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
Crete Township ‘Tiny Home’ Owner Appeals Permit Denial
Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: A Crete Township property owner has appealed to the Will County Planning and Zoning Commission after being...
Senior Shared Housing Facility Recommended for Approval in Crete Township
Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended approval for a special use permit that would...
Will County Health Department Pleads for $1 Million to Avert ‘Weakened Public Health System’
Will County Board Finance Committee Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: Leaders and board members from the Will County Health Department made an impassioned plea for $1 million in county...
Frankfort Township Board Objects, but County Commission Recommends Bar with Video Gaming
Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: Despite a formal objection from the Frankfort Township Board, the Will County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended...
Will County Committee Grapples with $8.9 Million Budget Gap After Contentious 0% Tax Levy Vote
Will County Board Finance Committee Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Board Finance Committee held a contentious debate over how to close an $8.9 million budget shortfall...
Will County Committee Grapples with $8.9 Million Budget Gap After Contentious 0% Tax Levy Vote
Will County Board Finance Committee Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Board Finance Committee held a contentious debate over how to close an $8.9 million budget shortfall...
New Lenox Solar Farm Proposal Advances with Conditions, Following Village and Forest Preserve Input
Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval for a 62.7-acre commercial solar energy facility in...
Illinois News
Pritzker unveils Illinois LGBTQ hotline amid debate over transgender athletes
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Reports of a transgender student being accepted onto the Conant High School girls volleyball team has...
WATCH: Trump ends funding for cashless bail policies, hedges on Guard deployment to Chicago
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...
Former Transportation Secretary urges state taxpayer funding for Chicago transit
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A former U.S. transportation secretary says Downstate Illinois residents should help fund Chicago transit, but a Metro...
Illinois quick hits: Education tax benefits available; Giannoulias orders license plate reader to shut off access to CBP
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Education tax benefits available As students across Illinois return to the classroom, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Revenue...
WATCH: Trump order withholds funds over no-cash bail policies like Illinois’
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Taxpayer resources should not be used to support jurisdictions with cashless bail policies, according to a new...
IL Treasurer to work with lawmakers after Pritzker’s veto of nonprofit bill
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs is promising to discuss next steps with lawmakers after Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed...
WATCH: Chicago reacts to Trump’s public safety push; AI in schools; rural health care
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 delves into the...
Illinois expands campus abortion access, shields doctors from legal risk
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed new laws expanding abortion access on public college campuses while vowing to...
Illinois quick hits: Human trafficking enforcement; health care fraud division announced
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Human trafficking enforcement Illinois State Police arrested five individuals during a human trafficking demand suppression operation in the Forsyth area of...
National News
Everyday Economics: Rate cut debate: Reading mixed signals in a fragile economy
By Orphe DivounguyThe Center Square The Federal Reserve cut interest rates last week, but the decision was far from unanimous. Two members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) dissented...
Arizona looks to legal immigration with Trump’s border security
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square As President Trump approaches the one year mark in office, apprehensions at the southern border have dropped significantly. States along the southern border, including Texas,...
Ranchers decry beef imports from Argentina, expert says good start
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Consumers feeling the pang of high beef prices at the grocery store may see some relief from a plan to import beef from Argentina but...
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...
Trump considers military action to stop Christian genocide in Nigeria
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square President Donald Trump has directed the Department of War to prepare for possible action in Nigeria to target Islamic militants committing genocide against Christians. “If...
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...