Illinois quick hits: Mine manager pleads guilty; Johnson issues food executive order
Mine manager pleads guilty
A former Franklin County mine manager has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration in relation to an underground fire in August 2021.
Prosecutors say Timothy Brandon Parsons, 38, of Louisa, Kentucky, and co-conspirators agreed not to evacuate miners over the course of three shifts or notify MSHA, even though gas detectors alarmed for the presence of more than 10 parts per million of carbon monoxide. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18.
Johnson issues food executive order
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed an executive order establishing nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold or served on city-owned property.
The order aims to ensure that low fat, low sugar, culturally-appropriate food options are available in city facilities.
Johnson said all city agencies will be subject to mandatory purchasing guidelines for any food sold or served on city property.
Bluegrass music at Lincoln’s New Salem
The Traditional Music Festival and Bluegrass Concerts are coming to Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site in Menard County.
The annual event takes place Sept. 5 through Sept. 7.
Performers from all over the Midwest play music with instruments like mountain and hammer dulcimers, autoharps, fiddles, banjos and more.
Latest News Stories
 Massive AI supercomputing systems being built in Illinois, Tennessee
 WATCH: Debate around which tax to increase; pension enhancements, energy bills advance
 Illinois quick hits: Energy omnibus bill advancing; ICE protesters indicted
 Cartel bounties on ICE agents similar to bounties placed in Texas communities for years
 Senior Shared Housing Facility Recommended for Approval in Crete Township
 Will County Health Department Pleads for $1 Million to Avert ‘Weakened Public Health System’
 Frankfort Township Board Objects, but County Commission Recommends Bar with Video Gaming
 Will County Committee Grapples with $8.9 Million Budget Gap After Contentious 0% Tax Levy Vote
 Will County Committee Grapples with $8.9 Million Budget Gap After Contentious 0% Tax Levy Vote
 New Lenox Solar Farm Proposal Advances with Conditions, Following Village and Forest Preserve Input
 Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board for October 16, 2025
 Meeting Summary and Briefs: Mokena School District 159 Board of Education for October 15, 2025
 Will County Board Approves New 30 MPH Speed Limit for Frankfort Township Road
 Meeting Summary and Briefs: Frankfort Township Board for September 8, 2025