News
Congressman calls out Chicago schools" academic woes
4+ hour, 39+ min ago (446+ words) (The Center Square) " Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Macquline King testified before Congress that math and reading proficiency rates for CPS students are not acceptable. King appeared before the U. S. House Committee on Education and Workforce on Wednesday. U. S. Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah,…...
State Police, IDOT break ground on $14 M training facility
1+ week, 3+ hour ago (428+ words) (The Center Square) " The Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Transportation broke ground on a joint venture to build a new training facility Wednesday, focused on traffic incident safety for officers, first responders and highway workers. The $14 million…...
Debt burden, pensions burden Chicago Public Schools
1+ week, 5+ hour ago (514+ words) (The Center Square) " The author of a new Civic Federation report says taking on more debt would be a death knell for the stability of Chicago Public Schools. Danny Vesecky, senior research and policy associate at the Civic Federation, is…...
Bloomington Announces New Miller Park Zoo Director
1+ week, 4+ hour ago (118+ words) www. cities929. com Miller Park Zoo announces the hiring of its new director, Paul Bouseman. Bouseman was recently the Evansville Indiana Parks and Recreation Deputy Director. Prior to that post, he was the Deputy Director of Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic…...
Bill loosens in-state tuition requirements
1+ week, 1+ day ago (375+ words) (The Center Square) " Some students from outside the Land of Lincoln may soon pay in-state tuition at Illinois public universities and colleges, but the cost of recently-passed legislation generated partisan disagreement in Springfield. According to a bill passed on Sunday,…...
Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly approves CTE bill
1+ week, 2+ day ago (314+ words) (The Center Square) " A bill offering career technical education classes as an alternative to Illinois" foreign language mandate is headed to Gov. J. B. Pritzker"s desk. The Illinois House passed Senate Bill 3070 on Sunday. The measure provides that high school students…...
Illinois to require bell-to-bell student phone ban in public schools
1+ week, 3+ day ago (513+ words) (The Center Square) " Legislation to ban the use of cell phones by students from bell-to-bell officially passed both chambers in the Illinois Capitol on Sunday, sending the bill to Gov. J. B. Pritzker's desk. Having passed the Senate in April 2025, the governor…...
Illinois Quick Hits: Unemployment numbers rise; Champaign job growth continues
1+ week, 5+ day ago (221+ words) (The Center Square) " According to data from the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the unemployment rate increased in all 12 of the state's metro areas for the year ending April 2026. Champaign recorded its 15th consecutive month…...
WATCH: Experts say increased spending doesn't mean better students
1+ week, 6+ day ago (1572+ words) (The Center Square) " Spending more taxpayer dollars doesn't make kids smarter, according to experts. As K-12 test scores and student proficiency rates continue to decline nationwide, education experts question whether increased education funding is improving student outcomes or merely contributing to…...
State absenteeism change follows lowered academic benchmarks
2+ week, 7+ hour ago (386+ words) (The Center Square) " Months after lowering academic proficiency benchmarks, the Illinois State Board of Education has changed its rating system for public school attendance. Twent-five percent of Illinois students were chronically absent last school year, higher than the national average…...