State News
‘2026 Preservation Forward:’ Landmarks Illinois hosts annual fundraiser on March 12
Landmarks Illinois will host its annual fundraiser, Preservation Forward, at The Old Post Office in Chicago on March 12, 2026. The event is Landmarks Illinois’ largest celebration of the year, raising critical funding for the organization’s free advocacy services and grant programs that annually help hundreds of people across the state save places special to…
Read MoreNew H-2A wage rule ‘step in the right direction’
By TAMMIE SLOUP FarmWeek In the mid-2000s, Flamm Orchards in southern Illinois was forced to decide: Move to the H-2A temporary visa program or scale the operation way down? “We didn’t have the workforce needed to do what we do,” co-owner Austin Flamm told FarmWeek. The H-2A program allows farmers to bring nonimmigrant foreign…
Read MoreNew dietary guidelines issued
By TAMMIE SLOUP FarmWeek U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on Jan. 7 released the dietary guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, marking the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades, according to a news release from the secretaries. The topline message: Eat real…
Read MoreTrump Administration cuts funding for Illinois behavioral health, suicide prevention programs
This week, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) received notice from the Trump Administration that funding for five critical behavioral health and suicide prevention programs, totaling over $5.94 million and affecting hundreds of people and providers, has been cut.…
Read MoreRecent Resume.org survey results anticipate ‘great turnover’ in 2026
9 in 10 companies plan to hire in 2026, yet 6 in 10 will have layoffs Resume.org, a leading platform for building a resume, has released new findings from a December 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers about workforce plans for 2026. The results show that hiring remains strong heading into the new year,…
Read MoreState Senator Belt launches Valentine’s Day card drive for seniors
State Senator Christopher Belt’s office is collecting store-bought or handmade cards for residents in long-term care facilities for Valentine’s Day. “Join me in showing our support for our senior community by letting them know we are thinking about them on Valentine’s Day,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “We have done this for several years now, and it’s…
Read MoreBudzinski priorities to strengthen postal service pass House of Representatives
The bipartisan measures would address rural delivery delays and harmful closures of post offices and processing facilities Yesterday, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) announced that three of her priorities to strengthen the United States Postal Service (USPS) passed the House of Representatives as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) report.…
Read MoreAG Raoul sues HHS for funding on policy that discriminates against transgender individuals
Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 11 other attorneys general on Jan. 13, 2026, in suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for unlawfully conditioning hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding on states’ agreement to discriminate against transgender people. Under a new HHS policy, recipients of federal health, education, and research…
Read MoreU.S. Supreme Court rules Bost election integrity case can proceed
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL-12) is applauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision on Jan. 14, 2026, granting him standing in his lawsuit challenging an Illinois law that allows vote-by-mail ballots received up to 14 days after Election Day to be counted. Vote-by-mail ballots without postmarks can also currently be tabulated up to 14 days…
Read MoreBudzinski advocates for continued Granite City Steel investments at congressional hearing
The hearing hosted by the Congressional Steel Caucus included testimony from U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers Yesterday, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) participated in a hearing hosted by the Congressional Steel Caucus to advocate for long-term investment in Granite City Works. Budzinski, who has worked alongside the United Steelworkers to protect steel jobs in Illinois’…
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