(SPRINGFIELD) The SAFE-T Act is again making headlines in Illinois with the pretrial release of a man accused of being under the influence and crashing his vehicle into a sheriff’s department squad car and killing the deputy driving it. Republican members of the Truth in Public Safety, or TIPS, working group, have unveiled a flurry of bills like House Bill 5120, which would expand detainable offenses pending trial based on the severity of the offense and determination of whether the defendant poses a real threat to the public. Other bills introduced include House Bill 5126, which would revert back to pre-SAFE-T Act processes of the court issuing a warrant for a defendant’s failure to appear in court, and House Bill 5121, which would enable revocation of a defendant’s pretrial release if he/she is charged with a new offense. Supporters say the proposals are falling on deaf ears.
(SPRINGFIELD) It was earlier this week that Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a change in leadership at the agency in charge of regulating the state’s insurance industry. Starting this coming Monday, State Senator Ann Gillespie of Arlington Heights will become the acting director of the Illinois Department of Insurance, replacing Dana Popish Severinghaus, who has held the job since 2021. The change in leadership comes as the Governor is proposing sweeping changes in state regulation of the health insurance industry for Illinois residents.
(CARBONDALE) The Southern Illinois University System has announced it will not increase undergraduate tuition rates at its Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses in the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year. The SIU Board of Trustees voted to freeze tuition rates during its meeting yesterday. The SIU System has not raised undergraduate tuition rates since 2017.
(SPRINGFIELD) Announced this past Wednesday, the winner of the 2024 Coolest Thing Made in Illinois, is the Komatsu Mining Truck. Manufactured in Peoria, the huge truck stands roughly 26-feet tall and features tires that weigh more than 1,000 pounds each. The truck is a rugged, large capacity vehicle, with dump truck bed that can carry from 30 to 400 tons of material, mostly used for construction and mining. The other three finalists in the annual contest were Mullen’s Imitation French Dressing made in Palestine, the MQ-25 Stringray Drone Refueler built in Mascoutah, and the Mod Box outdoor building made in Quincy. A total of nearly 315,000 votes were cast throughout the eight week online contest, starting with 200 entries, all sponsored by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.