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5 days ago | 
nprillinois.org | Cesar Toscano
Central Illinois lawmakers had predictably partisan reactions to the official state budget for the next fiscal year. The budget includes $55.2 billion in spending, a 3.9% increase. Revenue estimates total $55.3 billion, with $1 billion in new taxes on nicotine products, sports betting, and businesses. Democrats revealed the budget 48 hours before the midnight deadline on Saturday; lawmakers would need to a three-fifths majority to pass any bills after that. That led to heated committee meetings.
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1 week ago | 
nprillinois.org | Cesar Toscano
The Illinois Senate has passed a pair of bills that are intended lower prescription drug costs for patients and maintain their access to the medications. The key bill called the Prescription Drug Affordability Act would target Pharmacy Benefit Managers [PBMs], a so-called middleman, between drug manufacturers, pharmacies and health insurance companies. Critics said PPMs' goals are focused solely on profit rather than providing the lowest-cost service.
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1 week ago | 
nprillinois.org | Cesar Toscano
Pam Augstin comes to the Activity and Recreational Center [ARC] in Normal every Wednesday for lunch. ARC is a peace meal congregate site. Augstin not only comes for a weekly salad, she comes for the camaraderie. "We started sitting in at a table that had some regular people there and so we just all kind of chit chat and became friends," Augstin said.
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2 weeks ago | 
nprillinois.org | Cesar Toscano
For years, some in Central Illinois have feared that their sole source of water — the Mahomet Aquifer — could become contaminated by the use of carbon capture, an emerging but controversial technology meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Illinois House on Tuesday voted to ban carbon capture near the Mahomet Aquifer in a 91-19 vote. It's already passed the Senate and now goes to the governor.
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3 weeks ago | 
ourcommunitynow.com | Cesar Toscano
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Illinois organizations dedicated to the humanities and the arts are asking state lawmakers for help as they scramble to make up for federal funding cuts. The Trump administration has started canceling National Endowment for the Arts [NEA] grants. Much of it was already committed to organizations when it was suddenly cut. The president's proposed budget would eliminate both the NEA and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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3 weeks ago | 
nprillinois.org | Cesar Toscano
Illinois organizations dedicated to the humanities and the arts are asking state lawmakers for help as they scramble to make up for federal funding cuts. The Trump administration has started canceling National Endowment for the Arts [NEA] grants. Much of it was already committed to organizations when it was suddenly cut. The president's proposed budget would eliminate both the NEA and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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3 weeks ago | 
nprillinois.org | Cesar Toscano
Rachele Ackerman noticed her 4-year-old son, Jackson, felt constant pain in his stomach and was growing slower than his peers. So, Ackerman took her son to multiple doctors to find what was wrong. It wasn’t until one doctor recommended a visit to the gastroenterologist that progress was made. They did a blood test for Celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine when a person eats gluten, a protein found commonly in barley, wheat and rye.
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3 weeks ago | 
nprillinois.org | Cesar Toscano
Illinois House lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that, if signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, will create stricter hiring processes for police agencies. Under the bill the Illinois Senate previously approved, police agencies would not be able to offer a job unless an applicant signed a petition requiring them to send prior employment records to the agency.
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3 weeks ago | 
nprillinois.org | Cesar Toscano
Illinois’ energy demand will outmatch its supply by 2030, according to a study from the consulting firm The Power Bureau. That's why some lawmakers are trying to end a 40-year moratorium on the construction of large-scale nuclear reactors. The bill to end the moratorium seems to have widespread support, yet it's stalled as the end of the spring session draws near. There has been increased demand for artificial intelligence and their data centers, which rely on large amounts of energy to run.
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3 weeks ago | 
northernpublicradio.org | Cesar Toscano
Illinois’ energy demand will outmatch its supply by 2030, according to a study from the consulting firm The Power Bureau. That's why some lawmakers are trying to end a 40-year moratorium on the construction of large-scale nuclear reactors. The bill to end the moratorium seems to have widespread support, yet it's stalled as the end of the spring session draws near. There has been increased demand for artificial intelligence and their data centers, which rely on large amounts of energy to run.
