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6 days ago | 
southernillinoisnow.com | Austin Williams |Ben Szalinski |Jade Aubrey
SPRINGFIELD – Two hours in the state capital was enough for U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to criticize Illinois’ immigration laws and its governor while invoking the 2023 murder of a local progressive activist. Her short Wednesday visit largely served as an opportunity for an official from President Donald Trump’s cabinet to take photos highlighting immigration policies in a Democrat-run state.
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1 week ago | 
southernillinoisnow.com | Austin Williams |Jade Aubrey
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois State Police released preliminary toxicology results that showed no drugs or alcohol in the system of a driver who crashed into a central Illinois after-school program, killing four young girls. Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said Thursday police are still investigating the cause of the crash but found one possible explanation.
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2 weeks ago | 
wmbdradio.com | Beth Hundsdorfer |Jade Aubrey |Julia Bradley
CHATHAM (Capitol News Illinois) — As a central Illinois community mourns the deaths of three children and a teen counselor killed Monday when a vehicle crashed into the building that housed their after-school program, it has rallied around survivors. Ainsley Johnson, 8; Kathryn Corley, 7; Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, all of Chatham, and counselor Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield, died from blunt force trauma in the accident.
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2 weeks ago | 
bnd.com | Beth Hundsdorfer |Jade Aubrey
As a central Illinois community mourns the deaths of three children and a teen counselor killed Monday when a vehicle crashed into the building that housed their after-school program, it has rallied around survivors. Ainsley Johnson, 8; Kathryn Corley, 7; Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, all of Chatham, and counselor Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield, died from blunt force trauma in the accident.
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2 weeks ago | 
southernillinoisnow.com | Austin Williams |Beth Hundsdorfer |Jade Aubrey
CHATHAM — The driver of a vehicle involved in a deadly crash Monday at an after-school program formerly worked for the Illinois State Police, the agency investigating the crash. The ISP identified the driver as Marianne Akers, 44, of Chatham. She worked at the ISP from June 2006 to August 2018, an ISP spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
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1 month ago | 
commercial-news.com | Peter Hancock |Jade Aubrey
SPRINGFIELD — Law enforcement officers would no longer be allowed to search a vehicle or detain a driver who is over age 21 based solely on the smell of burnt cannabis in the vehicle under a bill that passed April 10 in the Illinois Senate. Senate Bill 42, sponsored by Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, is a response to a September 2024 Illinois Supreme Court decision that held the smell of burnt cannabis alone was insufficient to establish probable cause for searching a vehicle without a warrant.
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1 month ago | 
southernillinoisnow.com | Austin Williams |Peter Hancock |Jade Aubrey
SPRINGFIELD — Law enforcement officers would no longer be allowed to search a vehicle or detain a driver who is over age 21 based solely on the smell of burnt cannabis in the vehicle under a bill that passed Thursday in the Illinois Senate. Senate Bill 42, sponsored by Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, is a response to a September 2024 Illinois Supreme Court decision that held the smell of burnt cannabis alone was insufficient to establish probable cause for searching a vehicle without a warrant.
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1 month ago | 
southernillinoisnow.com | Bruce Kropp |Jade Aubrey
Updated from last year’s bill, it aims to increase transparency of prisoner releasesBy JADE AUBREY Capitol News [email protected] — A bill that would reform the Prisoner Review Board passed the Illinois Senate on Thursday, aiming to protect victims and increase transparency about prisoner releases following years of controversy surrounding the board’s decisions.
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1 month ago | 
25newsnow.com | Ben Szalinski |Jade Aubrey |Bridgette Fox
SPRINGFIELD (Capitol News Illinois) - The Illinois House took its first step Monday in passing legislation responding to proposed actions by the Trump administration. The House voted 67-39 to advance House Bill 3637, which would put new protections in state law to safeguard health care licenses for providers who offer abortion cares. It also guarantees continued access to abortion medication even if the medication’s approval is rescinded by the federal Food and Drug Administration.
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1 month ago | 
commercial-news.com | Ben Szalinski |Jade Aubrey
SPRINGFIELD — President Donald Trump’s administration is pulling back $477 million from Illinois that was to be used to prevent infectious disease and treat mental health and substance abuse issues. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced this week the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking back $125 million allocated to IDPH and 97 local health departments for infectious disease prevention.
