Local

A 16-year-old is dead after being shot near Southeast High School Wednesday morning.

Nearly 200 years after Native Americans were forced out of Illinois, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has become the first federally recognized tribal nation in the state after a decision from the U.S. Department of the Interior last week.

District 186 is joining other school districts in holding social media platforms accountable. The board voted unanimously at its Monday night meeting to join a class action lawsuit with Wagstaff and Cartmell Law Firm.

The Springfield Art Association and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum are seeking proposals for mural artwork for the newly remodeled lobby of the Sangamon County Building.  The theme is Abraham Lincoln. 

Illinois bond ratings are improving. Moody’s Analytics changed its outlook on the bonds from “stable” to “positive” Tuesday. Comptroller Susana Mendoza says bond rating agencies notice when the state puts more money toward the Rainy Day Fund and the Pension Stabilization Fund.

An Illinois State Police squad car was struck by a Springfield man on Interstate 55 Saturday night. ISP troopers were investigating a traffic crash south of Litchfield when a squad car was struck by a Toyota driven by 76-year-old Fred Stewart of Springfield.

A threatening 911 call prompted an evacuation at the Illinois State Capitol Monday just before 1 p.m.

Lincoln Land Community College Athletics Director and Head Baseball Coach Ron Riggle received the 2024 Loyalty Award on April 17 at the National Junior College Athletic Association Convention in Charlotte, N.C.  

A manufacturer in the southwest suburbs of Chicago received $2.6 million from electric utility Commonwealth Edison this week as part of a state program for generating its own electricity using solar panels and storing it in one of the largest batteries in the country. 

With a month-and-a-half left in the General Assembly’s spring session, Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration is readying its proposal to address Illinois’ chronically underfunded pension system.