All articles tagged with #illinois
A relative restrained a juvenile who was armed with a Glock and multiple loaded magazines while en route to Grand Prairie Elementary School, effectively foiling a planned school shooting; the boy is hospitalized for evaluation, no charges have been filed, and authorities say there is no threat to the community as the investigation continues.
With the Illinois legislative session nearing its May 31 deadline, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he’s confident a bill to keep the Chicago Bears from moving to Indiana will be brought up and possibly passed, as the team weighs Chicago-area options (Arlington Heights) versus Hammond, Indiana and Indiana’s leverage remains a factor.
Illinois designated May 23 as Italian Beef Day after House Bill 4669 passed the House, spearheaded by Rep. Rick Ryan, honoring the sandwich as a symbol of the state’s culinary heritage and its cultural and economic contributions.
Illinois health officials are investigating a potential hantavirus case in Winnebago County, not tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak. The CDC is conducting confirmatory tests that could take up to 10 days. The case is believed to result from exposure to rodent droppings while cleaning a home; the patient has mild symptoms and is recovering without hospitalization. The overall risk to Illinois residents remains very low, and IDPH will continue monitoring and provide updates as available.
Health officials are investigating a suspected hantavirus case in Illinois, likely contracted by a Winnebago County resident from rodent droppings, with no link to the cruise-ship outbreak. The CDC is conducting confirmatory testing that could take up to 10 days, but state officials say the overall risk to residents remains very low and hantaviruses are not spread person-to-person.
State health officials say a northern Illinois resident in Winnebago County is the first potential hantavirus case of the year. The case is not connected to the MV Hondius cruise-ship outbreak, and the patient, who has mild symptoms, is recovering. IDPH is coordinating with local health departments and the CDC, and confirmatory testing at the CDC could take up to 10 days; North American hantavirus strains are not spread from person to person, and Illinois has had seven positive cases since 1993, most recently in March 2025.
A conservative legal group, PILF, filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of former Illinois Rep. Jeanne Ives to strike down Illinois' Voting Rights Act, arguing it violates the Fifteenth Amendment and Section 2 in the wake of the Supreme Court's Callais ruling; the suit attacks the Act's requirement to draw districts with racial considerations to create crossover or influence districts, seeks to block enforcement of the state VRA, and could test the reach of Callais beyond federal redistricting and threaten state-level protections for minority voters.
A nationwide Canvas outage disrupted classes at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and all University of Illinois campuses after Canvas’ parent company reported a cybersecurity incident that exposed names, email addresses and student IDs (no passwords or financial data); finals and assignments were postponed in Illinois, login access was disabled on several campuses, and universities urged contingency plans as restoration timelines remain unclear.
Illinois lawmakers are hashing HB0910, the Megaprojects Bill to keep the Chicago Bears in the state, but the Senate is unlikely to pass it as-is. After the House approved it, the Bears demanded amendments to make Arlington Heights feasible, and Chicago was officially eliminated as a site. A key sticking point is the PILOT property-tax relief mechanism, with the Senate wanting to keep it while the Bears oppose, arguing it risks higher local taxes unless structuring is favorable. Projections estimate a $10–12 million annual PILOT, with roughly half staying in Arlington Heights for development and local relief, and the rest funneled statewide; critics say the Bears shouldn’t control that money. The decision timeline remains tied to end-of-May adjournment, with Indiana seen as a contender if a deal stalls.
Up to 120,000 Illinois residents could lose SNAP benefits starting May 1 due to new federal work requirements for able-bodied adults 18–64 without dependent children, who must work, volunteer, or participate in approved programs for at least 80 hours per month. If they don’t meet the rule, SNAP benefits can be limited to three months in a three-year period. Thousands of immigrants are affected; exemptions exist for some. IDHS says those who can meet the 80 hours in May should reapply to restore benefits in June, and food pantries expect higher demand as lines grow.
Gas prices in the Chicago area jumped overnight, with Illinois averaging about $4.85 per gallon and Chicago around $5.17, as a weekend power loss at BP’s Whiting refinery and tensions over Iran raise crude supplies and transport costs. Indiana prices rose too, and analysts warn prices may stay elevated through Memorial Day as vendors pass along higher energy costs and related shipping charges.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is pushing for rapid Senate action on a megaprojects bill designed to keep the Chicago Bears from moving to Indiana, signaling movement on a funding/development plan for a stadium in Arlington Heights and highlighting provisions that need Senate approval while preserving House priorities. With a committee vote not yet taken, the governor says a deal is within reach but time is of the essence to outpace competing sites and secure NFL-backed funding.
Party City is reopening as Party City at Staples in more than 700 Staples stores nationwide, with plans to expand to additional locations by the end of 2026. Born from a bankruptcy and new ownership, the partnership aims to offer a one-stop destination for party supplies and printing services, with eight Illinois locations including Chicago-area stores.
The Illinois House passed a sprawling megaprojects bill to authorize in-lieu-of-tax PILOT deals for large developments—potentially enabling a Bears domed stadium in Arlington Heights—with three tiers (25/30/40 years of tax relief), a seven-year sunset, and 50% of PILOT receipts directed to property-tax relief (60% to homeowners, 40% to the relief fund); the Bears want additional amendments, while the Senate and Governor will weigh in amid Indiana’s subsidy competition.
Illinois House approved a property-tax incentive bill to persuade the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium on team-owned land in Arlington Heights, moving the measure to the Senate. The plan would replace traditional property taxes with negotiated payments, as Indiana presses its own pursuit of the team; a decision is expected by early summer, with polls indicating mixed fan support if the Bears leave Illinois.