Education
Lincoln-Way Board Approves Special Education Co-op Budget Amid Concerns Over Rising Costs
Article Summary: The Lincoln-Way District 210 Board of Education approved the Fiscal Year 2026 budget for the Lincoln-Way Special Education District 843 cooperative, while officials expressed concern over significant cost...
Lincoln-Way Board Reviews $162 Million Tentative Budget, Projects Deficit Due to Bus Purchase Timing
Article Summary: The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education reviewed a tentative $162.5 million budget for Fiscal Year 2026, which includes a 5.48% increase in operating expenses...
Mokena School District Terminates Contract with Evans and Sons Blacktop Over Project Deficiencies
MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to terminate its contract with Evans and Sons Blacktop for the playground and parking lot improvements...
Mokena District 159 Highlights Strategic Progress, Sets Sights on Advanced Learning and Data Systems
MOKENA, Ill. – Mokena School District 159 administrators presented their annual Strategic Plan review to the Board of Education on Wednesday, showcasing a year of significant progress in curriculum, facility...
District 159 Approves $173,700 Window Shade Replacement Project for Summer 2026
MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education has authorized the district to seek proposals for a large-scale window shade replacement project at three schools, slated for...
Mokena Junior High to Get New Hot Water Heaters After Failures
MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 board has approved an emergency expenditure of up to $34,500 to replace two failing hot water heaters at Mokena Junior High School....
District 159 Board Gets First Look at FY26 Budget Draft, Education Fund Deficit Noted
MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education received its first look at the fiscal year 2026 budget this week, kicking off a two-month process of review...
Will County Board Meetings
Will County to Pay Enbridge $82,000 to Relocate Pipeline Equipment for Exchange Street Improvements
Article Summary: Will County will reimburse Enbridge Energy for costs associated with relocating its pipeline facilities to make way for roadway improvements on Exchange Street in the Monee and Crete...
Laraway Road Widening Project in New Lenox and Frankfort Gets Additional $468,000 for Redesign
Article Summary: The Will County Board approved a supplemental agreement worth $468,374 for additional design and engineering work on the major Laraway Road expansion project. The funds are needed for...
“Federal Policy Uncertainty” Blamed for Delay of Peotone Solar Farm; County Grants Second Extension
Article Summary: The Will County Board has granted a second permit extension for a solar farm in Peotone Township after the developer, Trajectory Energy Partners, cited "ongoing uncertainty regarding federal...
Will County Grants Extensions to Five Solar Projects Sold to New Developers
Article Summary: The Will County Board approved first-time permit extensions for five commercial solar projects across Monee, Crete, and Joliet townships, all of which were recently sold to larger energy...
Will County Board Approves Controversial Drug Recovery Retreat in Crete Township
Article Summary: The Will County Board has approved a special use permit for The Second Story Foundation to operate a long-term residential recovery program for men on a 68-acre horse...
After Initial Rejection and Tense Debate, Board Reconsiders and Approves Contested DuPage Township Business
Article Summary: In a rare reversal, the Will County Board approved a special use permit for a landscaping business in a residential area of DuPage Township after the measure initially...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board for August 21, 2025
The Will County Board received County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant’s proposed $791 million budget for fiscal year 2026, which holds the line on the property tax levy while funding key services....
Will County Board Approves Permits for Landscaping Business and Restaurant Liquor Service in Frankfort Area
Article SummaryThe Will County Board unanimously approved three separate special use permits for businesses in the Frankfort area, allowing a landscaping operation in Green Garden Township to continue and two...
Illinois News
Op-Ed: Illinois just cemented its place as a ‘Legislative Inferno’
By Zach MottiThe Center Square Illinois already has a reputation for having one of the most hostile civil legal climates in America. On August 15, 2025, Governor JB Pritzker signed...
WATCH: DHS launches ICE ‘Midway Blitz’ in Chicago as Trump calls out cashless bail
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announces a new operation in Chicago, President Donald Trump says...
Pritzker signs behavioral health data law amid privacy concerns
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Illinois state senator says the state’s track record with data security raises concerns about a...
WATCH: Pritzker’s ‘move’ comments ‘insulting’ to Illinoisans, Freedom Caucus says
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus say people want to leave the state because Gov. J.B. Pritzker...
WATCH: GOP AG candidate: IL’s triplex of Democrat statewide offices ‘fails the people’
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A Republican vying for the party’s nomination for Illinois attorney general says he has the experience to...
Illinois quick hits: Trump to decided on Guard deployment; alleged cartel boss indicted
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Trump to decided on Guard deployment President Donald Trump says he will make a decision in the next day or two...
WATCH: Homan targets Chicago; Freedom Caucus responds to Pritzker’s ‘move out’ comment
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop shares some of...
National News
‘Glaring failure:’ lawmaker accuses Meta of failing to make AI chatbots kid-safe
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square A U.S. lawmaker is once again demanding that Meta prevent minors from accessing its AI chatbots, citing the technology company’s “glaring failure to properly and...
Supreme Court allows ICE to factor race, workplace into L.A. raids
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday to temporarily allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to use race, native language and place of work to...
Lawmakers seek to offer immigrants temporary legal status
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square A bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced a bill to offer immigrants the opportunity to live and work in the United States legally. The Dignity...
DEA surge nets drugs, 617 arrests, 420 firearms, $11 million in cash
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The Drug Enforcement Administration said Monday it seized drugs, guns and millions of dollars in cash during a week-long surge effort aimed at the Sinaloa...
NTU urges Congress to let temporary Obamacare tax credits end, impacting millions
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The National Taxpayers Union is urging Congress to let the expanded Obamacare premium tax credits, which help subsidize health insurance rates, expire in 2025 as...
Everyday Economics: Why weak jobs data trumps inflation concerns for Fed policy
By Orphe DivounguyThe Center Square The August jobs report delivered a shocking blow, revealing an economy teetering on the edge of a jobs recession. Just 22,000 jobs were added in...
EXCLUSIVE: Secret Service spent $11 million on Hunter Biden travel detail
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The Biden administration spent more than $10 million over three years on a security detail and related expenses for former First Son Hunter Biden after...
