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![Senate committee advances bills on sex ed, decriminalizing HIV transmission Senate committee advances bills on sex ed, decriminalizing HIV transmission](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-VILLIVALAM-0505-XelzrM-1024x545.jpeg)
Senate committee advances bills on sex ed, decriminalizing HIV transmission
By RAYMON TRONCOSO Capitol News Illinoisrtroncoso@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Legislation that would overhaul sex education in Illinois and a measure to decriminalize the transmission of HIV were among several bills that passed the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday. The committee, following a long and contentious debate, advanced legislation that would require public schools to teach sex ed…
![Illinois House votes to endorse ‘abolition amendment,’ D.C. statehood Illinois House votes to endorse ‘abolition amendment,’ D.C. statehood](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-Flowers-abolition-0505-BV6NW1-1024x653.jpeg)
Illinois House votes to endorse ‘abolition amendment,’ D.C. statehood
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House voted Wednesday to endorse a proposed U.S. constitutional amendment that would finally eliminate what some see as the last vestige of slavery in the United States – forced labor by people convicted of crimes and sentenced to prison. House Joint Resolution 7, by Rep.…
![CAPITOL RECAP: Governor, Chicago mayor show reopening optimism CAPITOL RECAP: Governor, Chicago mayor show reopening optimism](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-Headshot-0046-NIHtf0-1024x682.jpeg)
CAPITOL RECAP: Governor, Chicago mayor show reopening optimism
By Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday the Chicago Auto Show will return in July, signaling the return of some larger-scale events amid declining COVID-19 positivity rates. The announcement comes one day after Pritzker announced the state could be moving forward to the “bridge” phase of reopening as early as next…
![Study shows working mothers hard hit by pandemic-related child care burdens Alison Dickson - Labor Education Program](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-DICKSON1-dQz32Z-1024x683.jpeg)
Study shows working mothers hard hit by pandemic-related child care burdens
By GRACE BARBIC Capitol News Illinoisgbarbic@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – New research shows pandemic-related child care burdens have magnified economic inequalities for women in the workforce in Illinois. That research was included in The Child Care Crisis in Illinois: A Survey of Working Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic, conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and…
![Secretary of state calls for new Martin Luther King statue on Capitol grounds Secretary of state calls for new Martin Luther King statue on Capitol grounds](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-STATUE-0819201312-IvgrYB-1024x682.jpeg)
Secretary of state calls for new Martin Luther King statue on Capitol grounds
By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News Illinois smansur@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White on Tuesday said it’s time for the state to construct a new statue commemorating Martin Luther King Jr., as the current statue’s rendering “does not properly reflect Dr. King,” White said in a news release. White said he would personally…
![Chicago Auto Show to return in July as state prepares for return of large events Chicago Auto Show to return in July as state prepares for return of large events](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-PRITZKER-05041-G0aiEP-1024x662.png)
Chicago Auto Show to return in July as state prepares for return of large events
By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News Illinoistkirsininkas@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday the Chicago Auto Show will return in July, signaling the return of some larger-scale events amid declining COVID-19 positivity rates. The announcement comes one day after Pritzker announced the state could be moving forward to the “bridge” phase of reopening as early…
![Catholic Church opposes governor’s proposed change to scholarship tax credits Catholic Church opposes governor’s proposed change to scholarship tax credits](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-Cupich1-0ybvQS-1024x682.jpeg)
Catholic Church opposes governor’s proposed change to scholarship tax credits
By RAYMON TRONCOSO Capitol News Illinoisrtroncoso@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Catholic Conference of Illinois is lobbying against proposed tax changes for the 2022 fiscal year that would reduce an income tax credit gained for donations to private scholarships. In a letter released Tuesday, Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago joined bishops representing the state’s…
![Report into LaSalle home deaths raises questions about criminal probe Report into LaSalle home deaths raises questions about criminal probe](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-DURKIN-0171-J9ccNS-1024x682.jpeg)
Report into LaSalle home deaths raises questions about criminal probe
By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News Illinoissmansur@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Some Republicans in the General Assembly, including House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, are calling for a criminal investigation into the COVID-19 related deaths at the state-run LaSalle Veterans’ Home. The push for a criminal probe comes after a state investigative report was released Friday that found there…
![Illinois economy shrinks 4% in 2020 despite 4th quarter growth Illinois economy shrinks 4% in 2020 despite 4th quarter growth](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-State-GDP-2019-20201-27xuRr.jpeg)
Illinois economy shrinks 4% in 2020 despite 4th quarter growth
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois economy shrank by 4 percent in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on many of its sectors, although there were signs of a recovery taking place late in the year. Those preliminary numbers, released last week by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of…
![Pritzker says state ‘in decent shape’ to further reopening as vaccination pace slows Pritzker says state ‘in decent shape’ to further reopening as vaccination pace slows](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-7-Day-Rolling-Positivity-Rate-Since-June-131-74pnQL-1024x507.png)
Pritzker says state ‘in decent shape’ to further reopening as vaccination pace slows
By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News Illinoistkirsininkas@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday the state could enter the “bridge” phase to greater reopening as soon as next week, while the state’s vaccination rate continues to drop. Speaking at a news conference at Providence Hospital in Chicago, Pritzker said Illinois is nearing the necessary metrics to…