Cary Mayor Mark Kownick used the annual state of the village event to warn residents of new state legislation that will put limits on local control from housing to parking.

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker is urging Congress to authorize year-round E15 gasoline sales, arguing it would stabilize fuel markets and support rural economies

From Capitol News Illinois: The blame game comes after Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas released a report that found property taxes in the state’s largest county have grown faster than inflation and wage growth over the past 30 years

The Bears say they want a new stadium open by 2030, with a final decision expected in the coming months. Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, remain in play as lawmakers negotiate key incentives

From Capitol News Illinois: More than 1,000 Illinois State Police vehicles have passed the threshold for replacement, but current funding levels mean it will take 18 years to replace them all, Director Brenden Kelly said

From Capitol News Illinois: A proposal that would have created the first statewide regulations aimed at curbing pollution generated by fulfillment centers, parcel hubs and sorting facilities failed to receive a committee vote in either chamber of the General Assembly

From Capitol News Illinois: Rep. Suzanne Ness, D-Crystal Lake, sponsored the bill after hearing from an agency that had funding and a house ready to open a CILA, but was blocked by local zoning, despite a long wait list. The bill passed the house 77-35

From Capitol News Illinois: A bill to allow for small, plug-in solar panel systems is moving through the Illinois Senate, which would open access to solar power for renters and others who can’t install rooftop solar panels

From Capitol News Illinois: House Bill 5507 would ban “ultraprocessed” foods in schools. The bill passed out of a public health committee on a partisan 6-2 vote

From Capitol News Illinois: The bill calls for annual increases in university funding of $135 million each year over the next several years, with priority for new money given to schools that are currently the most underfunded.

From Capitol News Illinois: The measures included a ban on junk fees, classification of “child torture” as a Class X felony, a retry at a nonprofit savings bill, and a bill to strip Chicago’s authority to alter the minimum wage for workers who make tips

From Capitol News Illinois: An Illinois House committee advanced a bill that would prohibit the federal government from operating an immigration detention center within 1,500 feet of any home, school, daycare center, park, forest preserve, cemetery or place of worship

From Capitol News Illinois: The bill would establish an independent board with the ability to set and implement the maximum price on certain prescription drugs

From Capitol News Illinois: A House education committee unanimously approved the latest version of a bill that would require school boards to prohibit public school students from using their cellphones in the classroom

From Capitol News Illinois: Midwestern governors, including Illinois’ JB Pritzker, are seeking a permanent solution to being able to use the ethanol blend E15 gasoline that’s cheaper but some say more polluting at a time when gasoline prices are rising

As lawmakers returned to Springfield Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker said that a deal to get a Bears stadium in Arlington Heights “needs to happen sooner rather than later,” but is in the hands of the state legislature.

From Capitol News Illinois: State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, who works as an insurance agent, said the new bill was an improvement over earlier versions. But he said it does not address the factors that he said are the real causes of rising premiums

From Capitol News Illinois: Raw milk advocates saw Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appointment as Health and Human Services Director as a win, but it hasn’t translated to loosened regulations in Illinois

From Capitol News Illinois: As large data centers burn electricity as fast as some small cities, utilities and advocates are looking for ways to ensure they’re not passing the buck for related infrastructure costs to everyday ratepayers

About 97% of Illinois schools show a proficiency gap where students overall outperform English learners, 2025 Illinois State Report Card data shows.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois food producers and businesses can apply for a share of $3.6 million through the Illinois Department of Agriculture as part of a grant program to support local food infrastructure systems

From Capitol News Illinois: Margaret Croke will advance to the November election and face Republican Bryan Drew of Marion in the first open election for the comptroller’s office since 2016

From Capitol News Illinois: A proposed bill bearing the name of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson would require high schools to offer a voter registration opportunity for all eligible students graduating from Illinois high schools.

From Capitol News Illinois: The newly introduced POWER Act seeks to regulate new data centers built in Illinois and address concerns about their effects on energy prices, water and the environment

From Capitol News Illinois: Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey said his campaign will focus heavily on the Chicago area. Bailey heavily lost suburban counties in Tuesday’s primary that he won four years ago but said he intentionally focused recently on downstate

In a crowded race for retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s Senate seat, Republican Don Tracy has secured the GOP nomination in Tuesday’s primary, according to unofficial election results. Check back for updates

Darren Bailey has won the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesday’s primary election, setting up a familiar face-off with Democrat JB Pritzker in the race for the governor’s office in November, according to unofficial election results.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, edging out two sitting members of the U.S. House. in a race that will see her facing Republican Don Tracy in November.

March 17 marks the 2026 primary, where DuPage County voters can pull a Democratic or Republican ballot to pick who appears on the ballot come November. All voters, partisan or not, can weigh in on referendum questions.

March 17 marks the 2026 primary, where voters can pull a Democratic or Republican ballot to pick who appears on the ballot come November. All voters, partisan or not, can weigh in on referendum questions.

From Capitol News Illinois: Chicago’s new 10.25% tax on sports bets is facing bipartisan pushback in the Illinois General Assembly as lawmakers support bills that would block Chicago and other municipalities from setting their own sports wagering taxes

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker is calling on agencies in his administration to set goals for increasing the number of adults in the state with college degrees or other postsecondary credentials

From Capitol News Illinois: The Illinois Principals Association expressed skepticism about the bill, citing concerns about burdening schools with the costs of purchasing female manikins for CPR training

Coleadero, or steer tailing, is a Mexican-style rodeo event where a horseback rider chases a running steer, grabs onto its tail, and wraps the tail around the rider’s leg to slam the animal to the ground.

Next week is a “big, big, big” week for hopes of a Chicago Bears stadium in the suburbs as state legislators return to Springfield to debate a tax break and other financial incentives, Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia said Thursday

From Capitol News Illinois: A coalition of 19 manufacturer, business, and labor organizations has petitioned to end ongoing workshops studying the future of natural gas in Illinois after a statewide resource adequacy report warned of energy shortages

From Capitol News Illinois: A Senate bill regulating the volume of commercials on streaming services so they can’t be noticeably louder than entertainment content passed the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee on Thursday

From Capitol News Illinois: Bills creating new insurance requirements for boaters and establishing local pension buyout programs are moving forward in the Statehouse

From Capitol News Illinois: While there are efforts to protect and expand abortion access in Illinois, some state lawmakers are pushing for increased restrictions

From Capitol News Illinois: As the Trump administration moves to slash federal protections for waterways and wetlands, Illinois Democratic lawmakers and environmental advocates are racing to pass a measure that would enact state safeguards

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois and Cook County have erased more than $2 billion in medical debt combined for over a million residents through a partnership with a nonprofit that buys medical debt for pennies on the dollar.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois municipal leaders are calling on state lawmakers to increase the amount of income tax revenue that is distributed to local governments.

Officials in several northern Illinois counties say regulating steer-tailing events at backyard rodeos is up to state legislators, but charges filed in McHenry County could prove otherwise

From Capitol News Illinois: Lawmakers are looking to further regulate alternative retail energy suppliers, tying the rates they can charge for energy to what utilities can charge

From Capitol News Illinois: Advocates for health care providers that treat low-income and uninsured patients are pressuring state lawmakers to pass legislation they say would prevent drug manufacturers from restricting access to discounted medications

Despite a weekslong delay in the legislative calendar in Springfield, Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday expressed optimism with progress on a pending Bears stadium deal in Springfield

From Capitol News Illinois: A spokesperson for Bill Clinton quickly clarified the testimony, saying the former president was referring to a trip he took with Pritzker to Africa in 2008 for the Clinton Foundation, but it was not on Epstein’s plane and Epstein wasn’t present

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers are calling for an independent commission to investigate Illinois-linked crimes connected to international sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

From Capitol News Illinois: State Sen. Sue Rezin is hoping the uproar over road funding will create unity among downstate politicians as they seek solutions. “Downstate needs to be made whole,” Rezin said. “We need to be made whole because we have crumbling roads and bridges.”

State Rep. Suzanne Ness will host a virtual town hall Tuesday to discuss Illinois Gov JB Pritzker’s annual budget proposal.