(The Center Square) – State Sen. Craig Wilcox, R-Woodstock, says too many deaths initially ruled as suicides may actually be homicides, and he is pushing legislation to change how those cases are handled across Illinois. Wilcox’s proposal, Senate Bill 1781, would require additional training for law enforcement and stricter scrutiny of deaths when there is …
(The Center Square) — Homelessness is predicted to rise, while policies predicted to lower the homeless numbers only address part of the cause, according to analysts. The annual Point-In-Time (PIT) count, conducted by the Continuums of Care for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a once‑a‑year estimate nationwide of the number …
(The Center Square) – Community colleges in Illinois could soon offer Bachelor’s degree programs to Illinois residents. Officials, lawmakers and students all say the initiative would make higher education more accessible, affordable and benefit the state’s economy. House Bill 5319 would allow all community colleges to provide four-year baccalaureate degree programs, with specific programs offered …
(The Center Square) – Less than 24 hours after Iran and President Donald Trump touted the Strait of Hormuz open, the Islamic Republic has reportedly reversed course, closing the vital waterway. In addition to closing the waterway early Saturday, at least two commercial ships have reportedly been struck by gunfire while attempting to pass through …
(The Center Square) – Identification and removal of registered voters that are not American citizens will begin soon in North Carolina, the State Board of Elections said Thursday. The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database, also known as SAVE, will receive voters’ names, dates of birth and last four digits of Social Security numbers. It …
(The Center Square) – Southwest Gas proposed a $230 million investment budget that the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada largely approved this week. But experts said the commission did not scrutinize the proposal nearly enough. Nevadans are set to pay the bill on gas utility upgrades that the utility commission signed off on this week. …
(The Center Square) – An LGBTQ+ organization in California is asking the Golden State’s lawmakers to allocate $26 million in general fund revenue to help pay for gender-affirming care for minors. “This is more of a preventative budget ask than anything else,” Danny Ceseña, network director for the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, …
(The Center Square) – Amid expectations that billions of dollars a year will be cut from taxpayer-funded health care programs in California, a package of three new bills aims to reduce cancer rates and make treatment more accessible. Senate Bill 1309, authored by Sen. Susan Rubio, D-West Covina; Assembly Bill 957, authored by Assemblymember Liz …
The Center Square) – The Los Angeles Unified School District managed to avoid a strike this week after reaching 11th-hour agreements with three unions. Now the district is asking for the state’s help to fund those agreements. LAUSD’s request comes as critics question how the district or the state can afford pay increases in an …
(The Center Square) – It’s not just Houston that’s in the hotseat over restricting law enforcement from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The mayors of Austin and Dallas were also notified that their governments are in breach of an agreement with the state enabling them to receive grant money. Conversations are underway between …