Peoples Gas is asking the Illinois Commerce Commission to approve a $202 million rate increase, while Nicor Gas is seeking its own rate hike of $221 million.

Illinois homeowners could soon face a higher insurance bill. State Farm is raising its rates by 27% starting Aug. 15 — which could cost customers $475 more on average.

Utilities companies like ComEd and Peoples Gas make money by delivering energy. The rates they’re seeking to hike are for distribution, including infrastructure like pipes and transmission lines, and the profit they can tack on to those costs.

The Illinois law at the heart of the Commonwealth Edison bribery plot was a “profit machine” for the utility, according to a report released Tuesday by the Illinois Public Interest Research Group.

Chicago aldermen have proposed a ban on single-use plastics and Styrofoam containers in an effort to cut down on plastic pollution. We learn more from Abe Scarr of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, which helped craft the proposal.