ROCK ISLAND, Illinois, April 24 -- Augustana College issued the following news: Matthew Chezum '25, from New Windsor, Ill., won the Student Audience Choice Eddy Award in the 2024 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival (CRIFF), held April 5-7, for his short film "S'mores." "S'mores" features a witch burning in the marshmallow universe. The short film was one of 57 entries from across the country. View Chezum's film and a Q&A about his project at www.augustana.edu/academics/areas-of-study/film/s  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 24 -- Greenberg Traurig, a law firm, issued the following news release: Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP added Matt Whited as a shareholder in the firm's Chicago office, continuing to deepen the bench of its Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Private Equity Practices. He joins the firm from Kirkland & Ellis LLP. "We are delighted to welcome Matt to the firm. His extensive experience in private equity and longstanding commitment to providing excellent client s  more

PLAINFIELD, Illinois, April 24 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news: State Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, is making turkey hunting easier and more accessible by passing legislation through the Illinois House of Representatives to expand the range of firearms that can be used to hunt wild turkey. "For many Illinoisans, hunting is a tradition that brings a lifetime of fond memories for families and friends," said Benton. "Unfortunately, our current laws and regulations reg  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 24 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news: State Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, is continuing to fight for families with her measure to guarantee extra days of leave for the parents of children in the neonatal intensive care unit, which recently passed the House with strong bipartisan support. "Denying parents of seriously sick children the ability to spend time with their kids is unthinkable, but it has been the reality to far too many," Fa  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 24 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news on April 23, 2024: A proposal supported by state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, would protect recording artists from nonconsensual, artificially created ("AI" or "deepfake") media intended for commercial sale without the original artist's approval. "As AI programs become more accessible and continue to generate lifelike content, it's important that we take a close look at updating our laws that protec  more

BLOOMINGTON, Illinois, April 24 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news: State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, is ensuring fair employee rights to educators and other higher education employees by passing legislation that affirms that higher education employees can receive compensation and benefits beyond what is established in their collective bargaining agreement (CBA). "Both employers and employees can be hesitant to agree to terms of employment that differ from what was  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 24 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news: State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, passed a bipartisan measure banning the use of physical punishment as a form of discipline in every school across the state. "There is no time or place in which a student should feel physically unsafe at school, especially when that danger is coming from someone they look up to," Yang Rohr said. "This bill will ensure that all students, public and private, won't   more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 24 -- Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs issued the following news release on April 22, 2024: The State Treasurer's Office made nearly $124.6 million in investment earnings from the state investment portfolio in March, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced today. Another $91 million in gross investment earnings was earned for cities, villages, school districts, counties and other units of government that take part in the highly rated Illinois Funds l  more

BLOOMINGTON, Illinois, April 24 (TNSres) -- Illinois Wesleyan University issued the following news release: Renowned scholar and activist Menah Pratt-Clarke will visit Illinois Wesleyan University while on a tour for her new book "Blackwildgirl: A Writer's Journey to Take Back Her Superpower." Pratt-Clarke will be at IWU from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, April 26 in Young Main Lounge at the Memorial Center. Copies of her new book may be purchased and signed at the event, which is free and open to the p  more

BLOOMINGTON, Illinois, April 24 -- Illinois Wesleyan University issued the following news release: Best-selling author and Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Torri "T.J." Newman '06 will deliver the University's Commencement address on Sunday, May 5. Weather permitting, the graduation ceremony for the class of 2024 will take place at Kemp Commencement Plaza on the Eckley Quad near State Farm Hall. Commencement will begin at 1 p.m. and will last about two hours. In the event of inclement weath  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 24 -- Kirkland and Ellis, a law firm, issued the following news release: Kirkland & Ellis advised The Sterling Group, an operationally focused, industrial middle market private equity firm, on the closing of Sterling Group Partners VI, LP. Fund VI exceeded its target of $2.75 billion and was significantly oversubscribed at its hard cap of $3.5 billion. The Sterling Group's previous fund closed in June 2020 with $2.0 billion of limited partner commitments. The majority  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 24 -- Mayer Brown, a law firm, issued the following news: Mayer Brown advised insurance provider Chubb on its acquisition of Healthy Paws, a US-based managing general agent specializing in pet insurance, from Aon PLC. The acquisition will allow Chubb and Healthy Paws to continue a longstanding relationship while enabling Chubb to continue its mission on a larger scale, thereby offering greater value to the pet community. The Mayer Brown team was led by Corporate & Sec  more

DECATUR, Illinois, April 24 -- Millikin University issued the following news: By Matthew Flaten The Millikin Community Arts Academy (MCAA) has opened enrollment for 2024 summer events. MCAA offers summer camps for children from pre-school through 12th grade and private and group lessons for children from six through adult in the performing arts, music, and writing. The summer programming offers a unique selection of quality instruction for beginners or advanced learners. The Mission of MCAA i  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 23 (TNSres) -- Northwestern University issued the following news release: * * * * Northwestern will focus on inflammation's role in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) * HFpEF accounts for more than half of all heart failure cases in the U.S. * Goal is to understand why some people experience unresolving inflammation while others do not * * * Northwestern Medicine scientists have been selected to lead one of only three research centers nationally  more

QUINCY, Illinois, April 24 -- Quincy University issued the following news release: Quincy University has announced Brad Hoyt as its next head men's basketball coach. Hoyt comes to QU from John Wood Community College, where he has been the Head Men's Basketball Coach and Athletic Director since 2011. His JWCC record is 269-156, and he is the all-time wins leader for JWCC Men's Basketball. "Brad Hoyt's accomplishments as a coach and teacher of the game are hard to overstate," said Brian McGee,   more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 24 -- Roosevelt University issued the following news: Roosevelt University recently hosted the 6th Annual RU Student Research & Inquiry Symposium. The multi-day event featured student research presentations representing all four colleges from the University. This year, the symposium included the "Celebration of Academic Excellence at RU: Living Our Mission," featuring a student panel discussion followed by a faculty awards ceremony. This event was organized by the Offic  more