WASHINGTON — The State Department announced Wednesday it would suspend all visa processing for immigrants hailing from 75 countries because they are deemed likely to need governmental assistance in the United States, known as a “public charge.” The State Department did not answer States Newsroom’s inquiry as to when the policy would take effect or […]
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today celebrated that their bipartisan Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act became law through an amendment in the newly signed Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Durbin and Fischer’s legislation will ensure school food service staff receive essential training about food allergies, so that they are better
John P. Smith, CPE, has retired after a distinguished 41-year career in the construction industry, including 25 years with Tarlton Corp. in St. Louis. His leadership and expertise in estimating have been part of many high-profile projects and long-term client partnerships. Smith originally joined Tarlton in 1989, beginning a tenure that would extend through 2011 […]
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Trump Administration terminated an estimated $2 billion in grant funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to treat addiction, mental health, and provide homelessness services. The grant cuts also affect Durbin’s longstanding bipartisan priorities to address childhood trauma and bolster rural ambulance services. Durbin’s office
SPRINGFIELD – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced $36 million in grant funding was awarded to 67 local park projects throughout Illinois to help communities acquire land and develop recreational opportunities. The grants were awarded through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, program. For the fourth year in a row, the governor ensured funding was set aside for economically distressed communities, resulting
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) along with U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) met with Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng, to discuss a broad range of issues including U.S. agricultural exports to China, the war in Ukraine, tariffs, fentanyl, critical minerals, and Taiwan. “At a time when the U.S. and China have a number of shared interests, as well a
ST. LOUIS - A cold front moved through the St. Louis region Wednesday morning, Jan. 14, 2026, ushering in the first push of Arctic air and marking a significant drop in temperatures for the area in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service. National Weather Service Meteorologist Jared Maples in St. Louis said the region can expect a stronger push of cold air from Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, into Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, with temperatures remaining below normal through at least Monday,
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today joined 11 other attorneys general in suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for unlawfully conditioning hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding on states’ agreement to discriminate against transgender people. Under a new HHS policy, recipients of federal health, education, and research funding must certify compliance with a presidential executive order that seeks to deny the existence of transgender people
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with officials from Growth Energy, the nation’s leading biofuel trade association, to underscore her support for ethanol production, as well as her commitment to helping strengthen our national and energy security, expand year-round E15 sales, drive down gas prices, support our farmers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drive rural economic opportunity in Illinois and across the country. “Investing in clean
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) introduced a motion to defeat the so-called "Tipped Employee Protection Act” which would make it easier for employers to undercut worker wages at a time of rising costs. The Republican legislation would change federal wage law to allow companies to treat almost any worker as a “tipped employee,” even if they receive small or occasional tips, and legally pay them as little as $2.13 an hour. “In a time
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) in leading 12 of their Democratic Senate colleagues in urging U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee leadership, including the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development leadership, to defend funding for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (IPR) gran
Peter Criss has responded to a recent Gene Simmons interview in which he claimed Criss didn’t deserve a songwriting credit on KISS' 1976 hit “Beth.”The track, which peaked at #7 on the Billboard…
NORMAL — Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined agency officials, local legislators, university leaders, and students at Illinois State University (ISU) to break ground on the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts (WKCFA) Transformation Project. This multi-year, $87 million state investment, made possible through Rebuild Illinois, will expand ISU’s fine arts complex to offer academic, instructional, and performance spaces through phased renovation, demolition, and new construction work. “Illinoi
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined their colleagues in urging Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to reverse the Department of Education’s decision to discontinue $168 million in Full-Service Community Schools grants across 12 states, including Illinois. In the letter led by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the Senators expressed deep concern that the abrupt cuts to this
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