Pritzker signs two laws against rogue towing companies, use of AI therapists
The laws close a loophole where illegal tow operators re-register under a new business name and ban AI bots from posing as therapists.
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The laws close a loophole where illegal tow operators re-register under a new business name and ban AI bots from posing as therapists.
For years, CBS News Chicago has investigated rogue tow truck companies, where people get into an accident and businesses show up claiming to help, but then hold cars hostage and charge huge fees.
The bill, SB1560, requires all school districts to provide screening in grades 3 through 12 at least once a year.
Pritzker acknowledged there is no one reason Chicago's homicide rate is down 3% from last year, shootings down 40%, and carjackings down 50%.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to sign a bill into law Monday that will make it easier for the state’s lowest-level gun offenders to obtain a firearm ID card.
The crime numbers are shaping up to be the story of the summer in the city. Through this past weekend, homicides are down 30% from the same time period last year in Chicago.
A spokesperson for JB Pritzker did not share a timeline on when he will sign the bill into law.
The bill addresses the squatter problem in Illinois, making it easier for police to remove squatters from someone's home, bypassing the months-long eviction process.
Gov. JB Pritzker said the bill will put 300,000 people in Illinois at risk of losing health care coverage, and even more would lose food assistance.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed four pieces of legislation designed to help high school students get into and afford to pay for college in Illinois.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced Christian Mitchell will be his running mate as he seeks a third term. Mitchell is a former three-term state representative and current First Lieutenant in the Illinois Air National Guard.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed four pieces of legislation designed to help high school students get into and afford to pay for college in Illinois.
Mitchell served as Deputy Governor in Pritzker's administration from 2019 to 2023.
At a formal campaign kickoff event Thursday morning in Chicago, Pritzker said, "through every challenge and every triumph, I have grown to love Illinois even more."
Gov. JB Pritzker is hitting the campaign trail, asking Illinois voters to elect him to another four years in office. A lot of questions remain about whether his speech was a bid to be re-elected governor, or to become president of the United States.
A chanting crowd greeted Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday as he asked voters to elect him for a third term. Pritzker announced his campaign in a room full of supporters at the same Grand Crossing venue where he announced his first campaign about eight years ago.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced on Thursday he will run for re-election in 2026, but speculation remains about whether he could also run for president in 2028, even if he wins a third term as governor.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made it official Thursday, announcing he’s running for a third term in 2026.
There has been speculation in recent months that Pritzker might run for president in the future.
An Illinois lawmaker said she hopes the horrific tragedy will lead to increased safety measures for public officials and first responders.
Chicago organizers have been working to try to protect undocumented immigrants who have been subject to surprise ICE check-ins that sometimes lead to detentions and deportations.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said it was "a horrible day for Minnesota" after lawmakers Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman and their spouses were shot in separate attacks. Hortman and her husband were killed.
"Illinois follows the law, but we expect the federal govt to follow the law as well," Pritzker said.
Gov. JB Pritzker is in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, answering tough questions about Illinois' sanctuary laws at a congressional hearing, alongside his fellow governors from Minnesota and New York
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on "sanctuary policies" as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration. Pritzker called for violent undocumented criminals to be ousted, but insisted the Trump administration must follow the law while implementing policies.
The newly renovated dog area at Hamlin Park on Chicago's North Side is under scrutiny after several owners say their dogs suffered painful paw injuries from loose gravel.
For the second day in a row, dumpsters filled with unused school supplies were discovered outside former Acero charter schools now run by Chicago Public Schools.
It's a week of fun for some Chicago kids who were crowned as this year's Bud Billiken Day Parade Royal Court, a cherished tradition celebrating leadership, excellence, and the cultural legacy of the parade.
People living in part of southwest suburban Homer Glen were being asked to shelter in place on Tuesday afternoon, amid a SWAT team standoff with a home invasion suspect.
After losing two of his top three financial advisers in the past week, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday sought to assure Chicago residents "they have stability" headed into what will likely be another tough budget season at City Hall.
After losing two of his top three financial advisers in the past week, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday sought to assure Chicago residents "they have stability" headed into what will likely be another tough budget season at City Hall.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of bills Tuesday protecting consumers in the state from unfair home and auto insurance rates.
Mayor Brandon Johnson's budget director, Annette Guzman, is stepping down from her post, the mayor's office confirmed Monday night.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to announce if he's running for re-election, but certainly sounded like he was giving a campaign speech at a brief press conference on Monday.
"She folded like an umbrella," President Trump said of Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
The Trump administration is taking aim at power grid operator PJM Interconnection over rising electricity bills that affect Illinois and Indiana residents.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
East Chicago, Indiana is being placed on a precautionary boil water advisory starting Monday morning for planned installations that could affect water safety.
A new Northwestern Medicine study on long COVID shows women show more neurological symptoms than men.
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, the CDC said.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
While the building that housed the flagship Ann Sather restaurant on Belmont Avenue has been torn down, the renowned Chicago restaurant chain is now set to open a new Lakeview location.
Nationally, data centers used 17.4 billion gallons of water in 2023 — a figure projected to reach 72.6 billion gallons by 2028, raising concerns about states' water supplies.
Chicago's Wishbone Restaurant will soon be closing after 36 years in business.
The Old Town Pour House isn't in its namesake neighborhood anymore, but it's returning to the central area of Chicago — specifically in the Loop.
Stella's Diner in Chicago's East Lakeview community has gone out of business.
Crews need about a week and a half to tear down the festival site before the city can begin its own inspection — and past cleanup costs have topped $1 million.
Vincent Pastore played Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on all six seasons of "The Sopranos," which aired from 1999 to 2007.
If weather forces an evacuation, shelter sites are located at Grant Park North, Grant Park South, and Millennium Lakeside Garages, accessible through the vehicle entrance on Michigan Avenue.
Grant Park was filled with tens of thousands of people Thursday for the start of Lollapalooza, as warm weather greeted festivalgoers on day one of the four-day music festival.
Academy Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash.
The newly renovated dog area at Hamlin Park on Chicago’s North Side is under scrutiny after several owners say their dogs suffered painful paw injuries from loose gravel.
For the second day in a row, dumpsters filled with unused school supplies were discovered outside former Acero charter schools now run by Chicago Public Schools.
The new legislation requires home and auto insurers to answer the state's questions about rate hikes and mandates refunds to consumers if they overcharge.
It's a week of fun for some Chicago kids who were crowned as this year's Bud Billiken Day Parade Royal Court, a cherished tradition celebrating leadership, excellence, and the cultural legacy of the parade.
An Illinois State Police trooper who has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a bartender in southwest suburban Tinley Park will remain behind bars as he awaits trial.
People in part of Homer Glen were asked to shelter in place amid a SWAT team standoff with a home invasion suspect.
Multiple cars were destroyed by fire after a transformer explosion in La Grange Park, Illinois, Tuesday afternoon.
The newly renovated dog area at Hamlin Park on Chicago's North Side is under scrutiny after several owners say their dogs suffered painful paw injuries from loose gravel.
For the second day in a row, dumpsters filled with unused school supplies were discovered outside former Acero charter schools now run by Chicago Public Schools.
It's a week of fun for some Chicago kids who were crowned as this year's Bud Billiken Day Parade Royal Court, a cherished tradition celebrating leadership, excellence, and the cultural legacy of the parade.
Nationally, data centers used 17.4 billion gallons of water in 2023 — a figure projected to reach 72.6 billion gallons by 2028, raising concerns about states' water supplies.
A clean energy initiative on the South Side of Chicago is increasing access to solar energy and electric vehicle charging stations, and community members say it's making a difference.
A glitch in the Illinois Tollway system earlier this month left about 100,000 drivers with unexpected warnings about unpaid tolls, some dating back about a year.
Chicago's Office of Emergency Management, which oversees roughly 200 traffic aides, says two were seriously injured by drivers this summer — leaving many uneasy on the job as Lollapalooza brings heavy traffic downtown.
Shavonne Worthy said she visited her mother's grave at Oakridge-Glen Oaks Cemetery in Hillside and found an empty hole where the headstone had stood for nearly 10 years — and the cemetery's new owner told her it was removed intentionally.
The Chicago Bears held their second straight padded practice Tuesday with multiple periods of live tackling as they focused in on defense.
Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Kevin Alcántara each hit a two-run homer, and the Chicago Cubs handed the Los Angeles Dodgers their fourth consecutive loss with a 10-5 victory.
The Chicago Cubs acquired pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the last-place New York Mets on Monday for touted infield prospect Jefferson Rojas.
Bears safety Coby Bryant will miss the next 8-10 weeks due to a hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture suffered in Monday's training camp practice, ESPN reports.
The schools announced Monday they have agreed to a four-game home-and-home series.
A woman stood charged Tuesday with stabbing a man during a fight in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood this past weekend.
An Illinois State Police trooper who has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a bartender in southwest suburban Tinley Park will remain behind bars as he awaits trial.
Thieves stole an ATM from a gas station in Chicago's Roseland community early Monday.
Two young men and a teenage boy were shot and wounded early Monday in Chicago's Park Manor community.
A man was stabbed late Sunday night in a fight with a woman on Chicago's West Side, police said.
