(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has issued an executive order he says will bolster state laws to prevent insider trading amid the rapid growth of online prediction markets and event-based gambling contracts. The order prohibits state employees from using nonpublic information to participate or assist any person in prediction markets and event-based contracts.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois House has passed legislation to provide tax incentives for the Chicago Bears and other future megaprojects worth $100 million or more. House Bill 910 passed last night by a vote of 78 to 32, with many downstate lawmakers voting against the proposal. The Bears have threatened to relocate to northern Indiana if Illinois did not approve tax incentives for the team to move from Soldier Field to a new facility on Chicago’s Lakefront. The State Senate is now expected to take up the matter next week in Springfield.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Department of Public Health is recommending that residents consult its annual update of advisories related to the consumption of sport fish caught in statewide waterways. Fish are tested throughout Illinois for contaminants and the results are used for guidelines on how often fish from various waterways can be eaten without posing a health risk as more stringent advisory guidelines are in place. Go to the dph.illinois.gov website.
(SPRINGFIELD) The National Institute for Early Education Research’s 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook says Illinois remained 20th in the nation for preschool access for 4 year olds while falling from third to fourth in serving 3 year olds. The report said state spending rose 7% over the previous year, when adjusted for inflation. Illinois enrolled 35% of its 4 year old and 26% of 3 year olds in state funded Pre-K programs in 2024-2025, the last year with available data.