SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Sept. 21 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news on Sept. 20, 2024: CHICAGO -- State Senator Sara Feigenholtz was recognized Thursday with the Advocate Award at LAGBAC's Lawyers for Diversity celebration for her decades-long work in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. "The privilege I have of working alongside the LGBTQIA+ legal community cannot be understated," said Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). "Standing alongside the passionate, sharp minds of the legal c  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Sept. 21 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news on Sept. 20, 2024: CHICAGO - Senate Transportation Chair Ram Villivalam held a subject matter hearing Thursday to discuss how public transit mitigates climate impact. "As public transit continues to positively impact our climate, it is imperative that we have discussions about what we can do to continue making progress," said Villivalam (D-Chicago). "Today's hearing included discussions about what is bei  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 21 -- The Illinois Senate Republicans issued the following news: Families enrolled in the Bright Start College Savings Program (Bright Start 529) will see several changes starting September 30, as TIAA, a major provider of 529 college savings plans, takes over as the program manager. Bright Start is a 529 college savings plan typically sponsored by a state and can be used to save for higher education. Illinois' Bright Start Program is already recognized as one of the l  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 21 -- The Illinois Senate Republicans issued the following news: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating a reported leak at a CO2 sequestration well site operated by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in Decatur. ADM's CO2 program was the first in the country to utilize a Class VI well, which is designed to allow carbon dioxide to be pumped into underground rock formations. The idea is to store or sequester the CO2 there to reduce greenhouse   more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 21 -- The Illinois Senate Republicans issued the following news: Government agencies across the country, including in Illinois, are facing the difficult challenge of dealing with an alarming rise in cyberattacks. Recent data from the Center for Internet Security reveals a drastic increase in malware and ransomware attacks, with a 148 percent surge in malware incidents and a 51 percent rise in ransomware attacks during the first eight months of 2023 compared to the same   more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 16 -- The Illinois Senate Republicans issued the following news: To support the state's specialty crop industry, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) will distribute nearly $525,000 over the next three years through the 2024 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program. This funding, made possible by the 2018 Federal Farm Bill, is available to non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and local governments. The IDOA partnered with an external review comm  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 21 -- The Illinois Senate Republicans issued the following news: The Illinois Department of Agriculture has announced record-breaking attendance figures for the 2024 Illinois State Fair. More than 773,000 people attended the 11-day event, marking the highest attendance on record. The Illinois State Fair also saw major successes in other areas, including a record-breaking Grandstand performance. Grandstand artists such as the Jonas Brothers, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 16 (TNSres) -- The Illinois Senate Republicans issued the following news: Young professionals are rapidly becoming one of Illinois' top exports according to new data from SmartAsset, which ranks Illinois among the top states losing millennials to more tax-friendly states. The report ranked states based on how many young households earning $200,000 or more left in 2022. Illinois came in second, with 1,323 households between the ages of 26 and 35 choosing to move to more  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 -- The White House issued the following news release on Sept. 20, 2024: Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Illinois and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding from July 13 to July 16, 2024. The President's action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Cook, Fulton  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: FEMA announced today that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Illinois to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding from July 13-16, 2024. The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Cook, Fulton, Henry, St. Clair, Will and Winnebago  more