Eligible older adults and persons with disabilities will see their annual license plate renewal fee reduced by more than half in the new year, the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) announced recently. Under Public Act 102-0807, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2023, drivers who qualify for IDoA’s Benefit Access Program will pay only $10 for…

The Illinois minimum wage is set to increase another dollar on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, making the new required minimum wage $13 an hour. Minimum wage workers are encouraged to keep a close eye on their paychecks in the new year as any time worked in 2023 must reflect the new $13-an-hour minimum wage. There…

Just in time for an unseasonably warm last week of December, a segment of the Madison County Transit (MCT) Nickel Plate Trail from IL-143 to Blackburn Road which has been closed for reconstruction, is now re-open and the much-anticipated trail improvements are now complete. In November 2021, MCT began the $2.6 million project to reconstruct…

From the Dec. 27, 2022 issue of IDOT in Motion – Region 5, District 8 news: In honor of the Illinois service members who remain unaccounted for following the Vietnam War, a new POW/MIA sign was recently installed at the Post Oak Rest Area on northbound Interstate 57 in Marion County. The new sign is…

By KEVIN BESSLER The Center Square A host of new laws go into effect in 2023 that will affect education in Illinois. In the wake of school shootings across the country, there are measures to address trauma. One law mandates school board members to receive training on trauma-informed practices. Practices include “the effects of implicit or…

The Illinois Department of Labor’s (IDOL) On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program is joining with local, state and federal partners, including Downstate Illinois Occupational Safety and Health (DIOSH), to promote a four-part safety series webinar. DIOSH is comprised of private businesses, local governments and, state and federal agencies focused on a range of health and…

The Illinois Department of Transportation is hosting free virtual workshops in January as part of its continuing Building Blocks of Success series for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise firms interested in strengthening their skills, growing their business and bidding on state projects. New and existing DBEs, as well as firms interested in becoming certified in the program…

After months of debate and numerous changes to the final product, the SAFE-T Act in Illinois was set to abolish cash bail beginning on Jan. 1, 2023, but that will likely not take place after Wednesday’s ruling As reported by NBC Chicago on Dec. 28, 2022, a Kankakee County judge has ruled portions of the…

By KELLY SWISHER President, Illinois Pawnbrokers Association By this point, the words were just crushing: “I’m sorry. We just can’t help you.” Rona and Tyson are a newly married couple, with a toddler and another baby on the way. Neither have college degrees. They had each made some bad decisions earlier in life before they…