Lawmakers Debate Lowering Mandatory School Age From 7 To 6
The Illinois Senate has passed a measure that would require parents to send their kids to school before their 7th birthday, in a vote that broke down along party lines.
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The Illinois Senate has passed a measure that would require parents to send their kids to school before their 7th birthday, in a vote that broke down along party lines.
By a vote of 12-3, the Senate Executive Committee banned the future sale and distribution of so-called high capacity ammunition clips – magazines that hold more than 10 bullets.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn must decide if he will sign a measure allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes after the state Senate approved legislation on Friday.
About 200 ministers and others gathered in the south suburbs on Tuesday, day calling on the Illinois House to say "no" to legislation to legalize same-sex marriages.
The state's top transportation official would like to slow momentum for a move to increase the top speed limit in Illinois.
The Illinois Senate voted Thursday to send a union-supported pension reform bill to the House, leaving lawmakers with two competing proposals for dealing with the nation's worst state pension problem just weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn.
The Illinois Senate voted Thursday to send a union-supported pension reform bill to the House, leaving lawmakers with two competing proposals for dealing with the nation's worst state pension crisis just weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn.
Leading Illinois law enforcement organizations stepped up their opposition Wednesday to legalizing marijuana for medicinal use, warning Gov. Pat Quinn in a letter about lax motorist safeguards on a day a committee moved the measure to the Senate floor.
If the state protects consumers who unknowingly buy "lemon" cars, why shouldn't the same safeguards exist when putting down big money on Fido, Murph or Fluffy at a pet store? State lawmakers took a serious look at that question Wednesday.
A refined plan to add more casinos and slot machines in Illinois -- clarified to quell concerns over who would control a Chicago casino -- was approved by the Illinois Senate on Wednesday, a proposal supporters believe is their best chance yet to expand gambling in the state.
Illinois Senate legislation touted as a compromise between Chicagoans weary of street violence and gun owners eager to legally carry concealed weapons elsewhere appears more restrictive than promised, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press. It will be redrafted before it's even filed, a spokeswoman said Monday.
Sen. President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, plans to strip language that would legalize Internet gambling from the bill, after it had become clear that the governor and some legislators who supported previous gambling bills had concerns that could derail passage of the larger package.
Anyone convicted of using social media to plan or incite a mob attack could face tougher punishment under legislation approved by the Illinois Senate.
A group of about 50 teachers, parents and students from the Chicago Public Schools boarded a bus to Springfield Tuesday morning, to make their voices heard about school closings.
An Illinois state senator wants to allow the city of Chicago to boot and sell cars belonging to people who owe the city money on a court judgment.
The Illinois Senate has voted to approve legislation legalizing same-sex marriages in Illinois.
An Illinois Senate committee has approved legalizing gay marriage for the second time in a month.
Bills on same-sex marriage and an assault weapons ban didn't come up for a Senate vote on Thursday.
An Illinois Senate vote to ban semi-automatic assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips has been delayed, because supporters have yet to line up enough votes to pass the two measures.
After two days of snags in moving the issue, Sen. Heather Steans finally won committee approval by an 8-5 vote Thursday evening, sending the measure next to the floor.
An Illinois Senate committee, in a party-line vote, has approved restrictions on semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips.
A push to legalize same-sex marriages in Illinois hit a slight snag on Wednesday, but supporters sounded confident the measure would move forward on Thursday.
It's a hot button issue: should undocumented immigrants be allowed to get driver's licenses? Even leaders in Chicago's Latino community are divided on a measure that would grant undocumented immigrants temporary licenses.
A plan that would allow illegal immigrants in Illinois to get driver's licenses cleared another hurdle Tuesday, with the state Senate approving the measure hours after Republican leaders in the General Assembly offered their support and said they've been working with Democrats on the issue for years.
The Senate Executive Committee voted 12-2 to advance the plan.
In the wake of the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, many Muslim Chicagoans say they're not surprised and that conditions in the world right now are right for attacks like this to happen again.
Rickea Jackson's promising first season with the Chicago Sky is over after it barely began after suffering a torn ACL in Sunday's win against the Minnesota Lynx.
The Internal Revenue Service is permanently barred from pursuing claims against President Trump or his company based on prior tax returns, part of a controversial settlement deal between the Justice Department and Mr. Trump.
A Rockford man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after admitting to defrauding the federal government out of more than $85,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, and to engaging in tax fraud.
A potentially historic El Niño pattern is brewing 3,000 miles away from Chicago, with an increasing likelihood of bringing us a stormy summer and a much warmer winter.
The Internal Revenue Service is permanently barred from pursuing claims against President Trump or his company based on prior tax returns, part of a controversial settlement deal between the Justice Department and Mr. Trump.
Survivors say they'd asked for more medical support before the Iranian drone strike that killed six U.S. soldiers at their command post in Kuwait in the war's first 24 hours.
An attorney for Chicago Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) on Monday called an ethics investigation into the alderman's conduct a malicious "travesty."
In a move aimed at curbing the growing problem of "teen takeovers," D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is threatening to bring charges against parents if their teens violate the local curfew.
State Rep. Josh Turek and State Sen. Zach Wahls squared off Thursday over which candidate can flip Iowa's open Republican-held Senate seat, as millions in outside spending reshapes the primary's final stretch.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
A person suspected of having hantavirus in Winnebago County, Illinois, turned out to be a false alarm, officials said Monday.
The DuPage County Health Department has confirmed its first positive tests for West Nile virus in pools of mosquitoes this year.
The Kane County Health Department was set Monday to offer a free mental health awareness webinar.
At least 80 deaths have been reported in a new Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and Uganda, authorities said.
Engineers at Northwestern University have created a wireless polygraph to detect stress.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Flight attendants at Chicago-based United Airlines have approved a new labor contract, marking their first pay increases in six years.
The Chicago Fire FC announced Wednesday morning that its new stadium in the South Loop will be named McDonald's Park.
The Chicago-born house music track, which began as a personal poem in 1982 and became a defining anthem of the city's house music scene, has been selected for permanent preservation by the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress revealed this year's list of 25 recordings to be preserved for future generations on the National Recording Registry.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
The documents released Tuesday revealed that UPS switched planes hours before takeoff, after a preflight inspection found a fuel leak in the first plane loaded for the trip to Hawaii. The cargo was then moved onto a second plane, and the flight crew shared good-natured banter with the maintenance team during its inspection about “meeting again” so soon.
The Cook County Sheriff's Office recovered $1.5 million worth of laptops when they found a trailer that had been stolen last week.
In the wake of the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, many Muslim Chicagoans say they're not surprised and that conditions in the world right now are right for attacks like this to happen again.
A lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Live Nation and the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in the southwest Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, claiming a lack of security at a concert led to the sexual assault of a minor.
A 17-year-old boy died after being pulled out of Lake Michigan on Monday evening in north suburban Waukegan.
A teenage boy has died after being pulled from Lake Michigan offshore from Waukegan, Illinois, on Monday.
In the wake of the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, many Muslim Chicagoans say they're not surprised and that conditions in the world right now are right for attacks like this to happen again.
The Internal Revenue Service is permanently barred from pursuing claims against President Trump or his company based on prior tax returns, part of a controversial settlement deal between the Justice Department and Mr. Trump.
A man is being held in custody on charges that he tricked two young women into believing he was an art student working on a photography project in Chicago's Northalsted district, and went on to sexually abuse one of them.
While his mother was released after a hearing Tuesday, a young soccer star who attends Stephen Tyng Mather High School remains in ICE custody.
Pothole complaints continue everywhere, but especially on one street in the Pullman neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
People in Lincoln Park and Lakeview have rallied against a plan to build a new industrial ComEd electrical substation in their neighborhoods, pushing local and state leaders to get involved.
Monday marks one year since Illinois enacted Karina's Law — legislation aimed at taking firearms out of the hands of people accused of domestic abuse.
Tenants at a South Shore apartment building said they've noticed their rent fluctuating by hundreds of dollars a month due to a change in how their utility billing system is set up.
A man from the Chicago suburbs lost $69,000 of his savings to a scam by a thief using an AI-generated U.S. Marshals badge to intimidate him.
Rickea Jackson's promising first season with the Chicago Sky is over after it barely began after suffering a torn ACL in Sunday's win against the Minnesota Lynx.
The battle over the Chicago Bears' next home is taking center stage on Tuesday.
Touted prospect Colt Emerson launched a three-run homer for his first major league hit, and the Seattle Mariners stopped a three-game slide with a 6-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Jake Bauers homered and drove in four runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 9-3 in the first meeting this season between the longtime NL Central rivals.
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong says he regrets the words he used during a heated exchange with a fan.
A man was shot and killed in the north Chicago suburb of Skokie early Tuesday.
A man is being held in custody on charges that he tricked two young women into believing he was an art student working on a photography project in Chicago's Northalsted district, and went on to sexually abuse one of them.
A suspect was due in court Tuesday on charges that he shot and killed his ex-husband's new husband in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood.
A truck driver was sentenced to over 13 years in prison for smuggling $9.4 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of Skims, Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand.
Police in Michigan City, Indiana, were searching Monday for the person they said shot and killed a 14-year-old boy.
