In Month of ‘Tragic Loss,’ Manhattan School District Mourns Students and Former Board Member
Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | November 12, 2025 Article Summary:Manhattan School District 114 is grieving the recent deaths of two junior high students, Danny Bayles and Chance Hunnicutt, and...
Will County Finance Committee Forwards 1.75% Compromise Property Tax Levy to Full Board
Will County Finance Committee Forwards 1.75% Compromise Property Tax Levy to Full Board Article Summary:The Will County Board’s Finance Committee on Tuesday, November 12, 2025, narrowly approved a series of...
Manhattan D114 Projects Flat Tax Rate Despite Higher Levy Request, Plans Abatement
Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | November 12, 2025 Article Summary:Manhattan School District 114 officials presented the tentative 2025 tax levy, which includes a higher request to capture value from...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan Village Board for November 4, 2025
Manhattan Village Board Meeting | November 4, 2025 An emotional and lengthy discussion on improving safety along U.S. Route 52 was the central focus of the Manhattan Village Board meeting...
Manhattan Man Arrested on Six Felony Counts of Child Pornography
Article Summary:A 25-year-old Manhattan man was arrested on multiple felony child pornography charges following a lengthy investigation that began with a tip from law enforcement in Nebraska. Police said evidence...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District Board for September 2025
Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District Board Meeting | September 2025 The Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District Board of Trustees handled key annual financial duties and updated its personnel policies during its regular...
Will County Saves $5.7 Million in Bond Refinancing, Maintains High Credit Ratings
Will County Finance Committee Meeting | November 2025 Article Summary: A recent bond transaction successfully saved Will County over $5.7 million in future debt payments, while a presentation from the...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan Park Board for September 2025
Manhattan Park Board Meeting | September 2025 The Manhattan Park Board at its Thursday, September 11, 2025, meeting ratified the emergency purchase of a bucket truck to aid in park...
Manhattan Approves Purchase of FOIA Redaction Software for Police Department
Manhattan Village Board Meeting | November 4, 2025 Article Summary: To handle a surge in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for body-camera footage, the Manhattan Village Board approved the...
Library Board Adopts New Cell Phone Stipend Policy for Employees
Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District Board Meeting | September 2025 Article SummaryThe Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District Board of Trustees has approved a new policy to provide a cell phone stipend for...
Manhattan Announces Proposed 6% Property Tax Levy Increase
Manhattan Village Board Meeting | November 4, 2025 Article Summary: The Manhattan Village Board has announced a proposed 2025 property tax levy of $3,828,252, which represents an approximate 6.09% increase...
State Veto Session Passes Energy Bill Limiting County Zoning, Approves Toll Hike for Mass Transit
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Legislative Committee for November 4, 2025 Article Summary: A state lobbyist reported to Will County that the Illinois General Assembly passed a major energy bill...
Education
Lincoln-Way to Purchase New Buses, Add Smaller Vehicles to Address Driver Shortage
LW210 Board of Education Meeting | October 16, 2025 Article Summary: Lincoln-Way District 210 plans to update its transportation fleet by purchasing 28 new gasoline-powered school buses, three activity buses,...
Lincoln-Way Board Honors Students with Perfect ACT Scores, Music Educator of the Year
LW210 Board of Education Meeting | October 16, 2025 Article Summary: Lincoln-Way District 210 celebrated exceptional academic and faculty achievement by formally recognizing nine students who earned a perfect composite...
Manhattan 114 Reviews Fall Student Benchmark Data, Sees Strong Growth
Manhattan School District 114 Board Meeting | October 8, 2025 Article Summary: Manhattan School District 114's Director of Curriculum and Instruction presented the board with fall benchmark data, showing that...
Lincoln-Way Support Staff Union Rejects Tentative Contract Agreement
LW210 Board of Education Meeting | October 16, 2025 Article Summary: Members of the Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 support staff union have voted down a tentative five-year contract...
Parents, Mayor Raise Concerns Over Special Education Services at Manhattan 114 Board Meeting
Manhattan School District 114 Board Meeting | October 8, 2025 Article Summary: Parents of a special needs student, supported by a statement from Manhattan's mayor, addressed the Manhattan School District...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education for September 18, 2025
The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education on Thursday, September 18, 2025, formally adopted a $172.7 million budget for the 2025-2026 school year. The budget includes a...
Lincoln-Way 210 to Launch District Literacy Plan, Expands Community Partnerships
Article Summary: As part of its strategic plan, Lincoln-Way High School District 210 is developing a comprehensive literacy plan to embed critical thinking skills across the curriculum. The district is also...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education for September 17, 2025
The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education heard emotional testimony from parents regarding serious transportation safety and timeliness issues at its Wednesday meeting. The board also formally approved the...
Will County Board Meetings
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Land Use & Development Committee for November 6, 2025
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 The Will County Land Use and Development Committee navigated a series of contentious zoning cases on Thursday, November...
Committee Rejects Rezoning for Fencing Company in Joliet Township
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 Article Summary: Citing incompatibility with the surrounding residential neighborhood, the Will County Land Use and Development Committee unanimously denied...
County Sales Tax Revenues Strong, Cannabis Funds Dispersed to Community Programs
Will County Finance Committee Meeting | November 2025 Article Summary: Will County's key sales tax revenues are on track to meet or exceed budget projections for fiscal year 2025, though...
Will County Committee Grants Extensions for Crete, Washington Township Solar Projects
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Land Use and Development Committee granted 180-day extensions for two commercial solar energy projects...
Will County Finance Committee Forwards 1.75% Compromise Property Tax Levy to Full Board
Will County Finance Committee Forwards 1.75% Compromise Property Tax Levy to Full Board Article Summary:The Will County Board’s Finance Committee on Tuesday, November 12, 2025, narrowly approved a series of...
Will County Committee Denies Appeal for Crete Township ‘Tiny Home’ Permit
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Land Use and Development Committee on Thursday upheld the denial of a temporary use...
New Lenox Solar Farm Gains County Committee Approval with Conditions
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 Article Summary: A 63-acre commercial solar energy facility on Spencer Road in New Lenox Township received a key endorsement...
Illinois News
Illinois quick hits: WARN Act reporting shows 1,600 job losses in October
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square WARN Act reporting shows 1,600 job losses in October The Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act for October reports...
Pritzker, alders oppose Chicago tax plans, property tax hike could be next
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – As the Chicago City Council considers 2026 budget measures, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed tax hikes continue to...
WATCH: Lawmakers call out Pritzker for lack of transparency with budget cuts
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois lawmakers say they are not getting information from Gov. J.B. Pritzker or state agencies about the...
Illinois quick hits: Illinois House members vote along party lines; More than 40% of CPS teachers missed 10 or more school days; State Treasurer says Bright Start earns gold
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Illinois House members vote along party lines Illinois U.S. House members voted along party lines as the chamber approved legislation to...
Glock: Judge’s OK of Chicago’s anti-gun lawsuit questionable, at best
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square Firearms maker Glock is asking for permission to appeal a Cook County judge's ruling allowing the city of Chicago to continue its...
Illinois quick hits: DHS responds to migrant release order
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square DHS responds to migrant release order The U.S. Department of Homeland security issued a statement after a federal judge in Chicago...
Pritzker disagrees with Durbin on vote to end shutdown
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he is disappointed that Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin voted in favor of...
National News
Hegseth announces Operation Southern Spear, targeting narco-terrorists
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Operation Southern Spear, the new title for the Trump administration’s targeting of narco-terrorists in and around Latin America, was announced Thursday by Secretary of War...
Justice Department accuses California of racial gerrymandering in redistricting plan
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Justice sued California officials Thursday over the state's redistricting plan, which could help Democrats pick up additional seats in Congress. The...
State Department designates European Antifa groups foreign terror organizations
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square The U.S. State Department officially designated four foreign Antifa groups as foreign terrorist organizations, nearly two months after President Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic...
NetChoice scores legal win in social media warning lawsuit
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square A U.S. District Court recently granted a preliminary injunction against a new Colorado law that would require social media platforms to regularly send pop-up notifications...
Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger draws more support as critics push back
By Tom JoyceThe Center Square Support is growing for the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern as federal regulators continue reviewing what would become the first transcontinental freight...
TSA agents who worked throughout shutdown to receive $10,000 bonus
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The Department of Homeland Security will issue $10,000 bonus checks to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who demonstrated “exemplary” behavior and work attendance during the...
Pro-life org invests $80M into 2026 midterms, will reach 10.5M voters
By Tate MillerThe Center Square Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America says it will reach 10.5 million voters by its newly announced investment of $80 million into the 2026 midterm election,...
