WATCH: $10M campaign finance fine dropped; Digital ID unveiled, Chicagoans speak up
November 19, 2025/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop reviews actions taken by the Illinois State Board of Elections in regards to a nearly $10 million fine for campaign finance violations with Illinois Senate President Don Harmon’s campaign committee.
Bishop also shares recent public comments from residents of the city of Chicago about the city’s finances and immigration policies ahead of a new budget year with the prospect of a slew of tax increases to pay for a more than billion dollar budget deficit.
Finally, Bishop shares an announcement from the Illinois Secretary of State about the launch of digital ID for Apple devices.
Subscribe to Illinois in Focus Daily with The Center Square on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the Illinois in Focus podcast to get the entire show uninterrupted.
Community Events
MondayDecember 1, 2025
6:00 amChildren's Scavenger Hunt - Elf on the Shelf & Friends!6:00 amDecorate our Christmas Trees at the Library!6:00 amElf on the Shelf Library Display Raffle - Week 1: The Elf on the Shelf Santaverse Ornament Collection3:30 pmMs. Gretel Sings!3:30 pm9:30 AM - Walk and Talk Book Club4:00 pmMs. Gretel Sings!4:30 pm10:30 AM - Walk & Talk Book Club4:30 pmMs. Gretel Sings!10:00 pmMaker Monday: Tinkercad
TuesdayDecember 2, 2025
WednesdayDecember 3, 2025
ThursdayDecember 4, 2025
Latest News Stories
Home sales up 2% in July as prices stayed nearly flat
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Home sales increased 2% last month after a lackluster spring selling season as prices cooled. Existing-home sales increased by 2% in July, according to a...
Parents who lost daughters at Camp Mystic: Their deaths were ‘100% preventable’
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Parents who lost their daughters from flood waters at Camp Mystic said their deaths were “100% preventable” and asked the legislature to implement mandatory safety...
Illinois quick hits: COVID fraud indictments issued; man sentenced for mailing fentanyl
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square COVID fraud indictments issued A federal grand jury has indicted four Chicago-area individuals accused of fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in...
Trump defunds California sex ed program over ‘gender ideology’
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The Trump administration terminated a federal grant that provided funding for sex education classes in California. The federal government terminated the Personal Responsibility Education Program,...
WATCH: Illinois In Focus Daily | Thursday Aug. 21st, 2025
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 comments from...
Texas House passes Congressional redistricting bill after absconding Dems return
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square After House Democrats absconded for more than two weeks in opposition to a Congressional redistricting bill, the Texas House on Wednesday passed the bill by...
Department of Education ends support for political activism
By Esther WickhamThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Education announced this week it is ending taxpayer-funded programs that supported political activism jobs on college campuses. The Department of Education...
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...
Illinois trucker warns foreign firms faking logs, dodging rules, risking safety
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – After a recent deadly crash in Florida and a crash in Illinois involving semi-trucks, an Illinois...
Illinois law mandates pharmacies to sell needles, sparking safety debate
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Illinois Governor has signed House Bill 2589, which requires pharmacists to sell sterile hypodermic needles...
Report warns U.S. national debt predicted to pass $53 trillion by 2035
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square By fiscal year 2035, the national debt is set to surpass $53 trillion, or 120% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, according to a new...
Courts remain firm against unsealing grand jury records from Epstein trial
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square A second federal judge has denied the Trump administration’s request to unseal grand jury material from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 trial. New York-based...
White House TikTok garners 1.3 million views in 24 hours
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Within 24 hours of its debut, the first video posted to the new White House TikTok account has racked up more than 1.3 million views....
