Author: Kevin Bessler | The Center Square, Washington Examiner

(The Center Square) – The Chicago Bears will have to wait on public assistance for a new stadium project. The Illinois legislature, which ended spring session early Wednesday, won’t act on anything regarding a new Bears stadium until this fall at the earliest, if at all. The Bears unveiled the project in April with a $4.7…

(The Center Square) – An Illinois district attorney says the state’s no cash bail law is allowing for some criminals to remain free pending a court appearance. The Illinois Supreme Court declared the legislation ending cash bail constitutional. Beginning on Sept. 18, 2023, Illinois courts no longer used a cash bail system. Instead, they use a…

(The Center Square) – The exodus from Illinois continues. A new report by the Illinois Policy Institute shows Illinois suffered population loss among all eight Illinois-based metro areas and 87 of Illinois’ 102 counties from July 2022 to July 2023. Using the latest data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, IPI found that Chicago’s population loss accounted for…

To curb the theft of opioids, CVS Health will be installing time-delayed safes at its Illinois locations. Pharmacy robberies are not only a problem in Chicago, but in downstate communities like Decatur, Nashville and Columbia. The Illinois Attorney’s General Office reported they are seeing gangs target pharmacies to steal opiates and sell them on the…

A study shows most states are not ready to make the transition to a national 988 call system for behavioral health emergencies. The new three-digit number was authorized by federal law in 2020, one year after a Federal Communications Commission report suggested it as an easy-to-remember shortcut to the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention hotline. All…

The vaccine rollout for 5 to 11 year olds is nearing and some are wondering if a school vaccination mandate in Illinois will follow. In California, COVID-19 vaccines will be added to the state’s list of immunizations required for school attendance. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Tuesday that Illinois could…

A gambling analyst said Illinois is on a fast track to leading the nation in gambling revenue with the passing of new measures by lawmakers. A bill headed to the governor’s desk would set a March 5 deadline for the Illinois Gaming Board to allow sports betters to register online. Under the existing law, the…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has declared gun violence in Illinois a public health crisis with an executive order. Officials on Monday unveiled a $250 million investment to implement a public safety plan over the next 3 years, and curtail gun violence around the state. According to data from the 2020 Uniform Crime Report, the crime rate…

A bill that would have restored voting rights to convicted offenders serving time in prisons and county jails in Illinois failed to make any headway during the fall veto session. Democratic state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, said his amendment to the bill would make Illinois the third state in the nation to allow incarcerated convicted…

The Illinois Senate passed a measure to repeal the Parental Notification Act, but debate over the abortion notification measure is expected to continue in the House. On Tuesday night, the Illinois Senate approved the Youth Health and Safety Act by the vote of 32-22, which will repeal the Parental Notification of Abortion Law. The quarter-century-old…