(CHICAGO) A vigil is planned this afternoon outside the State of Illinois Building in Chicago, asking Governor J.B. Pritzker to veto a physician-assisted suicide bill. The Catholic Bishops of Illinois wrote the Governor requesting the veto of Senate Bill 1950 as a matter of “grave moral importance” to statewide residents. Disability rights activists also oppose the bill, along with most county coronors and healthcare officials throughout the state.
(SPRINGFIELD) The National Federation of Independent Business is urging Governor J.B. Pritzker to veto the General Assembly’s energy plan. Representing more than 10,000 small business owners around Illinois, the NFIB is arguing against Senate Bill 25 and its planned expansions of project labor agreement mandates, discrimination against non-union workers & contractors, and subsidies to be paid by Illinois ratepayers.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Department of Employment Security has announced that the state’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.4% in September, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of unemployed persons was 287,000, down 1.9% from August and down 13.4% over the same month a year ago. The IDES says that the September data was released late due to the recent federal government shutdown.
(MT. VERNON) The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the recall and assignment of retired Judge Mark H. Clarke to the Fifth District Appellate Court, which hears cases from across the 48 southernmost counties in Illinois. The southern Illinois native will fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Justice James R. Moore, effective December 31st, 2025. Judge Clarke, who presided in the First Judicial Circuit for 26 years, from 1992 to 2018, and was Chief Judge from 2008 to 2014, will serve January 27th, 2026, through December 4th, 2028.