Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced plans Wednesday to overhaul the state’s troubled child welfare system. That comes after a report criticized the Department of Children and Family Services’ reluctance to remove children from their homes.
A small but growing number of U.S. women are choosing to give birth at home. However home birth midwives are not regulated by the state of Illinois. Many mothers still choose to stay home, despite the risks involved in not having a proper vetting system.
Illinois lawmakers are at odds over how to punish damage to important infrastructure. Some fear it would mean harsher sentences for charges that already exist.
An Illinois toddler died nine years ago after suffering third degree burns from bathwater. The Illinois House last week approved legislation to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law today intended to protect collective bargaining rights for labor unions.
It would ban local governments from creating “right-to-work zones” — where employees at a unionized company no longer have to pay fees if they choose not to join.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul say they’ll use the power of their office to expand trauma services — but they’re asking for help from the General Assembly.
They made the announcement surrounded by survivors of crime at the Illinois Capitol Thursday.
Presidencia de la República Mexicana - Flickr / CC-by 2.0
Illinois lawmakers are being asked to decide whether nurses are dangerously overworked — and what to do about it.
Nurses want limits on how many patients they’re assigned. They argue it would improve patient outcomes and workplace safety. But opponents counter a “one size fits all” approach will not work.
Springfield’s infrastructure needs dominated an aldermanic forum Thursday night.
Candidates from the city’s westernmost neighborhoods — wards 7, 8 and 10 — were asked about what development projects they would prioritize and how they would spend capital dollars.
Rianne Hawkins for City Clerk (left), Springfield City Clerk's Office (right)
Springfield voters will again decide between Rianne Hawkins and incumbent Frank Lesko for city clerk when they head to the polls April 2.
The city clerk performs a range of duties and legal requirements for city council, including recording meeting minutes, filing municipal records, and drafting agendas.
Lesko narrowly beat Hawkins by a 51-49 margin in 2015.
NPR Illinois talked with Hawkins about her plans to win back the office.
Lesko did not respond to several phone requests for an interview.
Stateville Calling is a documentary about parole reform and its effect on aging prisoners.
The film follows 84-year-old activist Bill Ryan as he works to pass legislation reinstating parole in Illinois, which the state hasn’t had since 1978.
Screenings are taking place around the state. Reporter Dana Vollmer talked with Director Ben Kolak and Producer Yana Kunichoff ahead of a March 26 screening in Springfield.
Illinois’s new $15 minimum wage law doesn’t guarantee better pay for workers with disabilities. An exemption in federal labor law still allows some employers to pay them less.
Walgreens customers want the company to pay up for charging an extra tax on some water bottles. The Illinois Supreme Court is considering whether the charges were fraudulent.
