Home meals, caregiver aid, Medicare help: Advocates say all could vanish without action
AgeSmart, statewide agencies host Day of Action on May 28 to urge federal support MASCOUTAH – A series of events at senior centers in the Southern Illinois area will take place on Wednesday, May 28, as Area Agencies on Aging, including AgeSmart Community Resources, rally in response to potential federal budget cuts that could dismantle key…
Read MoreSummer electric price spike fuels policy tensions in Springfield
Price hike due to lack of energy supply comes alongside rocky transition to renewable power By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois Customers around Illinois will see significantly higher prices on their electric bills next month. The average residential customer of northern Illinois’ Commonwealth Edison will pay about $10.60 per month more this summer, according…
Read MoreState budget talks enter final week amid fears of congressional cuts
Leaders warn lawmakers have little room to expand state programs By BEN SZALINSKI and PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers have one week to pass a new state budget with little room for new spending and Congress presenting further challenges and uncertainty. Revenue projections had already been declining as the spring…
Read MoreMemorial Day weekend launches Edwardsville’s season of symphony, municipal band concerts
Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to summer, will include some musical interludes, courtesy of the Edwardsville Symphony and Edwardsville Municipal Band, and serve as a kickoff to months of free symphony and band concerts in City Park in partnership with Edwardsville’s Parks & Recreation Department. The Edwardsville Symphony’s series of free monthly concerts…
Read MoreGranite City issues response plan for May 16 tornado storm recovery
On Friday, May 16, 2025, Granite City was hit by an EF-3 Tornado impacting a 2- to 3-mile area across the community causing significant neighborhood damage. “City personnel were able to mobilize quickly clearing roads, protecting the public from down powerlines and assessing the damage,” noted Granite City Mayor Mike Parkinson. “We are continuing with…
Read MoreBudzinski bill to enhance VA military sexual trauma claims training clears House
On May 19, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski’s (IL-13) legislation, Improving VA Training for Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Claims Act (H.R. 2201), passed unanimously out of the full House of Representatives. Congresswoman Budzinski led this bipartisan effort with Representatives Young Kim (CA-40), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06). The bill now heads to the United States…
Read MoreResponding to Supreme Court, lawmakers look to expand lawsuit protections for press
Measure heads back to Senate for final legislative approval By BRIDGETTE FOX and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR), Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are seeking to extend lawsuit protections to regular news reports following a recent ruling by the state’s Supreme Court that allowed a defamation suit against the Chicago Sun-Times to…
Read MoreIllinois lawmakers pass bill to raise age of senior driving tests
If signed by governor, seniors won’t have to take an annual driving test until the age of 87 By JADE AUBREY and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR), Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – A bill unanimously passed by the Senate on Thursday, May 22, and on its way to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk will increase…
Read MoreBill establishes commission to increase communication on public health issues
The commission will include Illinois doctors, veterinarians and public officials By JADE AUBREY and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR), Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — A bill creating an interdisciplinary commission to study the interplay between animals, the environment and infectious disease within the Illinois Department of Public Health passed the House unanimously Wednesday, May…
Read MoreNTSB findings on 2023 bus crash near Highland notes driver fatigue, truck parking shortage
By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE IBJ Managing Editor [email protected] On May 20, 2025, the National Transportation Safety Board released its final report on the July 2023 Greyhound bus crash on I-70 near Highland, Ill., which left three passengers dead and more than a dozen injured. The report’s executive summary indicated: “On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, about 1:48 a.m. central daylight time, a 2014…
Read More