The goal of the bill is to make it easier for police to enforce criminal trespassing. State law does not explicitly give police the power to remove a person squatting in another person’s home without an eviction.
Photo: Juan Giraudo/Unsplash
Until new law that takes effect in January, removing squatters from a home meant homeowners would have to go through the eviction process in Cook County court, which can take months. New law makes it easier to kick squatters off an owner's property.by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - A new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday will make it easier for police to remove squatters who are illegally staying at a residence.
Squatters are people who enter and occupy a place for a long period of time with the intention of staying there, rather than a trespasser who enters without intentions to stay.
Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1563, which clarifies that a court-ordered eviction is not required for police to remove squatters from a person’s home. The bill stipulates that police can enforce criminal trespassing charges against a squatter.
“Squatters are a problem, and no one should have to get an eviction notice to remove squatters from their home,” bill sponsor Sen. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, said in a statement. “Law enforcement need to be able to do their job and return homes to their rightful owners.”
The bill passed through the General Assembly nearly unanimously, with only Sen. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, voting against it.
Law enforcement, real estate and property owner organizations supported the bill.
Collins, who represents much of the West Side of Chicago, said the bill came from concerns her constituents expressed and said the goal was to make it easier for police to enforce criminal trespassing. State law does not explicitly give police the power to remove a person squatting in another person’s home without an eviction.
A lawmaker’s encounter
Pritzker signed the bill after Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, had a first-hand encounter with squatters this summer.
ABC7 Chicago reported last week squatters moved in next door to Evans’ Avalon Park home on Chicago’s South Side. The owners of the house had put the home up for sale, but last week found strangers living inside without buying or renting the home.
According to ABC7, Chicago Police told homeowners they couldn’t remove the squatters from the home and the homeowners would have to go through the eviction process in Cook County court, which can take months. Evans told ABC7 he would call Pritzker directly to ask him to sign the bill, which was sponsored in the House by Rep. Jawaharial Williams, D-Chicago.
“My community is full of hardworking, mortgage- and rent-paying citizens who believe in working, not stealing and scheming,” Evans said in a Facebook post Monday. “We don’t support crooks who prey on hardworking people.”
The law takes effect Jan. 1.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Chlebek returns to the 2025 Illinois Senate race with no-tax pledges for youth, retirees, and first-time homeowners.
Casey Chlebek
PARK RIDGE - Casey Chlebek, a Polish-American business owner and public policy supporter, is running for U.S. Senate in Illinois as a Republican in the 8th Congressional District. His campaign focus is on cutting taxes and putting more money in the pockets of working-class families through tax cuts.
Chlebek calls his plan the MAGNA Agenda - short for Make America the Greatest Nation Again. Campaigning for the open seat vacated by Dick Durbin, who announced his retirement earlier this year, he says he wants to take power away from government officials and give it back to families in Illinois. His plan includes ending property taxes for certain groups and reducing or removing several federal taxes.
“If you’ve worked hard, played by the rules, and still feel like you’re falling behind—this campaign is for you,” Chlebek said in a statement. “It’s time for bold solutions that put Illinois families first and bring American greatness back where it belongs: at the kitchen table, not in the halls of bureaucracy.”
A former engineer who immigrated from Poland during the Cold War, Chlebek previously ran for Senate in 2022.
The MAGNA Agenda has seven main ideas to help bring respect, fairness, and chances for all Americans.
Abolish Property Taxes for seniors, veterans, disabled Americans, and first-time homeowners using a mix of federal credits and state incentives.
Eliminate Federal Taxes on Retirement Income, including Social Security and pension benefits.
End Social Security Payroll Taxes, allowing workers to retain more of their earnings.
No Federal Taxes for Americans Under 23, with an extension to age 26 for students and young married couples.
Five-Year Tax Holiday for New Small Businesses, offering automatic extensions to encourage entrepreneurship.
Free Prescription Medications for Seniors, Disabled Citizens, and Veterans** through the elimination of middlemen and redirected spending.
Restoration of Dignity Through Work and Ownership, including a vow by Chlebek to forgo a Senate salary if elected.
The campaign also introduces a foreign policy initiative under the acronym MULA - Make the U.S. Loved Again. Chlebek's global vision, which he calls the PTCS Doctrine (President Trump’s Calling Shots), promotes a strategy of reciprocal relationships and restrained diplomacy. The doctrine includes:
Parity in trade and alliances
Trust in global outreach
Cooperation when in America’s interest
Stability by avoiding unnecessary sanctions and interventions
A former engineer who immigrated from Poland during the Cold War, Chlebek previously ran for Senate in 2022. He returns to the race now with a broader platform and renewed focus on economic relief for everyday Americans.
“This isn’t about left or right, it’s about right and wrong,” Chlebek said. “Illinoisans are being crushed by taxes, ignored by politicians, and forced to settle for broken promises. I’m not here to play games. I’m here to fight for your home, your freedom, and your family’s future.”
More stories ~
Tags: Casey Chlebek U.S. Senate campaign Illinois 2025, MAGNA Agenda tax reform plan for working families, Illinois Republican Senate candidate Polish-American, Free prescription drugs proposal for seniors and veterans, No federal taxes for students and young adults policy
Democrats say such protections are needed as President Donald Trump rolls out higher tariffs on foreign nations as part of an effort to overhaul global trade.
Photo: Tung Lam/Pixabay
Democrats are pushing a bill at the federal level, clarifying that price gouging is an unfair and deceptive practice under the FTC Act. The bill would give the FTC and state attorneys general new tools to enforce a federal ban against merchants who overprice goods to American consumers. Critics say it could make issues worse.
By Brett Rowland.::. Investigative Reporter The Center Square
CHICAGO - Democrats are pushing a bill prohibiting price gouging at the federal level and giving the Federal Trade Commission another $1 billion and new tools to go after companies charging "grossly excessive" prices.
Democrats say such protections are needed as President Donald Trump rolls out higher tariffs on foreign nations as part of an effort to overhaul global trade. A tariff is a tax on imported goods that the importer pays to the federal government. That importer can then absorb the loss, or try to pass the added costs on to consumers through higher prices.
Critics say the measure could actually make shortages of key products worse.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Democrats proposed similar measures to prevent price gouging.
A group of Democrats reintroduced the Price Gouging Prevention Act "to fight back against the corporate greed enabled by the Trump administration's chaotic tariff policies," they said. The bill would give the FTC and state attorneys general new tools to enforce a federal ban against "grossly excessive price increases."
"Donald Trump's reckless tariff policies are giving companies cover to squeeze families and raise prices more than necessary," said U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. "My bill is an opportunity for Congress to stand up for families by cracking down on price gouging and fighting back against corporate abuse."
Ryan Bourne, of the Cato Institute, said the measure was just as bad as it was the first time it was introduced.
"This 'anti-price gouging' bill is a reheated version of Elizabeth Warren's earlier misguided proposal. Back then, Democrats found it politically convenient to blame greedy corporations for an inflation overwhelmingly caused by excessive government spending and loose monetary policy," he told The Center Square. "Now, the same politicians are using the price-inflating effects of Donald Trump's tariffs to revive their anti-corporate legislation."
This legislation would compound those problems by turning pricing decisions into legal liabilities.
Bourne said the measure could exacerbate shortages at critical times, such as after a natural disaster.
"The results of such a federal law would be disastrous. Capping prices below what people are willing to pay for goods would produce shortages and empty shelves during volatile periods," he said. "Firms today face ever-shifting trade barriers, unpredictable demand conditions, and evolving supply chains – all factors that increase price volatility. This legislation would compound those problems by turning pricing decisions into legal liabilities. Firms fearing prosecution would hesitate to raise prices even when those higher prices accurately reflect genuine scarcity or increased risks. The price controls would thus risk making goods' shortages far more severe and prolonged."
Democrats first introduced the measure in 2024, but it failed to advance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Democrats proposed similar measures to prevent price gouging.
The bill would clarify that price gouging is an unfair and deceptive practice under the FTC Act. The measure would allow the FTC and state attorneys general to stop sellers from charging a grossly excessive price, regardless of where the price gouging occurs in a supply chain or distribution network, according to a news release.
"Greedy corporations are using the economic turmoil the Trump Administration has created to gouge the American people on everything from groceries to consumer goods," said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. "While these large corporations rake in record profits, families in my community and across the country are struggling to put food on the table."
The bill would give the FTC an additional $1 billion in funding to do the work. It would establish when price gouging occurs during a significant shift in trade policy. It lists a set of market shocks – including an "abrupt or significant shift in trade policy" – and outlines a standard for a presumptive violation of the price gouging prohibition during such a shock, such as when companies brag about increasing prices, according to Democrats.
Trump administration has worked to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The measure would also create an affirmative defense for small businesses acting in good faith. Sponsors noted that "small and local businesses sometimes must raise prices in response to crisis-driven increases in their costs because they have little negotiating power with their price-gouging suppliers." That affirmative defense protects small businesses earning less than $100 million from frivolous litigation if they show "legitimate cost increases."
The bill would further require public companies to disclose costs and pricing strategies.
"During periods of exceptional market shock, the bill requires public companies to transparently disclose and explain changes in their cost of goods sold, gross margins, and pricing strategies in their quarterly SEC filings," according to the sponsors.
Warren and Schakowsky face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. Republicans have been moving in the opposite direction. The Trump administration has worked to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency created after the 2007-08 financial crisis to establish a single agency responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris promised to introduce a federal anti-price-gouging law during the 2024 presidential campaign.
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Tags: federal price gouging prevention legislation 2025, Elizabeth Warren anti-gouging bill against corporate pricing, Democratic response to Trump tariff price hikes, FTC funding increase to fight excessive pricing, impact of trade policy shifts on consumer goods prices
For the first time, states will have to take on a significant share of funding SNAP. New work requirements for SNAP will have little effect on employment, but will cause more children to go hungry.
Photo: Use at your Ease/Pixabay
Hundreds of thousands of lawfully present immigrants, including children, will lose access to Medicaid
bySarah Anderson and Lindsay Koshgarian OtherWords
The GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which narrowly passed Congress and was recently signed by President Trump, represents the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich since chattel slavery.
Here are just 10 of the worst things about it.
1. It’s going to kill people.
Cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, combined with new administrative hurdles, could result in an estimated 51,000 preventable deaths per year. The new law and other actions by the Trump administration will strip health insurance from 17 million people.
2. It will be an apocalypse for rural hospitals.
The budget restricts the provider taxes that many states use to fund Medicaid. The threat is particularly severe for rural hospitals, which rely heavily on Medicaid revenue. More than 700 rural hospitals are already at risk of closure — and at least 338 are at increased risk due to changes in this budget.
3. It takes food from the mouths of hungry people.
New work requirements for SNAP benefits will take food assistance from millions, including children and veterans. As with Medicaid, new work requirements for SNAP will have little effect on employment, but will cause more children to go hungry.
4. It squeezes states on SNAP.
For the first time, states will have to take on a significant share of funding SNAP. This unprecedented shift will likely lead many states to cut enrollees or even terminate food aid altogether.
5. It bars lawfully present immigrants from aid.
Hundreds of thousands of lawfully present immigrants, including children, will lose access to Medicaid, the Children’ s Health Insurance Program, Medicare, ACA tax credits, and SNAP benefits. And 2.6 million U.S. citizen children who live with only an undocumented adult are expected to lose their Child Tax Credit.
6. It terrorizes immigrant families.
The GOP budget provides $170 billion to arrest, detain, deport, and wall off migrants. That includes $45 billion for new immigration detention centers, including family detention facilities — a vast increase that will primarily benefit private companies contracted to build and run them.
7. It takes from the poor to give to the rich.
The bill’s tax policies will overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest households. A Yale analysis of the bill’s combined tax and spending policies finds that the poorest 20 percent of households will suffer a net income loss of $700 per year on average, while the top 1 percent will get a $30,000 increase.
8. Corporations will take the spoils for themselves.
The budget keeps the corporate tax rate at 21 percent, a drastic reduction from the 35 percent rate from before the first Trump tax cuts in 2018 — despite the fact that ordinary workers have not benefited from this rate reduction.
9. It rewards polluters while raising energy costs.
The budget also includes more than $1 billion in new tax breaks and subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, accelerating climate change while costing taxpayers. It also allows oil and gas companies to avoid paying fees for polluting methane leaks, a major cause of climate change.
Meanwhile, cuts to clean energy subsidies could raise household energy bills by $415 a year over the next decade.
Photo: Dariusz Sankowski/Pixabay
The Big Beautiful Bill gives the Pentagon billions of dollars to spend with private contractors.
10. It funds war and enriches war profiteers.
The bill gives the Pentagon a $150 billion boost, bringing overall Pentagon spending to over $1 trillion — a record high. That includes $25 billion for the “Golden Dome,” a missile defense system that’s economically and physically impossible but would enrich wealthy Pentagon contractors like Elon Musk.
Instead, Congress should harness America’s abundant wealth to create a moral economy that works for all of us. By fairly taxing the wealthy and big corporations, reducing our bloated military budget, and de-militarizing immigration policy, we could free up more than enough public funds to ensure we can all survive and thrive.
We have no excuse for not investing our national resources in ways that reflect our Constitutional values: to establish justice, domestic tranquility, real security, and the general welfare for all.
Sarah Anderson directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. Lindsay Koshgarian directs the IPS National Priorities Project. They produced a longer version of this analysis for Repairers of the Breach. This version was distributed by OtherWords.org.
Filming day-in-the-life content for social media developments skills for video editing, branding, and audience engagement. Using the summer to learn how to use platforms like TikTok not only for fun but as a tool for a business tool.
Already on Tiktok or Instagram? Teens can get real-world skills by blending business and their social media platforms into a unique venture this summer where they can learn valuable business experience as entrepreneurs.
Summer in central Illinois is finally here.
For many teens, they will have a lot of unstructured time on their hands. With fewer summer jobs available, limited funds for sports camps or travel, and long days stretching ahead, many young people are left looking for purpose, income, or just something to do. But instead of drifting through the break, a growing number of students are learning to turn free time into opportunity by becoming their own bosses and discovering that entrepreneurship is more than just a way to earn extra money, it’s one of the most effective ways to learn.
Teen entrepreneurs are applying what they learn in class or teaching themselves new skills to build businesses that reflect their heritage, passions, and problem-solving instincts. They’re not waiting until college or the workforce to think about leadership, innovation, or financial independence. They’re learning all of it in real time, by doing. For Latino, Asian, and African-American teens, launching a business not only builds confidence and technical skill, but also reinforces cultural pride and community connection.
Some of the most popular ventures among these students are culturally-themed e-commerce shops. These online stores, often built using platforms like Shopify or TikTok Shop, serve as hands-on lessons in design, marketing, budgeting, and logistics. Teens are developing everything from Afro-futurist phone cases to DÃa de los Muertos digital templates, applying their creativity to build brands that resonate with both local and global audiences.
These students aren’t just developing products—they’re mastering the principles of entrepreneurship: identifying a niche, understanding customer needs, pricing goods, and using social media to grow an audience. The act of launching and maintaining a store becomes a real-world business lab where theory and practice intersect.
Photo: Olena Bohovyk/PEXELS
With fewer summer jobs available, limited funds for sports camps or travel, and long days stretching ahead, many teens around town are looking for something to do. Learning to run their own business, be their own boss can be rewarding.
Bilingual content creation and tech tutoring is another space where students are turning learning into leadership. By offering tutorials on AI tools, resume building, and coding in Spanish, Mandarin, or African American Vernacular English, teens are actively teaching others while sharpening their own understanding. These ventures promote not only digital literacy but also communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and empathy—all essential traits in a modern business environment.
Six YouTube channels perfect for a high school content creator
1. Small Town Hustles
Make videos for fellow high school students who have side gigs like lawn mowing, flipping thrift store finds, or selling homemade crafts.
2. Country Life Challenges
Make a series of funny videos about the struggles - no Uber Eats, slow internet, or "cows escaped AGAIN" - of life in a small town.
3. Small Town Mystery Stories
Make videos about local urban legends, abandoned places, or interview elders about town history.
4. Small Town Food Reviews
Create a video series rating local restaurant and gas station food and establishments. Include a few neighboring towns, too.
5. AI for Boomers
Teach 40 and 60-year-old people all the tricks you know on how to use AI.
6. Small Town Music & Bands
Interview local musicians, make hype videos, or teach someone how to play an instrument.
Running a YouTube channel or Zoom class requires planning, problem-solving, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. Teens learn to navigate technical platforms, script engaging lessons, and respond to feedback from viewers. These aren’t just hobbies; they’re dynamic, evolving learning environments that prepare students for more complex challenges ahead.
In the food space, entrepreneurship is a blend of tradition, creativity, and real-world economics. Teens who launch cloud kitchens or Instagram-based snack shops—featuring dishes like Filipino turon or Jamaican beef patties—learn the value of budgeting ingredients, tracking orders, setting price points, and managing digital storefronts. These ventures require a deep understanding of time management and customer service, and they offer repeated opportunities to assess what works and what doesn’t.
Filming “day-in-the-life” content for social media adds another layer of skill development. Students gain practice in video editing, branding, and audience engagement, learning how to use platforms like TikTok not just for fun but as a tool for growth and reach.
Financial education is also coming from within. Some teens are taking it upon themselves to become "finfluencers", young content creators who break down money topics for their peers in a way that’s relevant, digestible, and culturally attuned. They explore topics like credit building for first-generation immigrants or affordable side hustles that align with family values. In the process, they’re not only absorbing financial literacy but translating it into relatable lessons for others.
Creating content on platforms like Reels or TikTok teaches these young entrepreneurs how to research, communicate clearly, and build trust. They learn what it means to be responsible with information, how to comply with platform guidelines, and how to manage affiliate partnerships or brand sponsorships. These are transferable, career-ready skills being developed years ahead of traditional job training.
Photo: Ionut Roman/Unsplash
As a content creator teens can build a loyal community of followers and get paid for it. There are no limits, dress codes or an overbearing boss to make a workday miserable.
Even event planning—a complex, often underestimated form of entrepreneurship—is becoming a learning platform for teens. By organizing cultural expos, college prep fairs, or K-pop dance battles, students gain experience in logistics, team coordination, sponsorship outreach, and digital promotion. These experiences teach project management, negotiation, and community engagement, all of which are vital in both business and civic life.
To support these ventures, students are also learning to seek funding and resources through identity-based organizations like the Latino Startup Alliance, Asian Hustle Network, and Black Founders. Applying for grants and mentorships teaches them to craft persuasive proposals, outline business plans, and articulate their mission and value. These experiences provide an early introduction to professional networks and expectations.
The process of starting and sustaining a business introduces students to one of entrepreneurship’s most important lessons: learning through failure. A product that doesn’t sell, a campaign that flops, or a cost that exceeds the budget—these aren’t dead ends; they’re opportunities to regroup and rethink. For young entrepreneurs, mistakes are data points. They’re the foundation of growth.
Tools like BizKids and Greenlight, along with old-fashioned piggy banks or play money ledgers, help students of all ages track revenue, analyze spending, and see where adjustments are needed. By engaging with these tools, students come to understand complex financial concepts through firsthand experience. Success is no longer abstract—it’s measured in saved allowances, sold hoodies, or repeat customers.
Even those who don’t end up pursuing entrepreneurship long-term walk away with a toolkit that applies to nearly every profession. They’ve developed problem-solving instincts, built resilience, practiced communication, and cultivated the confidence to try again after setbacks. These are not just business skills, they’re life skills.
Photo: Tung Lam/Pixabay
Event planning is fun business for teens to learn critical skills they can build on as they get older and establish their careers.
Parents and educators can support this learning journey in many ways. Encouraging students to select electives like marketing, computer science, or psychology gives them foundational knowledge. Helping them connect with part-time jobs at local businesses adds context and responsibility. And pointing them toward national youth programs like Junior Achievement’s Company Program or the Future Bound competition provides platforms where they can test and present their ideas.
Mentorship also plays a critical role. Students benefit from regular contact with adults who model entrepreneurial thinking and provide honest feedback. Even the act of building a vision board—laying out aspirations and breaking them into smaller goals—teaches strategic planning and long-term thinking.
Entrepreneurship isn’t just a business pursuit for today’s students. It’s an immersive, student-driven form of education. It teaches by doing, sharpens through failing, and empowers through creating. It’s a method as much as a mindset—and one more young people are embracing as they prepare for a fast-changing future where adaptability, creativity, and self-direction will matter more than ever.
Is Musk too rich to go broke? Probably, but anyone can fail financially.
by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator
Elon Musk's wealth mainly comes from his ownership stakes in two companies: 1. Tesla – around 37% of his wealth is from Tesla stock, although it was as high as 75% in 2020. 2. SpaceX – valued contracts include a $20 billion deal with the United States federal government. He also earned money from selling PayPal to eBay for $1.5 billion in stock, receiving $175.8 million personally. His net worth is estimated to be around $424.7 billion but this varies from week to week depending on the stock market.
Other business ventures of Musk’s are Neuralink – brain machine interfaces and neurotechnology, The Boring Company - underground tunnels and infrastructure and
SolarCity which is solar energy, but was sold to Tesla in 2016. In 1995 Musk owned Zip2 which was an online content publishing company that was sold to Compaq. He also owns Starlink which is an internet constellation company.
No doubt Musk is a a true visionary, entrepreneur and one of the greatest geniuses of our era.
Musk is still a young man, born June 28, 1971. The world may be yet to see what he will achieve.
However, anyone can spread himself too thin. Obviously, he has a lot of great people working for him, but anyone can overdo their capabilities or overestimate themselves.
In my opinion, it was a terrible idea for Musk to become so heavily involved in government and politics. He makes billions from the government contracts with SpaceX. I think that is definitely a conflict of interest.
However, he is now out of his leadership role in Washington. After his temper tantrum last week and saying all kinds of dumb stuff about President Trump he probably won’t be returning to any leadership roles. He further over elevated himself and his role in Trump’s election.
This reminds us again of this truth: Intelligent geniuses can do and say stupid things. Throwing mud at President Trump on social media has made Musk look like a spoiled brat who has seemingly always gotten his way. Again, we are reminded, no one always gets his or her way in this life.
Is Musk too rich to go broke? Probably, but anyone can fail financially. Musk’s wealth is mostly tied up in stocks, making him “cash poor,” or having low liquidity. But with SpaceX capturing 70% of the global launch market, his financial downfall is unlikely. Unless, he continues to hurl ill-will at President Trump which could potentially cost Musk a lot.
The problem is that if the US cancelled its contracts with SpaceX, it could impact our manned missions to the International Space Station. New space projects like NASA’s Artemis moon program could be impacted. Dozens of NASA science programs would be affected plus the impact on national security as SpaceX provides critical space launch and communication services to the US military. These and other consequences could significantly affect the US space program and national security.
Trump, Musk and all the others on Capitol Hill need to work together for the common good of our nation. Musk has proven his genius and capabilities. However, his temper tantrum and verbiage last week make me wonder a bit as to just what he is really capable of doing in a moment of rage?
About the author ~
Glen Mollett is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states.
The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.
Price hike due to lack of energy supply comes alongside rocky transition to renewable power. “We cannot allow these power-hungry facilities to drive up costs for consumers who are already struggling to pay their bills,” says Gina Ramirez.
Photo: Hans Isaacson/Unsplash
Downstate Ameren Illinois says customers can expect an 18% to 22% increase in their monthly bill, or about $45 per month depending on usage. Long-term underlying issues affecting the rising costs could lead to even higher prices or rolling blackouts.by Andrew Adams
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - 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 to a company statement. Downstate Ameren Illinois says customers can expect an 18% to 22% increase in their monthly bill, or about $45 per month depending on usage. Prices will likely decrease in October once winter electric rates go into effect.
Increasing energy prices are causing alarm among some consumer advocates and state policymakers, who worry that the long-term problems underlying the rising costs could lead to even higher prices or rolling blackouts.
Clara Summers, who advocates for consumer-friendly energy policy on behalf of the nonprofit Citizens Utility Board, said the ComEd price increases were for two reasons: increasing demand from data centers and large manufacturing as well as procedural issues slowing down new renewable projects.
CUB officials said the issues underlying Ameren’s increase were similar, while noting that both were due in part to the way grid regulators structure pricing.
The price hikes are a major undercurrent of escalating tensions over a package of energy reforms making its way through Springfield as lawmakers race toward their scheduled May 31 adjournment.
Extreme weather events are “likely” to cause shortfalls in energy reserves.
“We’re trying to keep prices low while combating climate change,” Jen Walling, head of the Illinois Environmental Council, told Capitol News Illinois. The IEC has been heavily involved in advocating for parts of the bill.
In December, federal officials at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation — the nonprofit oversight agency for grid operators — designated the grid for central and southern Illinois as “high risk” for not having enough electricity to meet demand on hot days in the summer and cold days in the winter over the next five years. The grid that stretches from central Canada to the Mississippi river delta is the only power grid in the nation to have that designation, with much of its risk stemming from power plants closing.
Illinois’ northern grid, which includes parts of 13 states and Washington, D.C. from Illinois to the east coast, faces “elevated” risk. That means extreme weather events are “likely” to cause shortfalls in energy reserves.
The increased demand stems from data centers, increasing adoption of electric heat pumps and the rise of electric vehicles, according to NERC.
David Braun, an executive at the energy technology company Intelligent Generation, said demand on the electric grid is the highest it’s been in the 30 years he’s worked in the energy sector.
“We haven’t seen this in a long time,” Braun told Capitol News Illinois. “So, it’s catching planners by surprise, and it takes a long time to build power plants.”
Shrinking supply
That demand, according to NERC’s December report, is coming at the same time supply is going down — increasing pressure on the grid.
Downstate Illinois’ grid might run out of energy reserves as soon as 2034...
Around the country, fossil fuel plants are closing as states move to limit their greenhouse gas emissions. While Illinois exports energy overall, plant closures elsewhere in the country can affect the price of energy, raising prices for Illinoisans. Grid operators nationwide, meanwhile, face yearslong red tape-induced backlogs on new renewables.
Downstate Illinois’ grid might run out of energy reserves as soon as 2034, per NERC. Northern Illinois’ grid has more reserves but will face decreased levels throughout the next decade. If nothing is done to either reduce demand or increase supply, this means prices could continue to increase or blackouts could become necessary to stabilize the grid.
To address these issues, lawmakers in Springfield are weighing sweeping energy legislation. The bill’s proponents say its provisions to incentivize new developments are the only way to prevent serious problems without walking back the state’s climate goals.
Republican critics contend that the main reason for the legislation is to fix problems with the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. Gov. JB Pritzker’s marquee climate policy, they say, is a major cause of the supply shortfalls because it requires fossil fuel-burning power plants to shut down by 2045.
Others say provisions aimed at reducing data centers’ energy demands on the grid will hurt businesses in the state.
Lawmakers and advocacy groups are currently reviewing draft language for the bill, which has not been made public. Even with complex procedural maneuvering to avoid long-passed deadlines, lawmakers face a tight turnaround to reach an agreement before the legislative session ends.
The process could have become more complicated, some suggest, after the U.S. House passed a wide-ranging bill early Thursday that could drastically alter federal energy incentives if it becomes law.
Higher prices
Bills for customers of private electric utilities — most notably ComEd and Ameren — will go up in June.
The increase was determined at two recent capacity auctions, which are how grid operators set energy prices for years into the future. High prices at these auctions can indicate low supply relative to demand.
Consumer watchdogs at CUB estimate that the policy cut the increase for ComEd customers by about 17%.
PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for northern Illinois, saw a roughly eight-fold jump in its most recent capacity auction compared to the year prior. Downstate’s energy grid, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, saw more than a 20-fold year-over-year price jump at its capacity auction in April.
Representatives of the state’s two largest electric utilities stressed that these increases occurred beyond their purview.
“ComEd does not profit from this increase, was not part of the auction, does not supply capacity, and does not retain any proceeds of the capacity charge payments,” ComEd spokesperson John Schoen said in a statement.
An Ameren spokesperson echoed the sentiment, noting that the state requires utilities to pass this type of cost to customers “dollar-for-dollar, without markup.”
The price is lower for ComEd customers than it could have been due to a provision in CEJA, which credits customers when energy generated by nuclear power plants is above a certain level. Consumer watchdogs at CUB estimate that the policy cut the increase for ComEd customers by about 17%. Customers in the Ameren area, which has much less nuclear power, are not eligible for the credit.
Other energy providers
While millions of Illinoisans get their power from ComEd and Ameren, some get their electricity through other means, including alternate retail suppliers, municipal utilities and electric cooperatives. Many of these energy suppliers are not affected directly by the capacity auctions.
Municipal customers in towns like Naperville, St. Charles and Rantoul are largely insulated from the spike, according to Staci Wilson, the head of government affairs for the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency. The IMEA is a private entity that provides electricity to 32 of the 42 municipal electric systems in the state.
IMEA sometimes participates in capacity auctions. But Wilson said the agency tends to secure energy through other means, such as having ownership stakes directly in power plants.
“IMEA member municipalities have rates that are currently lower than private utilities and our ownership model continues to gain value as we transition to a carbon-free future in an affordable and reliable manner,” Wilson said.
But other municipal utility officials, including those at Springfield’s City Water, Light and Power, are less optimistic about future prices.
“Regulations are forcing plant retirement a little too soon,” CWLP spokesperson Amber Sabin said. “And the grid operators that are here, they have resources that they can't connect to the grid. They're waiting, or they don't get financing or ever developed. They have supply chain issues, workforce issues, right? There's a cost to all of that.”
CWLP didn’t participate in the recent MISO auction, although it could have. The utility shut down several coal-fired generators over the past five years but continues to operate one coal-fired power plant on the southeast side of Springfield. That plant will need to shut down permanently at some point in the next two decades under state law.
“In the future, all the costs are going to go up,” Sabin said. “We do expect that capacity auction prices will affect our customers.”
That echoes what some state officials expect as well. Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, has worked on energy legislation for years and said that there is “nothing we can do” to reduce prices for this summer as capacity auctions have concluded, but he said lawmakers should do what they can to address the root causes of the spike.
“We think this is going to be the new normal,” Cunningham said.
Legislative moves
Negotiations over energy reforms in Springfield have included lawmakers, the governor’s office, and interest groups including environmentalists, organized labor and business associations. The process is sparking heated debate.
Over the past week, a draft of legislation began circulating among lawmakers and advocates, many of whom discussed portions of the bill with Capitol News Illinois.
“I don’t think, by any stretch, you’ll see a bill the size and scope that CEJA was, that we passed four years ago — certainly won’t see that,” Cunningham, who was involved in the negotiations, said.
Potential provisions deal with incentives for renewable power, energy efficiency regulations, nuclear power, data centers and more.
We cannot allow these power-hungry facilities to drive up costs for consumers who are already struggling to pay their bills.
Environmental groups clashed with business and labor this week over a provision meant to lower the energy burden brought by data centers. That proposal would require large energy consumers to build their own energy generation through renewable sources like wind or solar power or pay the state to do so.
The pitch sparked fierce pushback from business and labor groups, which sent a collective letter to Pritzker, urging him to oppose the specific provision. The letter was co-signed by groups including the AFL-CIO, Climate Jobs Illinois, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and Constellation Energy — the last of which operates all the state’s commercial nuclear power plants.
The proposal is being pushed by environmentalists, who say they want more accountability from data centers and other large consumers.
“We cannot allow these power-hungry facilities to drive up costs for consumers who are already struggling to pay their bills,” Gina Ramirez, director of Midwest environmental health at the National Resources Defense Council, said at a Wednesday rally.
Other issues are less controversial, largely because they’ve been negotiated for months.
Cunningham, a prominent player in the passage of CEJA, has his own proposal in the current draft: incentives for the energy storage industry. The current draft of that provision closely parallels recommendations made by the Illinois Commerce Commission. That agency was directed by a bill passed earlier this year to study how to handle energy storage projects.
While legislative Republicans have largely been shut out of negotiations over the bill, some of their ideas are being considered.
Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, put out a pitch to ease the pressure on electric demand earlier this year by expanding nuclear energy. She was the architect of a bill two years ago that eased the state’s moratorium on new nuclear power plants, lifting it for next-generation, small generators.
This year, Rezin introduced a bill that would eliminate the remaining state restrictions on new nuclear power plants. Language similar to Rezin’s was included in draft legislation circulated this week.
Rezin, who leads several energy-related groups of lawmakers as part of her involvement at the National Conference of State Legislatures, said all states are facing similar issues around electricity.
“All energy buildout will take years because of the regulatory process,” Rezin said. “That's why it's important now. The state of Illinois needs to send positive messages to companies that are looking to invest in technology — whether it's nuclear or any other kind of energy producing plant — that we are open for business.”
The feds’ ‘big, beautiful bill’
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday morning passed a bill containing many domestic policy priorities of President Donald Trump that many fear could upend state energy policy.
The bill contains provisions rolling back several clean energy tax incentives. Several key solar company stock prices fell sharply Thursday morning in response, including NextEra Energy, FirstSolar and Enphase Energy among others.
Photo: American Public Power Association/Upsplash
The solar industry has been a key part of Illinois’ renewable energy plans and efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Lesley McCain, the head of the Illinois Solar Energy & Storage Association, said that the bill could “cause solar energy companies of all sizes to cancel projects, and many will be forced to shut their doors.”
Environmentalists were quick to criticize the federal bill, which still requires negotiation and an eventual vote in the U.S. Senate before it can become law.
“It strips funding for climate programs, guts clean energy manufacturing, kills good union jobs, drives energy prices up, and abandons farmers and small business owners,” Walling said in a statement.
Illinois Republicans, meanwhile, expressed optimism that some of the bill’s provisions could help the fossil fuel sector in the state.
“If the federal government is going to help us to, you know, power up coal, power up gas — we want all energy,” Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said at a news conference. “We want solar, we want wind, we want nuke, we want coal. We want all of it.”
Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, noted that the federal bill should not “be used as an excuse to rush forward” on the energy legislation under consideration in Springfield.
Illinois residents have the highest combined state and local tax burden in the nation, accounting for nearly 17% of their paychecks, and the second-highest property taxes in the country, according to the financial website WalletHub.
by Judith Ruiz-Branch Illinois News Connection
CHICAGO - High taxes and a weak economy are the top concerns of Illinois residents according to a new poll, with nearly half of those surveyed saying they would leave the state if given the opportunity.
The poll, conducted for the Illinois Policy Institute, showed more than half of those surveyed rank the state's high taxes as their number one concern, with the overall economy coming in second. Half of voters surveyed said they would move out of the state, regardless of whether they can afford it.
Dylan Sharkey, assistant editor for the Illinois Policy Institute, said the group started conducting surveys to shed light on tax issues.
"It's impossible for lawmakers to deny that these are the issues that people care about," Sharkey contended. "Because when you have a survey or a statewide poll, it's hard to deny those voices."
Illinois residents have the highest combined state and local tax burden in the nation, accounting for nearly 17% of their paychecks, and the second-highest property taxes in the country, according to the financial website WalletHub.
The bottom line should be that taxes should not be a first resort. The first resort should be to do more with money they already have.
Since 2020, it is estimated Illinois has lost close to 500,000 residents. Sharkey argued the poll helps to dispel the myth people are leaving the state due to the weather. He added states of similar size and climate, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, are also losing residents but at a much slower rate.
"This might seem obvious to some people, but of course, high taxes are number one," Sharkey emphasized. "Part of the reason we do this polling is because there are lawmakers and groups out there who look at our state and think, 'Well, we just need more money to fix the problem.' And the reality is, if you take more money from people, they're just going to find a new home."
Sharkey added he hopes the poll will serve as guidance for Illinois lawmakers as they consider new legislation which could add to the tax burden residents already carry.
"Even if lawmakers aren't in consensus over new taxes, their constituents are," Sharkey asserted. "The bottom line should be that taxes should not be a first resort. The first resort should be to do more with money they already have."
Most Americans still tell pollsters immigration is good for their communities and reject cruel deportations, especially those that separate families, target people without criminal records, or penalize people who came here as young children.
byMeredith Lehman OtherWords
I recall seeing a sign in a yard in my small hometown of around 12,000 residents. “No matter where you are from,” it said, “we’re glad you are our neighbor.”
It was positioned defiantly, facing a Trump sign that had been plunged into the neighbor’s yard across the street. It poignantly illustrated the tensions in my rural Ohio town, which — like many similar communities — has experienced a rapid influx of immigrants over the last 20 years.
The sign’s sentiment was simple yet profound. I found myself wondering then, as I wonder now, when compassion had become so complicated. It seems everyone has become preoccupied arguing over the minutiae of immigration that they’ve missed the most glaring and essential point: We are neighbors.
Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, a truth so widely acknowledged that it bridges the ever-growing partisan divide.
While writing this piece, I gathered studies and prepared a detailed analysis of the ways immigrants have transformed and revitalized the economies of the Rust Belt. I was going to explain how immigrants have helped fill vacant housing and industry in this region’s shrinking cities to reverse the toll of population decline.
I gathered statistics showing the economic growth and revitalization that’s happened as immigrants have brought flourishing small businesses to their new communities. Like: Despite making up only around 14 percent of the U.S. population, immigrants own 18 percent of small businesses with employees — and nearly a quarter of small businesses without employees. (And immigrants in Rust Belt cities are even more likely to be entrepreneurs.)
Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, a truth so widely acknowledged that it bridges the ever-growing partisan divide. Both Vice President JD Vance and former Vice President Kamala Harris have promoted the critical role of small businesses in economic flourishing.
I was going to tell a story about Joe, a vendor at my local flea market. He and other vendors were heavily averse to migrants purchasing the dilapidated building from the previous owner. Now they laud the building’s new management and improved conditions.
I was going to describe the experiences of my recently immigrated high school peers, who sometimes fell asleep in class from sheer exhaustion after working night shifts at meatpacking plants and attending school for seven hours the next day.
I was going to explain why communities not only benefit from immigrants, but need them.
As immigration is expected to become the sole driver of U.S. population growth by 2040, restrictive immigration policies threaten to undermine this vital program, as a cornerstone of the American social safety net.
Without immigrants, I learned, U.S. communities would lose the nearly $1 trillion of state, local, and federal taxes that immigrants contribute annually. This number is almost $300 billion more than immigrants receive in government benefits.
Without immigration, the U.S. working-age population is projected to decline by approximately 6 million over the next two decades — a shift that would carry significant consequences, especially for the Social Security system. Sustained population growth is critical to preserving a balanced ratio of workers contributing to Social Security for every beneficiary receiving support.
As immigration is expected to become the sole driver of U.S. population growth by 2040, restrictive immigration policies threaten to undermine this vital program, as a cornerstone of the American social safety net. With broad public support for strengthening Social Security, embracing immigration is not just beneficial — it is essential to ensuring the program’s long-term stability and success.
I was prepared to comb through every dissent in an effort to prove why our neighbors are deserving of empathy and compassion. But none of these answers address the larger, more urgent question: When did being neighbors cease to be enough?
Most Americans still tell pollsters immigration is good for their communities and reject cruel deportations, especially those that separate families, target people without criminal records, or penalize people who came here as young children.
My rural Ohio town, and countless communities like it, are slowly learning the most important lesson about this supposedly complicated issue: Compassion doesn’t need to be complicated.
Meredith Lehman is a research associate at the Institute for Policy Studies. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org
The Illinois Health and Hospital Association, the Association of Safety Net Community Hospitals and the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network issued a statement saying they strongly oppose HB 3512.
by Grace Friedman Medill Illinois News Bureau, Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD — Health care unions continue to rally for legislation to address understaffing they say strains hospitals and threatens both patient safety and staff well-being.
Lawmakers are considering the Hospital Worker Staff and Safety bill, which would establish mandatory nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and increase support for underfunded hospitals.
The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 21 and House Bill 3512, aims to establish minimum staffing ratios in hospitals and fund critical safety-net hospitals across the state. Advocates with health care worker unions have been holding a series of rallies at the Capitol in support of the legislation in recent weeks.
“Our hospitals are staffed unsafely,” Kawana Gant, a certified nursing assistant at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, said at a recent Statehouse rally. “I have worked short shifts where there are 30 patients and only one CNA on the floor. How can you give quality care? It is not safe.”
Gant, who has worked at Ingalls Hospital for nearly 30 years, says she has watched many of her colleagues quit due to the mental and physical toll the short staffing has had on their bodies.
“This is an opportunity for legislators to hear us, to know that these hospitals are not safe.” Gant said.
But similar versions of the proposed legislation have been introduced at the Statehouse for recent years and have failed to gain traction. Generally backed by unions representing nurses, such as the Service Employees International Union, previous staffing ratio measures have run into opposition from hospital groups that say they’re unworkable.
The proposed legislation filed this year has yet to receive a hearing in a substantive committee, meaning it will be an uphill battle for it to move by the time the legislature adjourns at the end of the month.
Like previous versions, it would mandate that hospitals “employ and schedule sufficient staff to ensure quality patient care and safety.” In addition, hospitals would have to share annual staffing metrics with the Illinois Department of Public Health to help ensure they are at proper staffing levels.
“This bill gives you a real voice,” Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, said to rallygoers. “It gives you a way to speak up when things are unsafe for you and the people who you care for.”
However, not all lawmakers are convinced that now is the right time to implement staffing ratios.
“You can mandate the staffing ratios, but if those professionals don’t exist, what have you really done?” said Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb. “We’ve been trying for years to get more people into the health care field, especially after COVID, and we’re just not there yet.”
Hammond expressed concern that enforcing strict staffing requirements without enough qualified workers in the pipeline could place unrealistic burdens on hospitals. She warned that such mandates might unintentionally strain facilities already struggling with labor shortages and lead to adverse financial consequences, especially for smaller or rural hospitals.
Hospital trade groups echo those concerns, calling the legislation unworkable, burdensome and an ineffective way to solve a problem that should be addressed by the specific needs of each hospital or care center. The Illinois Health and Hospital Association, the Association of Safety Net Community Hospitals and the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network issued a statement saying they strongly oppose HB 3512.
They said it was introduced “as a backdoor effort pushed by organized labor to impose unworkable, government-imposed health care staffing ratios in Illinois.”
“This proposal would relegate the essential, complex and nuanced protocols established to safely and efficiently staff a hospital 24/7/365, to a series of burdensome forms and onerous paperwork that hospitals would be required to submit to the (IDPH) to establish minimum staffing standards for every hospital worker, in each hospital unit,” the groups said in the statement.
Still, according to a recent Service Employees International Union survey of Chicago area hospital workers, 70% of respondents reported understaffing, and over 25% reported unsafe or unmanageable workloads. Additionally, in the same survey, 47% of the respondents stated an intent to leave their jobs soon.
To help enforce safety standards, the legislation introduces “assignment despite objection forms” that give hospital workers the opportunity to document and report any assignments that they believe are unsafe. Hospitals are then required to provide this information to IDPH, which would have to publish an annual report on all these staffing metrics. The legislation would also require IDPH to “make recommendations for minimum staffing standards for hospital workers in each hospital unit.”
In addition to protecting staff, advocates said this bill would allocate proper essential resources to underfunded hospitals around the state, including Mount Sinai Hospital on Chicago's West Side, a Level 1 trauma center that helps underserved and violence-impacted communities.
“Mount Sinai saved my son's life,” said Sonya Brown, who traveled from Chicago to Springfield recently to advocate for the safety-net hospital that treated her son after he was shot seven times in 2020.
“He was shot in the head, he was shot in the neck, he was shot in the chest, the abdomen and shoulder, and the arm,” Brown said. “If they wouldn't have gotten to him in time, he would have died.”
Mount Sinai serves as a health care provider for communities on both the South and West sides of Chicago, areas that experience some of Chicago's highest rates of gun violence. If the hospitals are not protected by measures in this legislation, advocates said, the victims in these neighborhoods risk longer travel times to alternative trauma centers.
They said the bills would help allocate essential resources and enforce staffing standards at safety-net hospitals to continue effectively serving vulnerable communities.
“All of our staff is overworked,” said Jessica Mendoza, a nursing assistant at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines. “A lot of our veterans are coming into the VA to get help with their health, but we do not have the staff to provide it.”
Mendoza, who has worked at the Hines VA Hospital for nearly two years, said that due to the low number of staff, they rarely get a break. She noted that the lack of sufficient staffing makes it difficult to provide the level of care that the veterans need.
The health care workers and advocates gathering in Springfield at the recent rally emphasized that without sufficient staffing and resources, the quality of patient care throughout Illinois hospitals will continue declining, and worker burnout will escalate.
“They expect you to do the job of five or six people but pay you for one.” Sen. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, said at the rally. Prior to joining the General Assembly, Collins was a CNA in nursing homes.
As the legislation stagnates at the Capitol, hospital workers and advocates said they plan to keep organizing and sharing their stories. They said they're calling on lawmakers to prioritize frontline health care workers and the patients who depend on them.
Grace Friedman is a student in the Medill Illinois News Bureau, a program at the Medill School of Journalism that provides local news outlets with state legislature and government coverage. She can be reached at gracefriedman2025@u.northwestern.edu.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Unity's Damian Knoll is tagged out on a play at second base by a Hoopeston Area player during the Rockets' first game of the season. Later, the junior smacked a 3-RBI triple in the bottom of the 5th innning to make the score 11-1 and secured his team's first victory of the season.
Delicious veggies and more, FFA plant sale starts on Monday
Looking flowers or vegetables for your garden this spring?
Tomorrow at 9am the next round of the St. Joseph-Ogden FFA Chapter will be open for business. Orders for available plants must be done online after it goes live tomorrow at https://my.cheddarup.com/c/st-joseph-ogden-ffa-chapter-greenhouse. Buyers can set a pick-up time to collect their purchase.
You don’t have to stay in the nursing home if you don’t want to. If you can manage to get out and have a place to go then it’s your life. Even if you want to spend your remaining days crawling in the floor to the kitchen or the bathroom then it’s your God given right to live out your days in such a way.
Over the past 13 months unemployment rates nearly doubled their pre-pandemic levels reported in February 2020, the prospect of starting a new career after age 50 may seem unrealistic. However, industry experts say that it’s actually a great time for those in this age bracket to consider making the leap.
More Americans suffered extended power outages in 2020 than any year since Superstorm Sandy struck the New York area in 2012, according to Generac, owners of Power Outage Central, a real-time outage tracking service that monitors outages throughout the United States.
Back in November of last year, power was out for about three hours in the south part of Champaign and another area covering Campustown.
Baker sets hurdles PR, SJO girls snag 9 first at home meet
The St. Joseph-Ogden girls track team took first place in nine events in a home dual meet against Eureka last Thursday.
Haleigh Maddock turned in a 31.10 in the 200m Dash. She was followed over the finish line by teammates Yamilka Casanova (32.32) and Jayci Hayes (32.48) to secure the top three spots on the podium.
Joining the tech workforce is easier than you might think
More than 12 million people are currently employed in tech-related occupations in the U.S., either as information technology (IT) professionals or employees of technology companies. Yet employer demand for tech workers is still strong in many markets and industries, including technology, financial services, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, government and education.
Tech jobs in Champaign County are plentiful at the moment. Technology Services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is currently accepting applications for three positions on their Managed IT Services teams. Four days ago, Revature was seeking software developers and Niemann Foods advertised an opening for a Network Administrator with a starting pay at $40K annually.
Fatal heart attack risks may be higher during days with extreme heat & air pollution
The combination of soaring heat and smothering fine particulate pollution may double the risk of heart attack death, according to a new study of more than 202,000 heart attack deaths in China. The study published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.
St. Joseph-Ogden's James Barron celebrates a turnover for the Spartans during their season opener at Monticello in 2024. SJO will be without the senior's grit and determination that helped them to a perfect 9-0 conference record.
by Ben Szalinski
Unity's Damian Knoll is tagged out on a play at second base by a Hoopeston Area player during the Rockets' first game of the season. Later, the junior smacked a 3-RBI triple in the bottom of the 5th innning to make the score 11-1 and secured his team's first victory of the season.
