The original call for artists, or otherwise, to submit their suggested designs saw more than 5,000 entries pour in with the Illinois Flag Commission. From that panoply, the commission narrowed the field down to just 10 options.

"Let's be clear, January 20th was an inauguration, not a coronation. Congress is given the power to appropriate the funding. The executive branch cannot unilaterally disregard those appropriations," Raoul said.

The funding freeze could affect trillions of dollars and cause widespread disruption in health care research, education programs and other initiatives. Grants that have been awarded but not spent are also halted.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard mismanaged hundreds of thousands of dollars over multiple years in a new report.

The combination of strong winds, dry conditions, and warm temperatures increases the risk of wildfires, particularly in grassy or wooded areas.

Some providers say an order freezing federal financial help could mean cuts in services within days or months.

The move follows President Donald Trump’s directive to pause nearly all federal funding. Medicaid, the health care program for low-income people and families, is jointly administered by the federal and state government,

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker face criticism for falsely claiming ICE agents attempted to conduct a raid at an elementary school.

The bloom is off the rose for these Illini (14-6, 6-4 Big Ten), who went from being underrated by the college basketball illuminati early this season to now arguably underperforming as the expectations around them have risen. The climb up the mountain, as always, gets harder with every subsequent step toward the top.

The unemployment rate in Illinois increased between the end of 2023 and the end of 2024, according to the latest job data. Still, Illinois saw an increase in jobs during that same time, a 56,000 net increase.

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