Education
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Mokena School District 159 Board of Education for October 15, 2025
Mokena School District 159 Board of Education Meeting | October 15, 2025 The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education's October 15, 2025, meeting was marked by several contentious votes...
Lincoln-Way to Purchase New Buses, Add Smaller Vehicles to Address Driver Shortage
LW210 Board of Education Meeting | October 16, 2025 Article Summary: Lincoln-Way District 210 plans to update its transportation fleet by purchasing 28 new gasoline-powered school buses, three activity buses,...
Mokena 159 Board Adopts New Policies on AI, Student Support Despite Dissent
Mokena School District 159 Board of Education Meeting | October 15, 2025 Article Summary: The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education adopted a series of policy updates addressing topics from...
Lincoln-Way Board Honors Students with Perfect ACT Scores, Music Educator of the Year
LW210 Board of Education Meeting | October 16, 2025 Article Summary: Lincoln-Way District 210 celebrated exceptional academic and faculty achievement by formally recognizing nine students who earned a perfect composite...
Mokena 159 Receives Clean Audit Report, Earns State’s Highest Financial Recognition
Mokena School District 159 Board of Education Meeting | October 15, 2025 Article Summary: Mokena School District 159 has received the State of Illinois' highest financial rating after an independent audit...
Lincoln-Way Support Staff Union Rejects Tentative Contract Agreement
LW210 Board of Education Meeting | October 16, 2025 Article Summary: Members of the Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 support staff union have voted down a tentative five-year contract...
Mokena School Board Approves Pacts with Unions to Address Bus Driver Shortage
Mokena School District 159 Board of Education Meeting | October 15, 2025 Article Summary: Mokena School District 159 will offer paid CDL training and stipends to teachers and staff who volunteer...
Mokena 159 Board Approves Increased Cost for Junior High Storage Shed Amid Budget Debate
Mokena School District 159 Board of Education Meeting | October 15, 2025 Article Summary: The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education approved a cost increase for a new storage shed...
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...
Will County Board Meetings
“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 New Fee Schedule for Recorder of Deeds
Article Summary: The Will County Board has approved a revised fee schedule for the Recorder of Deeds office, which will take effect on October 1, 2025. The changes, based on...
Will County Board Formally Opposes Heavier, Longer Trucks on National Roadways
Article Summary: The Will County Board unanimously passed a resolution opposing any federal legislation that would increase the size and weight limits for commercial trucks on the nation's roadways. The...
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
Illinois quick hits: Pritzker to sign tax, toll increases to bail out transit
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Pritzker to sign tax, toll increases to bail out transit Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he looks forward to signing public transit...
IL Senate approves Department of Corrections director despite fierce opposition
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Despite a myriad of ongoing issues at the Illinois Department of Corrections, state senators approved the nomination...
Report: PJM power grid electrification faces bumpy transition
By Lauren Jessop | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The nation’s power grid is entering a new era of soaring demand – the full extent...
Early morning vote advances Illinois’ ‘Terminally Ill Patients Act,’ sparks outcry
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A controversial bill allowing terminally ill patients in Illinois to self-administer life-ending medication passed the legislature...
WATCH: IL lawmakers pass consequential bills early Halloween
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 powers through on...
WATCH: Trick or treat: IL legislators pass tax increase, decoupling bill early Friday
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois taxpayers are waking up Halloween morning to tax increases after the conclusion of fall veto session...
Noem refuses Pritzker enforcement pause request, IL passes sanctuary enhancement
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Both the executive and legislative branches of Illinois government have made attempts to address federal immigration enforcement...
National News
Lawmakers introduce bills to slash their own pay during government shutdowns
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square With the ongoing government shutdown dragging on for a record-breaking period of time, U.S. lawmakers are introducing bills to make shutdowns as painful for Congress...
94% of sanctioned scholars suffered from free speech attacks
By Tate MillerThe Center Square A Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression survey shows that 94% of sanctioned university scholars have experienced a negative impact following the attacks on their...
Illinois soybean farmers face uncertainty amid MAHA push against seed oils
By Catrina BarkerThe Center Square Illinois soybean farmers face a potential market shakeup if public sentiment, and eventually policy, turns against seed oils, experts warn. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now...
Family-based visa quotas cause system backlogs
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square One of the most prevalent ways for immigrants to gain legal status in the United States is through family-based visas. However, backlogs in the system...
Association says housing aid to continue through December
By Madeline ShannonThe Center Square Federally-funded housing assistance will continue to be paid through December, a national housing association director told The Center Square Friday afternoon. Previously, those who rent...
WATCH: Father of Housing First points to success; We Heart Seattle highlights failures
By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square On an overcast mid-October day, just inside the Third Avenue offices of We Heart Seattle, Executive Director Andrea Suarez and two of her staff members...
Death threats against ICE officers up by 8,000%, DHS says
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are up by 8,000% compared to the same timeframe last year, the Department of Homeland Security...