Starting next month, some restaurant managers must be formally trained in food allergy safety. But an informal survey by the Illinois Food Allergy Education Association indicates not all restaurants are aware of the new rules. 

Glenview resident Patti Beyer is advocating for a state law that would require mammography reports to inform women if they have dense breast tissue, a risk factor for cancer. “It’s already in the mammography report to the doctor but unless the doctor tells you, it’s kept from you,” she said.

The host of the popular PBS travel show testifies before a legislative panel on the legalization of marijuana. “I’m not pro-marijuana,” Rick Steves told us. “I’m really anti-prohibition and I’m pro-civil liberties.”

Monarch butterfly populations have dropped by more than 80 percent over the past two decades. A bill approved this week aims to boost the monarch’s recovery by protecting milkweed, a plant that serves as the butterfly’s only source of food. 

President Donald Trump this week again claimed—erroneously—that Chicago has the “strongest gun laws in our nation,” pushing back against the idea the tough legislation will reduce gun violence.

A North Shore salon owner says cosmetology licenses should not be required for employees of salons specializing in styling hair, rather than cutting it. But not everyone in the industry agrees that a blow-dry license is a good idea.

The governor said a bill requiring mobile apps to seek users’ permission before collecting and sharing their geolocation data would cost the state jobs without “materially” improving privacy protections.

A law signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner last month eliminates the statute of limitations for criminal sexual assault against children. Fighting for that change was personal for Scott Cross. He joins us in discussion.

Research shows that hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans live in food deserts. According to a 2006 report, most of those in Chicago were made up entirely of African-American residents. 

Universities and other publicly funded institutions will soon be required to make “reasonable efforts” to get research dogs and cats adopted once they are no longer needed.

Counties in Illinois will soon be able to tap into their animal population control funds to support programs aimed at reducing feral cat populations.

Starting Oct. 1, crossbows can be used to hunt deer and turkey in Illinois thanks to a state law signed last week.

State regulators signed off Monday on an energy savings plan that consumer advocates say could cost downstate residents nearly 30 percent in savings on utility bills.

Should cellphone users be better notified when apps seek their location data? Proponents of a new bill say more transparency is needed, but opponents say the measure is bad for business.

Drivers in Illinois will soon be allowed to pass cyclists in no-passing zones, and bicycling on the shoulder of the road will also be legal. Learn more.

At long last, Illinois has tossed its old method of funding schools in exchange for a formula that aims to send more state money to the poorer districts that need it most.