capitol

After Michael Madigan spent several hours facing blistering cross-examination in his federal corruption trial, the former Illinois House speaker made a rare candid remark about the yearslong investigation that landed him on the witness stand in a Chicago courtroom

State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, joined Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and other lawmakers Tuesday to introduce legislation that could raise the age of mandatory road tests in Illinois to 87.

Amid a $770 million budget gap facing Metra, Pace and the CTA, and a proposal to merge the three into a supersized agency, Regional Transportation Authority leaders have issued their own transit rescue plan.

With homelessness increasing in Illinois, a coalition of shelter providers and advocates is calling for a $100 million increase in state funding to prevent homelessness and provide shelter to people without homes

A termination hearing for a Joliet police officer was expected to begin Monday. But a member of the board for the hearing was on a train that was involved in a crash.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wasted no time confronting the former speaker with a wiretapped phone call that had been barred from trial until last week

The CDC has issued warnings about outbreaks of Norovirus this winter. What to watch for in Will County.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office is working to launch mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet by the end of the year, enhancing security and convenience for residents.

A measure awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature will help protect transgender people and victims of domestic violence who seek to change their names, according to its proponents

Democratic representatives Lauren Underwood and Sean Casten have proposed legislation that would raise the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted from federal tax returns

The Cass Street bridge over the Des Plaines River in downtown Joliet will close for approximately six weeks beginning Monday.

Illinoisans can now vote on whether they want a new state flag

Heritage Corridor Destinations held an open house on Jan. 8 for its new office at 701 Essington Road, Suite 100 in Joliet. Attendees at the open house included business partners, community leaders and stakeholders.

The family of a slain Lockport woman and her child called a Crestwood man who was sentenced to life in prison a "monster" who "took two beautiful lives" in 2020. He maintains he is innocent of the crimes.

Those wishing to give back to their community now have even greater incentive to do so, as the Illinois Gives Tax Credit provides a 25% income tax credit for donations made to endowment funds like the ones at the Community Foundation of Grundy County.

A Manhattan couple facing charges of pandemic relief fraud and other charges have filed a federal lawsuit claiming Will County authorities and the U.S. Secret Service are targeting citizens like them with “frivolous” civil forfeiture cases to line their pockets.

Lawmakers in Springfield approved a measure that aims to protect warehouse workers whose workdays center on hitting quotas.

State Reps. Brad Fritts, R-Dixon, and Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, were two of 118 sworn into office Wednesday. McCombie was named the House Minority Leader.

Though the governor promised to make Illinois “the best state” to raise young children, child care continues to disappear. And, as one couple learned, there’s almost no help for those building a child care facility from the ground up.

Lawmakers this week passed a bill aimed at boosting the development of renewable energy generation, but its proponents said the final measure was a “skinny” version of what they had hoped to pass

The Illinois Department of Public Health has added four conditions to the list of conditions eligible for medical cannabis treatment, including Endometriosis and ovarian cysts

"Karina's bill" clarifies that local law enforcement must temporarily remove guns from a person who has an order of protection against them when the alleged victim successfully seeks firearm removal as a remedy in court

When prosecutors get their turn to cross-examine the former speaker as early as Wednesday, they will likely attempt to impeach Michael Madigan on the stand

Nicor Gas, the state’s largest natural gas utility covering much of northern Illinois, is asking Illinois officials to approve a $309 million rate increase that, if approved, would raise a typical customer’s bill about $7.50 a month.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will take the witness stand in his corruption trial – an unexpected revelation that will likely stretch the already lengthy trial into late January

A bill soon heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk would direct foster care officials in Illinois to prioritize placing children with relatives

A Will County judge allowed for the conditional jail release of a Homer Glen couple charged with a felony offense linked to their 2-year-old child’s suspected drug overdose death.

Illinois law dictates that all children residing in a Pediatric Lead Poisoning High-Risk ZIP code area, which includes Dixon, Sterling and Rock Falls, are to be automatically screened for blood lead levels at 12, 24 and 36 months of age.