Government

Ottawa has launched a new digital registration program for short-term rentals in partnership with Deckard Technologies, aiming to improve compliance and oversight as vacation rental listings continue to grow across the city

The Grundy Economic Development Commission hosted its annual Legislative Breakfast Monday morning, where local legislators were able to answer questions from the business community.

Bourbonnais trustees approved amending the village’s ordinance regarding sales of alcoholic beverages at its meeting Monday (May 5).

Applications now being accepte for new nine-week apprenticeship program designed to strengthen the local construction workforce pipeline in Will County.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. agreed to drop its 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods by 115 percentage points to 30%, while China agreed to lower its rate on U.S. goods by the same amount to 10%

The proposal will face fierce opposition from the pharmaceutical industry

DeKalb city leaders are one step closer to replacing the last of the lead service lines in town.

If passed out of the Illinois General Assembly, the Climate Displacement Act would establish a state task force to assess and provide recommendations for how Illinois can prepare for the impacts of climate change

In Will County, Head Starts serves more than 800 families a year through a multi-service delivery program - with nearly 200 more on a waiting list for the program.

The Geneva City Council this week unanimously voted to reject all bids for a replacement generator for the police facility.

City leaders from Sycamore’s schools, parks, business community and city government gathered this week to provide residents with updates on goals for the city and ongoing initiatives.

Two state-run health care programs that extend Medicaid-like coverage to noncitizens may have provided significant financial benefits for Illinois hospitals

Read the transcript from our latest podcast: State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, talks with Shaw Local reporter Bill Freskos about rural healthcare access, the state of local hospitals and more

State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, talks with Shaw Local reporter Bill Freskos about rural healthcare access, the state of local hospitals and her objectives in the Illinois General Assembly

President Donald Trump on Friday floated cutting tariffs on China from 145% to 80% ahead of a weekend meeting among top U.S. and Chinese trade officials as he looks to deescalate the trade war

Gov. JB Pritzker issued an executive order that bars state agencies from collecting and disclosing data about autism to the federal government unless it’s medically or legally necessary

President Donald Trump has agreed to cut tariffs on U.K. autos, steel and aluminum in a planned trade deal with Britain, which would buy more American beef and streamline its customs process for goods from the United States

The Forest Preserve District of Will County has reopened the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook following a 15-month, $2 million renovation.

Jeff Keast was sworn in as mayor of Bourbonnais Monday night, becoming the village's first new mayor in 17 years.

A federal judge in New York issued a preliminary order blocking the Trump administration from cutting off states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds for public schools, including more than $77 million for Illinois

The 19,000-square-foot new Sycamore fire station at Borden Avenue and South Prairie Drive will be constructed on about 6 acres of land and include a classroom and community meeting space, training tower, and a larger space to house the city’s first ever ladder truck.

The Ottawa City Council tabled a decision on a proposed solar farm on the south side of Ottawa following public concerns ranging from residential safety to local labor use.

The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday, brushing off President Donald Trump’s demands to lower borrowing costs, and said that the risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen

The Dixon Sister Cities Association has retired its 36-year-old charter with its first established sister city – Dikson, Russia, which is one of the world's most northern settlements.

A growing public debate over the case of David Malito, who died after an encounter with police in December, moved to City Hall on Tuesday.

The Geneva Council Chambers was packed Monday night with family and supporters as the newly elected and re-elected took their oaths of office.

In anticipation of Dixon Police Chief Steve Howell’s retirement, Dixon Deputy Chief Doug Lehman was sworn in as interim chief Monday, May 5. The new police chief will be selected in the first week of June by a committee of 10 community members.

Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker made the announcement Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Travelers who haven’t obtained a REAL ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security that they will be able to fly after additional identity checks

Three newly elected aldermen, and nine reelected city officials, including the mayor, clerk and seven aldermen, were sworn in at the May 5, 2025, City Council meeting in Batavia City Hall, 100 N. Island Ave.

Wake and funeral services for the late Gov. George Ryan of Kankakee have been set and will be held in his hometown of Kankakee.

The Illinois General Assembly‘s independent forecasting commission has improved revenue projections for the upcoming fiscal year despite growing economic volatility

Newly elected St. Charles officials were sworn in and held their first City Council meeting on Monday, May 5, 2025.

The winners of the April 1 election for Joliet City Council took office Monday, Juan Moreno joined the council, while incumbents Jan Quillman and Joe Clement return.

His race was tight – decided by just four votes – but Jim Fitzpatrick returns as alderman of the 1st Ward in Mendota.

President Donald Trump is opening a new salvo in his tariff war, targeting films made outside the U.S.

Sycamore city officials, retired and active duty firefighters helped break ground Monday on the South Prairie Drive land that will, in about nine months, be home to the city's newest fire station.

Two Democratic leaders in the Illinois Senate openly expressed their disagreement this week about Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposal to allow community colleges to offer four-year bachelor’s degree programs in certain high-demand employment fields

President Donald Trump is circumspect about his duties to uphold due process rights laid out in the Constitution, saying in a new interview that he does not know whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike deserve that guarantee

The principle of “checks and balances” is rooted in the Constitution’s design of a national government with three distinct, coequal branches

Dixon city officials are moving forward with a $21 million project to update and repair the aging infrastructure at the wastewater treatment plant, which will be funded through a state-run loan program.

For a fourth consecutive weekend, a protest against President Trump's policies was held in Joliet.

The Geneva City Council Monday approved a new contract with a company that has disposed of its treated wastewater biosolids in farmers' fields since 2011.

Trump’s plan aims for steep cuts to child care, disease research, renewable energy and peacekeeping abroad, many already underway through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency

DeKalb city leaders could soon discuss whether to implement a local grocery tax as the state’s 1% grocery tax expires in 2026. “We’re not talking about a tax increase. The only thing we’re talking about is keeping the existing tax in place," Mayor Cohen Barnes said.

Residents from the Will County area gathered in downtown Joliet as part of a nationwide May Day Weekend movement protesting policies and actions taken by President Donald Trump's administration on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

The executive order from President Trump instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS”

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is nominating national security adviser Mike Waltz as United Nations ambassador while Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take over Waltz’s duties on an interim role

Northcutt plans to improve training and professionalism within the SFD to make it a leader in both areas.

Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner is calling for immediate reforms to the SAFE-T Act to restore judicial discretion and refocus Illinois’ criminal justice system on public safety and human decency.