New Democratic state senators sworn in Democratic state Sens. Mike Simmons and Doris Turner
Updated 2/8/2021 3:54 PM
SPRINGFIELD Two new Democratic Senators were sworn in Saturday to fill vacancies in the Illinois General Assembly.
Doris Turner, a former Springfield City Council member, and Mike Simmons, former policy director for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, are also the two newest members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.
The two Democratic appointments to the Senate follow the recent selections of Adriane Johnson, Cristina Pacione-Zayas and Sally Turner to vacancies in the 30th, 20th and 44th Senate Districts, respectively. They ve replaced retiring senators through appointments from party officials.
Credit Capitol News Illinois file photo
Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing “Lame Duck Look Back” series in which Capitol News Illinois is following up on the major bills that passed both chambers of the General Assembly in the Jan. 8-13 lame duck session. This is one of several stories examining the criminal justice reform backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.
SPRINGFIELD – A criminal justice package that passed both chambers of the General Assembly last month contains provisions that would grant the state increased power over police discipline and standards of conduct starting in 2022.
The omnibus package, which was backed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, has not yet arrived at the desk of Gov. JB Pritzker, although he has said he looks forward to reviewing the bill which needs only his signature to become law.
Chicago Community Bond Fund
The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus succeeded earlier this month in ushering in legislation that would, among other things, end cash bail. If signed by Governor Pritzker, Illinois would be the first state to completely end the use of money bonds.
Lavette was arrested on an aggravated battery charge five years ago, following an altercation with her then-mother-in-law. Though she was never convicted, she was jailed for more than a year and spent four months on home confinement because she could not afford to pay the $25,000 bail. As the case wore on, bail was reduced to $9,500 and was paid by the Chicago woman’s family and the Chicago Community Bond Fund.
Includes heavier emphasis on computer science and computer literacy
This story is part of an ongoing Lame Duck Look Back series in which Capitol News Illinois is following up on the major bills that passed both chambers of the General Assembly in the Jan. 8-13 lame duck session.
Social studies classes in Illinois public schools are about to get a major overhaul, with more emphasis on Black history and the contributions of other underrepresented groups to American culture.
In addition, within the next few years, all school districts in the state will be required to offer computer science courses and more instruction in computer literacy.
Will County is still on 1a. When they will start 1b I have.
Will County is still on 1a. When they will start 1b I have been unable to find out. Does anyone know?
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Mokena, IL Colon Cancer Widow and son to receive donation from Champions for Cures in memory of her late husband
March 23, 2021 – As a pediatric palliative care nurse practitioner, Meggan Mikkal journeys with patients and their families through the toughest of diagnoses. When her husband, Andy, was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in January of 2017, she was shocked. He had been experiencing telltale symptoms, but with a newborn, it was easy to rationalize away the signs.