Latest News | Illinois Free Press

Doggy Paddlers have no answers for Pistol Shrimp, falling to Illinois Valley for third time this season

The Herald-Whig - Illinois ·

QUINCY -- The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp have been the Quincy Doggy Paddlers' nemesis this season. Not even an appearance by Doggy Paddlers minority owner and WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett could make a difference as the Pistol Shrimp defeated...

Phone Scam Tricks Illinois Man Into Sending $20,000

1520 The Ticket - Minnesota · June 7, 2025

Scams have really been amping up lately around Illinois, but this has to be one of the saddest to be a victim of. A man in New Lenox, Illinois got a phone call from someone pretending to be his son/daughter—they were crying, scared, and said...

Illinois Democrats pass FY26 budget amid GOP criticism

Peoria Standard - Illinois · June 6, 2025

State Representative Ryan Spain (il) | Representative Ryan Spain (R) 73rd District Deputy Republican LeaderState Representative Ryan Spain (il) | Representative Ryan Spain (R) 73rd District Deputy Republican Leader The Illinois House Democrats...

One last hurrah for seniors at the Illinois vs. Missouri track meet

The Herald-Whig - Illinois ·

QUINCY -- As Amick McClelland closes out her high school track and field career, she gets one last hurrah at Flinn Stadium. McClelland took part in the Missouri vs. Illinois track meet as part of the team from the Land of Lincoln, capping it off...

Illinois’ $55.2B budget ‘incomplete,’ Civic Federation president says

Capitol News Illinois - Illinois · June 6, 2025

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ latest budget misses the mark in several key areas, according to one independent nonprofit fiscal analyst. State lawmakers sent Gov. JB Pritzker a $55.2 billion budget on May 31 that raises $1 billion in new revenue and...

Illinois state budget and schools

WSIU - Illinois · June 6, 2025

A southern Illinois school superintendent there was a mixed bag for educators in the newly approved Illinois state budget. Vienna superintendent Joshua Stafford says while the General Assembly did allocate $307 million towards evidence based...

February phishing campaign compromised Illinois health data, department says

StateScoop · June 6, 2025

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services on Friday announced a data breach resulting from a phishing attack earlier this year that compromised the personal information of 933 people, including 564 Illinois residents. According to...

Illinois Lottery player wins $1.3M in online FastPlay game

CBS 2 Chicago - Illinois ·

By Jeramie Bizzle Jeramie Bizzle Web Producer, CBS Chicago Jeramie Bizzle is a web producer for CBS Chicago. Jeramie began working with CBS Chicago as an intern in 2017 and returned as a full-time Web Producer in 2021. He has previously written...

Illinois residents' information accessed in data breach, Healthcare and Family Services says

ABC 7 Chicago - Illinois · June 6, 2025

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hundreds of Illinois residents may have had their information stolen in a recent data breach after a hacker accessed the email of a Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services employee. HFS became aware of the data...

Illinois Department on Aging shares warning signs of elder abuse

WIFR - Illinois · June 6, 2025

(WIFR) - June 15 is Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and the Department on Aging urges the community to learn the warning signs and always speak up for older adults. Elder abuse is any act causing physical, mental or sexual injury to an older adult,...

Illinois City is The Best Place to Raise A Family in America

97.9 KICK FM - Illinois · June 6, 2025

It’s not always easy to decide where to settle down and raise a family. Sometimes your job dictates where you live, but a new ranking highlights one Illinois city that stands out as the best place in the country to raise a family. Illinois City is...

Illinois legislature passes largest budget amid controversy

McLean County Times - Illinois · June 6, 2025

The Illinois House recently passed a record-setting budget proposed by Governor Pritzker, amounting to $55.2 billion. The budget was finalized just hours before the adjournment deadline, sparking criticism from some lawmakers for its lack of...

Illinois Commerce Commission encourages community input on upcoming electric grid plans

Wand - Illinois ·

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Commerce Commission is encouraging the public and community organizations to weigh in on the state’s ongoing planning for a safer, more reliable power grid at a set of community workshops this month. The...

Illinois woman charged in Linn County with theft from dependent adults

The Gazette - Iowa ·

The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. An Illinois woman was arrested Thursday in Linn County on charges that she stole more than $6,000 from two dependent adults for whom she was a...

Illinois waterfowl blind drawings sites and schedule released for 2025 season

Illinois Governor · June 6, 2025

SPRINGFIELD - Waterfowl hunters should mark their calendars for upcoming waterfowl blind drawings at several public hunting areas in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will host traditional blind drawings at various...

Illinois Stops Issuing New Cannabis Licenses to Give Industry Time to Grow

Ganjapreneur - Washington · June 6, 2025

With over 130 licenses to hand out before hitting the state’s cap of 500 cannabis licenses, Illinois is not looking to hand out any new cannabis industry licenses, Crain’s Chicago Business reports. Illinois state law allows for up to 500 active...

Pritzker to testify in D.C. on Illinois’ sanctuary state policies

FOX 32 Chicago - Illinois ·

Governor JB Pritzker is set to testify before a House Oversight Committee on June 12 alongside other Democratic governors. The hearing will focus on sanctuary state laws like Illinois’ TRUST Act, which limits cooperation between local law...

Illinois Republican mistakes Sikh for Muslim, calls him delivering prayer in House ‘deeply troubling’

KTAL - Louisiana · June 6, 2025

Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) said it was "deeply disturbing" that a Sikh delivered a prayer in the House chamber on Friday — after apparently mistaking him for a Muslim man. The since-deleted post Friday morning sparked immediate bipartisan...

Illinois quick hits: Chicago police officer killed; controversy over East St. Louis shooting; Flash Index falls

The Center Square · June 6, 2025

Chicago police officer killed in shooting A Chicago Police officer died after being shot in the line of duty on the city’s South Side. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said officers attempted to stop a subject they believed to be armed...

Shaw Local journalists take home 33 Illinois Press Association awards for 2024 coverage

Sauk Valley - Illinois ·

EAST PEORIA – Shaw Local journalists throughout northern Illinois were honored Thursday, June 5, at the Illinois Press Association Convention and awards ceremony at Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino in East Peoria. Shaw Local newspapers received a...