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The state of Illinois might be getting a new flag.Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said public submissions for a new design will be accepted starting Tuesday.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchTen of those designs will be selected.SEE ALSO: Rancho Cucamonga woodworker's patriotic passion, making flags that are works of artAfter a public feedback period, the general assembly will decide whether to adopt a new flag or keep the current one.Visit www.ilsos.gov or submit designs via mail addressed to Illinois Flag Commission, Howlett Building, Room 476, 501 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62756.Minnesota unveiled its new flag in December 2023, using a similar method to the one adopted by Illinois, a news release from Giannoulias' office Wednesday said. Both Michigan and Maine are also considering an official change in their state flags, the release said.

It is not every day that a radio group sues a client, but that’s what Steel City Media did last year. It sued the Illinois-based Joint Relief Institute, alleging the former advertiser skipped out on its six-figure bill and failed to comply with an agreed-upon 30-day cancellation notice. But this month the two sides reached an out-of-court settlement.

Robert Bruno is a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal, a research-based initiative tasked with investigating labor policies in today's economy. Bruno, the author of the book "What Work Is," spoke with News Bureau...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — The Springfield YMCA is naming the Downtown YMCA Gymnasium in honor of Illinois State Senator Doris Turner. Turner will be recognized whenat a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at noon at the Springfield Downtown YMCA, 601 N. 4th. The Y...

Investigation Finds Chicago Police Officers Routinely Fail to Report Traffic Stops. A recent investigation by a watchdog organization found that Chicago Police officers have routinely failed to document instances of traffic stops that do not end in arrest or charges, as many as 20,000 a month last year, in violation of a 2003 law which mandates that every traffic stop must be documented. This information stands in stark contrast to CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling reporting this past June that traffic stops in Chicago were down by approximately 87,000 stops from last year. What is particularly troubling about these numbers is that rates of traffic stops increased just as the department announced it would move away from the controversial “stop-and-frisk” tactic of patrolling, with some believing the practice is just a replacement to the policy that advocates say violated individuals Fourth Amendment rights. “It is quite concerning, especially if CPD is intentionally not recording traffic stops so they can claim they’re fixing the problem, when all they’re doing is hiding it behind an absence of data,” said Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System & Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois. Many advocates believe that officers use minor traffic stops as a pretext to search for drugs and weapons in minority neighborhoods. CPD leadership seems to know that traffic stops present an issue, with Snelling asking that traffic stops be brought under the supervision of the federal courts under the federal consent decree that CPD has been under since 2019. However, advocacy groups remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the consent degree and what change it can bring to drivers who feel they are being profiled and the routine traffic stops are an infringement on their rights.

Taylor De Boer knows how quickly life can take a drastic turn. A rising star in the volleyball world, De Boer was gearing up to play at the University of Illinois in 2023, after serving as captain for Team Canada’s U19 team in 2022. But Taylor started having health...

An internationally best-selling novelist and an alum of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop is appearing in Des Moines and Iowa City this week, while headlining the opening of the 22nd annual DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts. Bret Anthony Johnston is director of the Michener Center for Writers at the University...

BURLINGTON, Iowa (KWQC) - Storms swept through Des Moines County overnight Tuesday. According to the Burlington Police Department Facebook page at 9:35 p.m. they posted urging residents to be patient with first responders as they dealt with multiple trees and lines down, flooding, and alarms going off. TV6 reached out...

One teacher in Illinois has a back-to-school ask of parents. Ann Brackemyer, a kindergarten teacher in Morrison, is going viral as kiddos are going back to school with what she says is an "unpopular opinion". Parents love to bring cupcakes to school on the kid's birthday for the class. It's...

If you're looking for some family fun but are on a tight budget, there are opportunities available for free days at some Illinois museums. During September Some Illinois Museums Offer Free Days. I was pretty lucky growing up. My parents liked to do activities as a family so I got...

Superintendent Brian DeBernardi walks along the outside of Northwest Elementary School in LaSalle. “You can see where this kind of juts out. None of this was here,” he says, pointing to a 15,000 square-foot addition to the school. It’s brand-new — kids just stepped in the doors last week.

Areas in Northern Illinois experienced heat indices of up to 119 degrees on Tuesday, followed by severe storms at night. The National Weather Service in Chicago says that Dixon recorded a high temperature of 97 degrees with a heat index of 119 degrees. O'Hare Airport in Chicago had a temperature reading of 99 degrees with a heat index of 115 degrees.

Illinoisans are catching a little break from the extreme heat seen earlier this week with temperatures soaring to the 100’s. An Excessive Heat Warning was in effect Tuesday 11am-8pm causing the Danville Consolidated School District to transition to an E-learning day and all outdoor programming sponsored by the Champaign Park District was cancelled.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — In Central Illinois, summertime also means construction season. Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) workers know that all too well. One civil engineer in particular plays an important part in the process before concrete is poured at job sites. Spending the day outside and on the side of the road isn’t everyone’s […]

Just think about all the different food product recalls we've been hearing about and dealing with over the last few months alone. We've been warned of the dangers of a certain brand of deli meat being possible contaminated with listeria. The recall involving those meat products covered over 7 million pounds of various meats that were produced at a single location. Several deaths have potentially resulted from ingestion of the recalled products.

(The Center Square) – Illinois taxpayers could be on the hook for monetary awards to claimants suing Illinois State Police for alleged negligence in the run up to the 2022 Highland Park mass shooting. Seven people died and dozens were injured in the shooting that took place on Independence Day, 2022. “The parade started out like any other - a familiar scene across America on the Fourth of July -...

It's not uncommon to see personalized or vanity license plates on the roadways in Eastern Iowa. Our station vehicle has the plates 981KHAK. But the state of Iowa won't allow just any words of numbers on those plates. The Iowa Department of Transportation is unhappy with one Iowan who snuck a nasty license plate on his or her vehicle.

One teacher in Illinois has a back-to-school ask of parents. Ann Brackemyer, a kindergarten teacher in Morrison, is going viral as kiddos are going back to school with what she says is an "unpopular opinion". Parents love to bring cupcakes to school on the kid's birthday for the class. It's...

If you're looking for some family fun but are on a tight budget, there are opportunities available for free days at some Illinois museums. During September Some Illinois Museums Offer Free Days. I was pretty lucky growing up. My parents liked to do activities as a family so I got...

ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The state of Illinois is getting money to reduce lead exposure for children. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced the state will get $1,093,000 to reduce the number of lead pipes in schools and childcare facilities in the state. “Every American, no matter their zip-code, deserves access to safe […]