WATCH: Commission makes ICE accountability referral; Rep says Pritzker wrong on prices
December 19, 2025/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop provides moments and reaction from and around the first Illinois Accountability Commission hearing. Appointees of Gov. J.B. Pritzker heard testimony and public comment about the impact of federal immigration enforcement in a state with migrant sanctuary policies.
Bishop also shares more perspective from legislators on both sides of the aisle about prices and the policies that drive them, and the cost of energy with Illinois lawmakers discussing policies around planned coal and natural gas plant closures and the focus on alternatives like battery storage.
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.
Today Jul 27
80° 60°
Mostly Sunny
Latest News Stories
Presidential poll numbers show Pritzker at 2%
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A new public opinion poll says Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker remains low on the list of voters’...
Illinois Quick Hits: Tornadoes, storms cause damage, outages
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The National Weather Service will be conducting storm surveys in the wake of severe storms that impacted...
Cook County offers loans after latest tax bill delays
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The latest delay in property tax billing by Cook County is expected to cost local governments. Cook...
Illinois Quick Hits: Storms cause damage, closures
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Severe storms on Wednesday caused damage in many areas around Illinois, including the state fairgrounds in Springfield....
Extension of pension buyout program to drop $144B liability
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Illinois General Assembly passed legislation extending a program that allows retiring state employees to be paid...
Schools face bus funding, cost challenges
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Public schools are facing bus transportation challenges due to higher costs and a shortage of drivers. State...
‘Family Month’ backer cites biology, declining birth rates in defense of resolution
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Family Institute Executive Director David Smith is praising a proposal from U.S. Rep. Mary Miller...
Aldermen say lawmakers failed to address illegal cannabis sales near schools
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – As the Chicago City Council’s public safety committee moved forward with an ordinance that would increase penalties...
Illinois Quick Hits: Oak Park woman charged with child care fraud
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Oak Park woman is charged with defrauding the state of Illinois out of more than $30,000...
Florida attorney general appeals Chicago judge’s ‘lawless’ transgender ruling
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square Saying a Chicago federal judge overstepped his constitutional authority, Florida's state attorney general has asked a federal appeals court to quickly reverse...
Congressman calls out Chicago schools’ academic woes
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Macquline King testified before Congress that math and reading proficiency rates for CPS...
Everyday Economics: A stable labor market is not enough
By Orphe DivounguyThe Center Square The May jobs report offered a measure of reassurance: the labor market is stable. Employers are still adding jobs, layoffs remain contained, and the economy...
Fishermen advocate begins campaign against offshore wind, ‘industrializing’ of the ocean
By Tate RosentreterThe Center Square (The Center Square ) – The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association began a campaign to bring attention to what it says is a radical climate...
