HILLSBORO, Ill. (AP) – Some central Illinois residents are asking state regulators to reject a proposed expansion of a coal mine where an underground fire has smoldered for nearly a year. Opponents of Foresight Energy’s planned Deer Run Mine expansion testified at a Thursday public hearing in Hillsboro that the company’s inability to quell the…
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) – The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is asking its federal counterpart for more time to assess damage form early-winter floods that struck nearly two dozen counties. The Belleville News-Democrat ( bit.ly/1V4hHcw ) reports that the state agency is seeking to extend the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Friday deadline for damage assessments until…
HILLSBORO, Ill. (AP) – The owner of a southern Illinois coal mine where an underground fire has smoldered for nearly a year is asking state regulators to approve an expansion that some local residents fear could jeopardize public health and cause environmental damage. Foresight Energy ceased production at its Deer Run Mine in early January…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois motorists will stop receiving mailed notifications about vehicle emissions testing, starting with vehicle owners whose license plates expire at the end of March. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Secretary of State’s office announced the temporary policy changes regarding vehicle emission test notification and vehicle renewal procedures on…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – President Barack Obama returns to his political birthplace Wednesday with a plea to the Illinois Capitol for “better politics.” But his message will fall among the acidic word-war that has stifled Springfield for nearly a year. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, Democrats who control the Legislature, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel have…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – An Illinois lawmaker wants to make it a crime to record a fight in order to post the video online. Rep. Terri Bryant says she was disturbed by a video of an altercation between two boys from her hometown of Murphysboro that was posted to Facebook. The Republican lawmaker says she…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says it has reached an agreement with the governor’s office to reopen the state museum by charging admission and closing two branches to save money. The announcement Monday comes three days after Gov. Bruce Rauner rejected legislation to reopen the museum. Rauner used his veto…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – A higher-education accrediting agency says the state budget impasse could have “significant” consequences for the public colleges and universities in Illinois. The Champaign News-Gazette reports that the Higher Learning Commission, the regional accrediting agency for 19 states including Illinois, issued a warning to Governor Bruce Rauner and members of the General…
ST. LOUIS (AP) – The owner of two southern Illinois coal mines says it’s cutting more than 200 jobs at those locations as well as additional positions at a Kentucky mine. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (bit.ly/1QlAzzV ) reports that Alliance Resource Partners LP announced the layoffs at its Hamilton and White County coal mines on…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Efforts to overhaul Illinois’ school funding formula again face long odds in the spring legislative session, despite calls to address the matter urgently. Many lawmakers say it will be tough to get support to fix the formula because current proposals call for some districts to lose money. They also point out…