Illinois quick hits: Fatal helicopter crash; Comptroller orders another extra pension payment
August 7, 2025/
Fatal helicopter crash
Two people are dead after a helicopter crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Hughes 369D with two people on board went down around 11:05 a.m. Thursday in East Alton.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Comptroller orders another extra pension payment
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza says she is ordering a third round of pension pre-payments.
Mendoza said more than $1.3 billion in payments to the state’s five retirement systems will include $428 million in pre-payments, allowing the pension systems to keep more money in their portfolios and earn more in returns.
Statehouse rematch shaping up
State Rep. Amy Briel, D-Ottawa, and Republican Liz Bishop are gearing up for a potential rematch in Illinois’ 76th House District.
Briel defeated Bishop by 595 votes, or 1%, in the general election last November.
Bishop will first face a primary rematch with Crystal Loughran.
Latest News Stories
IL legislators weigh energy policy some say will increase costs
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois’ energy landscape continues to evolve as the state works to usher in industries that draw a...
Analyst points to inefficiencies as Pritzker touts record spending on infrastructure
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – After Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the biggest infrastructure spending plan in state history, a transportation policy director...
Illinois quick hits: DHS announces more than 800 illegals arrested; utility prices drop slightly
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Midway Blitz announces 800 illegals arrested According to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border...
WATCH: Officials shift shutdown blame; agreed-bill process upended; GOP offers solutions
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 reaction to...
States sue feds over denying grants for illegal immigrants
By Dave Mason | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Democratic attorneys general from 21 jurisdictions sued the Trump administration Wednesday for denying federal funds to help...
Pritzker blames Trump for partial government shutdown
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says President Donald Trump is to blame for the U.S. government’s partial shutdown,...
Illinois quick hits: Record infrastructure spending planned; watchdog urges ratepayers review Ameren bills
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Record infrastructure spending planned Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation joined state, local and organized labor officials to...
GOP rep, Dem alderman: Sanctuary policies drove immigration enforcement surge
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A Republican state lawmaker and a Democratic Chicago alderman agree that sanctuary policies are the reason federal...
WATCH: Labor leaving agreed-bill process has consequences, Illinois legislator warns
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) − Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he understands why labor leaders are walking away from the agreed-bill process,...
County Board Abates Over $25 Million in Property Taxes for Bond Payments
Article Summary: Will County property taxpayers will be spared over $25 million in taxes for the 2026 payment year after the County Board voted to abate taxes for six separate...
Frankfort Highway Department Plans Levy Increase to Replace Aging Trucks
Article Summary: Frankfort Township residents can expect an increase in the highway department's property tax levy this year, which will be used to replace two trucks that are two decades old....
Will County Reverses Zoning on Peotone Farmland to Facilitate 10-Acre Sale
Article Summary: The Will County Board unanimously approved a request to rezone a 10.08-acre portion of a property in Will Township back to agricultural use, reversing a 2023 zoning change....
Frankfort Township Board Grants Supervisor Authority to Negotiate Real Property Development
Article Summary: The Frankfort Township Board of Trustees has unanimously passed a resolution granting Supervisor Nick George the authority to negotiate the development of township-owned real property. This move empowers the...
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...
