Lawmakers eye auto insurance

Just weeks after Gov. JB Pritzker called for action following State Farm's 27.2% rate hike for homeowners insurance, some state lawmakers and officials said they are renewing efforts to address the steady rise in auto insurance rates and asking insurers to explain how rates are determined.

HATE CRIME DEATH: The Plainfield man convicted of killing a Palestinian American boy in an October 2023 hate crime has died in the state prison system just weeks after his sentencing, WGN reported July 26.

MEDIA LITERACY: A survey of Illinois educators reveals a significant disparity in how they interpret a three-year-old state law's requirement to teach high school students a "unit of instruction" on media literacy.

HATE CRIME CHARGES: Felony hate crime charges have been filed against a 38-year-old man who allegedly spray painted three buildings in Chicago's Little Village with swastikas and "ICE rules" graffiti last month, police announced Monday.

CHICAGO HOUSING: In a move to stimulate housing construction, the City of Chicago will no longer require builders to provide parking if the residential project is near Chicago Transit Authority train or bus lines.

RAILROADS: Union Pacific wants to buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that would create the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S., and potentially trigger a final wave of rail mergers across the country.