Stories by Andrew Adams — Capitol News Illinois

The bill repeals a requirement that those seeking a name change publish a notice in a local newspaper.

The bill comes as several state officials warn that Illinois is falling behind on its clean energy goals. The state’s main funding mechanism for renewable energy projects also faces a potential $3 billion budget shortfall in the coming years.

The Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday approved scaled-back plans submitted by Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois, the electric utilities for northern and southern Illinois, respectively.

Following almost a year of legal battles and fierce public opposition, water utility Aqua Illinois is set to raise its rates in 2025. The privately owned water utility has not released an estimate of the exact impact the increase will have on customer bills in 14 northern Illinois counties.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of six organizations and six individuals against Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Illinois Department of Insurance Director Ann Gillespie and Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

That growth in chargers is important as Illinois aims to rapidly transition toward having more electric vehicle drivers. As of last week, there were about 120,000 EVs on Illinois roads, while the state’s goal is to have 1 million on the road by 2030.

Applications opened Oct. 1 for adults age 60 and older, individuals with a disability, families with children under age 5, and households that are disconnected from their utilities or energy vendors, have a disconnect date within seven days or whose propane tanks are less than 25% full. 

This year in Illinois, there are no statewide elections. And yet, political campaigns in the state raised about $600 million in itemized individual contributions, according to a Capitol News Illinois analysis of Illinois campaign finance data.

Voters in Illinois are being posed three “advisory” questions that ask voters whether they support a specific policy but aren’t legally binding. Lawmakers may take the results into account when considering what policies to advocate for in future legislative sessions.

The documents were available through an unsecured cloud storage platform. They included Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and voter registration history.

At issue was a proposed rate increase that would drive the average monthly bill for residential customers of Illinois American Water up by nearly $30. Illinois American, which serves about 1.3 million people across the entire state, is one of two privately held water utilities seeking rate increases before state regulators. 

New safety requirements for carbon dioxide pipelines as well as a temporary ban on their construction are now in effect after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that passed the General Assembly earlier this year.

Illinois American Water, which serves 1.3 million people, is seeking a $152.4 million rate increase. Aqua Illinois, which serves 273,000 people, is seeking a $19.2 million increase. The requests must be reviewed by the Illinois Commerce Commission before the utilities are allowed to modify their rates.

Changes to primary election fundraising, the electoral college and the state’s voter registration database are now law after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a wide-ranging bill. The legislation, containing several unrelated election measures, passed near the end of the legislature’s spring session.

Abortion remains legal as an emergency medical procedure in Idaho, for now, after a Thursday U.S. Supreme Court ruling, while a bill that would cement those protections in Illinois law awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.

The measure is part of a broad package of election-related legislation which also includes a provision loosening restrictions on what political parties can do with campaign funds and a state-level response to a controversy in the south suburbs. 

While proponents of carbon capture technology say it is key to addressing climate change, it is often criticized for the risks it brings with it. A pipeline can burst, resulting in a flood of carbon dioxide for miles that can poison those caught in it.

Carbon capture and sequestration technology is used to take carbon dioxide — a powerful greenhouse gas — and move it through pipelines before storing it deep underground. Several groups are pushing for a bill that would regulate the emerging technology at the same time some companies are pitching pipeline projects to state regulators.

The complaint alleges Proft’s independent expenditure committee – the “People Who Play By The Rules PAC” – coordinated with Bailey, violating both state and federal law.

Even as solar projects have boomed in Illinois in recent years, the head of the state agency responsible for approving renewable projects said changes to state law may be necessary to phase out fossil fuels by 2050.

Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry.

The plans propose billions of dollars in spending and lay out the companies’ plans for supporting the state’s climate goals, including the transition away from greenhouse gas emitting energy generation over the next 20 years. The ICC is now reviewing the plans in a process likely to last the rest of the year. 

Statewide, 88% of judicial and state legislative primaries feature either a single candidate or no one running at all. This is the highest number of uncompetitive primaries for those seats in at least 20 years, according to a Capitol News Illinois analysis of data going back to 2004.

Consumer advocates are pushing for a change to state law that would bar utilities from collecting money from customers for those expenditures, liability insurance covering executives and for the cost associated with filing rate cases. 

The eight local unions that authorized strikes are spread throughout Illinois and represent around 3,800 employees, including drivers, highway maintainers and bridge tenders. Negotiations between the state and the unions have lasted more than seven months. 

The video of that reenactment – which Jessica Logan’s lawyers maintain she was coerced into performing – was used as a key piece of evidence in her 2021 conviction on first-degree murder charges.