Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Teachers union demands big raises, time off, paid transit
Big pay raises and more days off are on the table for teachers in Chicago Public Schools.
The Chicago Teachers Union wants members to get a minimum raise of 9% annually and up to 45 days off during the school year.
The State Journal-Register: Months after cash bail ended in Illinois, more changes could be coming. What to know.
Early into the implementation of a first-in-the-nation law, criminal justice advocates are urging caution in drawing major conclusions from the first seven months of the Pretrial Fairness Act — an Illinois law ending cash bail.
The Pretrial Fairness Act, part of the broader Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, eliminated the use of cash bond to grant pretrial release and went through several revisions before going into effect last September. So far, bookings at county jails have decreased statewide, including down nearly 10% at the Sangamon County Jail.
The Daily Herald: A good deal for the suburbs? Transit merger proposal raises questions about finances, fairness
Ripple effects continue from a proposal to abolish the boards of Metra, Pace, the Chicago Transit Authority and the Regional Transportation Authority and merge the four agencies into one.
State lawmakers sponsoring reform legislation argue that the resulting Metropolitan Mobility Authority would improve service, access and efficiency.
The Chicago Tribune: Johnson reverses course on moving migrants from downtown to proposed shelter in 11th Ward after stiff opposition from alderman, property owners
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Monday he is pulling his proposal to move migrants from downtown to a new shelter in the South Side 11th Ward before the Democratic National Convention in the face of stiff opposition from the local alderman and the building’s owners, the latest setback in the administration’s attempts to house asylum-seekers.
The change came after the owners of the property said Johnson never informed them of his plans to use the building at 3951 S. Canal St. for a shelter. When the Tribune asked the city about that apparent disconnect, the Department of Family and Support Services released a Monday statement saying the city is “no longer considering” doing so.
The Chicago Sun-Times: Faced with cuts under a new funding formula, several Chicago public schools are rejecting their budgets
Several elected local school councils in Chicago are either refusing to approve budgets sent by the school district or are approving those budgets with a message to let the district leaders know they don’t think they are receiving enough resources for the coming year.
“The budget that we have does not meet the need,” said Sequoiah Brown, a member of the local school council at Poe Classical School in Pullman on the Far South Side. “Our parents are adamant about the needs of our students. You should be trying to bring up the others to that standard, not taking from one to give to the other. That is not how equity works.”
WAND-TV: Illinois lawmakers could waive FAFSA requirement for 2024 high school graduates
An Illinois Senate Republican wants to ease some of the confusion and stress surrounding recent changes to the FAFSA form.
Less than 50% of the expected high school graduates in Illinois have filled out the FAFSA form so far this year. However, Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) said lawmakers have learned 23% of those students have to resubmit their forms with corrections.
WTTW: New Lawsuit Claims Dozens of Juveniles Subjected to Sexual Abuse in Illinois Detention Centers
Nearly 100 people are claiming in a new lawsuit that they were subjected to sexual abuse and assault at the hands of correctional officers and staffers at facilities in Chicago and across the state.
The lawsuit claims sexual abuse was allowed to persist inside Illinois Youth Centers (IYC) statewide for decades.
WGN: Dolton mayor strikes down Lightfoot investigation during village board meeting
An animated meeting unfolded at Village Hall in south suburban Dolton on Monday night as residents voiced concerns about an FBI raid and allegations of a sexual assault.
Ahead of the meeting, residents gathered to call for action and among the group was the former assistant to Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, Fenia Dukes.