Illinois
More than 81,000 deer harvested during Illinois firearm deer season
SPRINGFIELD – Hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 81,225 deer during the seven-day 2025 Illinois firearm deer season that concluded Dec. 7. Comparatively, hunters harvested 82,496 deer during the 2024 firearm season. The preliminary harvest for the second weekend of the firearm season Dec. 4-7 was 29,816 compared with 27,835 deer harvested during…
Read MoreTake a peek at new Illinois laws taking effect Jan. 1
Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, a raft of new laws begin in Illinois. Below is a summary of many of them: Health and Wellness HB 1910: Requires all Illinois libraries to stock opioid antagonists and ensures trained staff are present. HB 2363: Bans certain compact fluorescent lamps beginning in 2026. HB 2385: Requires insurance cover medically…
Read MoreCasey Chlebek: Florida shows Illinois way forward on property tax abolition
As DeSantis Pushes 2026 Ballot Initiative, Illinois Senate Candidate Says ‘If Florida Can Do It, So Can We’ PARK RIDGE – As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis advances his proposal to eliminate property taxes on primary residences through a 2026 ballot initiative, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Casey Chlebek says Illinois leaders have run out of excuses…
Read MoreThe future has arrived: Apple Mobile IDs for Business
By Tribune Staff • Please be advised that effective Nov. 19, 2025, the Illinois Office of the Secretary of State (ILSOS) will begin offering Mobile Identification Cards, “Mobile IDs,” which will allow Illinois driver’s license and state identification card holders to present their Illinois driver’s licenses and state identification cards digitally via the digital wallet…
Read MoreIllinois Law Enforcement Camera grant accepting applications for fiscal year 2026
By Tribune Staff • SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) announced on Oct. 16 the opening of the application period for the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Law Enforcement Camera Grant. This grant provides over $56 million in state funding available to equip police agencies across Illinois with essential video technology.…
Read MoreIllinois sets new record for youth deer season harvest
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois youth deer hunters set a new record for the season, harvesting a preliminary total of 4,714 deer Oct. 11-13. Top harvest counties include Randolph, 259; Pike, 164; Adams, 155; Jefferson, 155; and Marion, 135. Madison County was well back from the leaders at 51. Comparatively, youth hunters took 4,097 deer during the…
Read MoreApplications open for Golden Apple’s Scholars, Accelerators teacher prep programs
Aspiring teachers encouraged to apply to programs aimed at addressing Illinois’ teacher shortage crisis ILLINOIS – Golden Apple, a non-profit committed to recruiting, preparing and supporting aspiring teachers, is now accepting applications for both its Accelerators and Scholars programs. Golden Apple seeks to provide pathways for aspiring educators to enter the profession and fill crucial…
Read MoreApplications open for Golden Apple Scholars, Accelerators teacher prep programs
Aspiring teachers encouraged to apply to programs aimed at addressing Illinois’ teacher shortage crisis ILLINOIS – Golden Apple, a non-profit committed to recruiting, preparing and supporting aspiring teachers, is now accepting applications for both its Accelerators and Scholars programs. Golden Apple seeks to provide pathways for aspiring educators to enter the profession and fill crucial…
Read MoreIllinois sets another freshman record as enrollment tops 60,000
By Tribune Staff CHAMPAIGN — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has reached another enrollment milestone, welcoming a record-breaking class for the fall 2025 semester. With freshman enrollment tallied at 9,207 (compared to 9,008 last year), the new class brings total student enrollment — undergraduate, graduate and online students — to more than 60,000 for the…
Read MoreJim Edgar, Illinois’ 1990s-era moderate GOP governor, dies at 79
Jim Edgar, Illinois’ 38th governor who served from 1991 to 1999, died Sunday after disclosing an aggressive cancer diagnosis earlier this year. He was 79. Though he’d been out of power for 26 years — more time than the two decades he spent in office as an elected official — the former governor was still active…
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