Barbara Flynn Currie, the South Side Democrat who became the Illinois House’s first woman majority leader, died April 16 at 85 after a 40‑year legislative career. Her work on education and criminal‑justice reform left a lasting imprint on Springfield.

The Illinois House voted 82–27 to pass HB5511, a Pritzker-backed bill to limit algorithmic feeds for minors and set default privacy protections; the measure now moves to the Senate.

An 18-year-old driver died after his car crashed and partially submerged in a stormwater basin in a Rolling Meadows industrial park. Police say the vehicle passed a marked patrol car before the wreck.

A new Illinois bill would require at least one‑year expulsions for students who sexually assault peers, citing local lawsuits and survivor testimony. Advocates want supports paired with any mandate.

Whole Foods plans a new Lakeview store at the Lakeview Connection on Belmont and Halsted, a shift that follows Amazon's move to convert some Fresh locations into Whole Foods. The change reshapes a corner long marketed for a national grocer.

Rising drug and supply bills are shrinking Illinois hospital margins even as revenue grows. Benchmarking shows margins slipping and policy shifts could cut support.

DeKalb hired a consultant to study whether Metra service can be extended from Elburn into the city. The work is funded by a $400K IDOT grant plus a $100K local match.

A new Illinois bill would bar fines and criminal penalties for people sleeping or storing belongings on public land, but counties and neighbors warn it could hamstring local enforcement.

Trustees heard a revived plan to expand Nichols Library’s 130‑space lot to about 500 spaces. Costs, funding and community feedback are now being reviewed.

A Lincoln Park family and their nanny were held for five days and forced to transfer $15 million in cryptocurrency; a defendant has now agreed to plead guilty in federal court.

A Riverdale man faces attempted murder and aggravated battery charges after an alleged workplace stabbing in Stickney Township.

A Watseka father faces first-degree murder and aggravated battery charges after his three-week-old son, Jace, was found unresponsive and later died at Lurie Children's Hospital.

Oberweis will open its first scoop shop inside Giordano’s in downtown Naperville on April 28, with high-school-themed flavors and a 99¢ opening-scoop promotion.