Articles filed under Illinois
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17 drivers — including one in Chicago and another in Franklin Park — have been shot by immigration officials since 2025Jul 15, 2026 4:25 pm - In the wake of two fatal shootings days apart, Immigration and Customs Enforcement temporarily halted attempts to arrest undocumented immigrants by pulling them over in their cars. President Donald Trump then appeared to undermine that change with a post on social media. The recent deaths — in Houston and Biddeford, Maine — are among at least 17 shootings of motorists by federal immigration officers since the beginning of Trump’s term nearly 18 months ago, a Washington Post analysis shows.
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Why earthquakes in the suburbs are so rareJul 11, 2026 11:30 am - While earthquakes are rare in the suburbs because of our geography, they still happen occasionally, like Wednesday’s 2.9-magnitude temblor 12 miles off Lake Michigan’s shore near Highland Park.
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Federal appeals court upholds Illinois assault weapons ban, overturning lower court rulingJul 09, 2026 5:34 pm - A federal appeals court in Chicago on Thursday upheld Illinois’ 2023 assault weapons ban, overturning a lower court decision and delivering what could be a short-lived victory to Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.
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2.9-magnitude earthquake beneath Lake Michigan rattles suburbsJul 08, 2026 4:19 pm - A 2.9-magnitude earthquake about three miles below Lake Michigan and about 10 miles off shore from Highland Park rattled suburbs in western Cook and Lake counties Wednesday afternoon.
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Ticks on the rise in Illinois due to milder winters, scientists sayJul 04, 2026 12:33 pm - Illinois’ tick season may be starting earlier, lasting longer and creeping into new corners of the state, scientists and researchers say.
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Road rehab: What’s in the tollway’s $26.5B construction program?Jun 27, 2026 11:00 am - The agency is proposing rate hikes averaging 45 cents a toll for passenger cars as well as inflation-based increases every other year starting in 2029.
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Federal cuts are hitting Illinois food assistance recipients — and the farmers who feed themJun 20, 2026 11:00 am - The Trump administration eliminated food assistance for an estimated 360,000 Illinoisans this year by expanding work requirements and cutting benefits for lawfully present immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers. Link Match doubles SNAP users’ purchasing power at farmers’ markets, food co-ops and local grocers and has grown from $469,000 in spending in 2021 to $2.26 million in 2025. With fewer Illinoisans eligible for SNAP benefits, local farmers who already operate on slim profit margins could lose income.
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Illinois bets on biodiesel: Expanding the market for domestic soybeansJun 17, 2026 8:57 am - Illinois offers a sales tax exemption to retailers that sell biodiesel fuels, a law aimed at boosting soybean sales. Fuel that is made up of at least 20% biodiesel qualifies for the incentives as of April, up from 17%. The Illinois Soybean Association estimates the new policy could expand biodiesel demand to about 255 million gallons, up from 165 million gallons when state law set the threshold at 11%.
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Schaumburg’s Encore Village expands Medicaid-funded housing while helping seniors displaced by bankruptcy falloutJun 13, 2026 11:15 am - The 2023 bankruptcy of Friendship Village of Schaumburg created an array of issues for its senior residents that are still being navigated by the facility’s new owners.
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Pedaling literacy: Libraries hit the streets this summer with book bikesJun 11, 2026 9:33 am - Several suburban public libraries are “book biking” — yes, actually pedaling while peddling literacy — via story times, book giveaways and fun activities outdoors thanks to specially customized trikes.