Midwest
Illinois homeschool bill would create a 'pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents': Dem lawmaker
An Illinois bill that could drastically change homeschooling rules in the state would create “a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents,” a state Democratic lawmaker warned Thursday.
Rep. La Shawn Ford, who represents a district that includes parts of Chicago, made the remark as parents, students and opponents of HB 2827, the Homeschool Act, rallied in the city’s downtown.
The bill, which is advancing through the Illinois state legislature, would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a “homeschool declaration form” to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. It also requires documentation of immunizations and health examinations for children who wish to participate in public school activities.
“I support the representative that is sponsoring the bill, and I hope that we can work with her to have this bill become something that you can support. But right now, I don’t believe the bill is exactly what’s needed in Illinois,” Ford said. “I believe in restorative justice. I believe in making sure that people don’t have a pathway to the criminal justice system. And this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents. And I can’t stand for that. How can we criminalize parents for wanting to love their children?”
ILLINOIS PARENTS, LAWMAKERS SOUND ALARM OVER PROPOSED HOMESCHOOLING BILL
Opponents of HB2827 rally in downtown Chicago on Thursday, April 3. (Fox News)
“And finally, we’ve seen, since the pandemic, the growth in home schooling. It has increased across all demographics, but specifically in the Black community, from 3.3% to almost 17% of Black people use homeschooling in this state,” he added.
Bobby Sylvester, the vice president of the Urban Center nonprofit, said Thursday that “This bill would require private schools to hand over the individual contact information, including names, phone numbers and addresses, to the state of Illinois.
“That is government overreach,” he said.
Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if it’s suspected the child isn’t being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling.
Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by ProPublica, which has a left-leaning bias, according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, “How Illinois’ Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk.” The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school.
SCHOOL CHOICE ACTIVISTS WARN PARENTS ABOUT ILLINOIS’ HOMESCHOOL BILL WITH JAIL-TIME PROVISION
Rep. La Shawn Ford, an Illinois state Democrat, said “this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents.” (Fox News)
However, opponents of the bill argue there’s no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system.
“Many families need to make sometimes untimely decisions to pull their children out of a public school setting for their own safety, and a more effective learning environment,” Chantal Moore, a homeschooling mother, said at the rally Thursday.
Moore said her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but that he has thrived in a homeschooling environment.
“Keeping our children safe is not acquired by a form, but by standing as a community together,” she added.
A March 19 protest against House Bill 2827, known as the Homeschool Act, at the Illinois state capitol. (Fox News)
Aziza Butler, a self-described homeschooling mother of six and former Chicago Public Schools teacher, said, “Not only will this bill divert precious resources, time and energy away from the critical needs of public schools who are already in peril, but it threatens an education revolution that so many minorities are benefiting from.”
Fox News’ Jamie Joseph and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
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PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Department of Revenue announced that two South Dakota communities will see changes in their municipal taxes next month.
Beginning July 1, the communities of Newell and Wager will be implementing a one percent municipal gross tax on lodging accommodations, eating establishments, alcohol sales, and admissions.
Municipalities in the state are able to implement or change tax rates on Jan. 1 or July 1 each year, according to South Dakota Codified Law 10-52-9.
The South Dakota DOR has municipal tax information bulletins available for free at dor.sd.gov.
The bulletins list all municipal sales and use tax rates statewide, along with information on tribal sales, use, and excise taxes.
You can also obtain a bulletin by calling 1-800-829-9188.
Copyright 2025 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
Former Wisconsin Badgers center Steven Crowl is compiling a long list of NBA workouts.
Crowl, whose Badgers tenure concluded with an NCAA Tournament Round of 32 loss to BYU in late March, has reportedly worked out with the Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets and Denver Nuggets over the past few weeks.
The 7-foot center’s most recent workout came with the Pelicans on Thursday, per The Athletic’s Will Guillory. Crowl worked out alongside North Carolina’s R.J. Davis, Arkansas’ Johnell Davis and Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson.
Earlier this week, the Hornets worked out former Badger Chucky Hepburn alongside Crowl, per Hornets beat writer Rod Boone. The two spent three seasons in Madison together from 2021-24.
Crowl isn’t the only former Badger to dip his toes into NBA waters this offseason. Star guard John Blackwell worked out with the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trailblazers and Philadelphia 76ers before withdrawing from the 2025 NBA draft in late May.
The Minnesota native started 141 of his 153 career appearances in five seasons from 2020-25. In those contests, the veteran averaged 9.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and two assists off a 52.5% shooting rate from the field, 36.3% mark from 3 and 82% clip from the charity stripe.
During Wisconsin’s 27-10 output this past season, Crowl started all 37 games and logged per-game averages of 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He did so while shooting 54% from the field, a strong 41% from 3 and 82% from the free-throw line.
At his size, Crowl’s shooting ability is an unquestionable commodity in the NBA. Given modern spacing and skill at the center position, the former Badger’s progression as a shooter, especially from the top of the key, headlines his potential professional portfolio.
Nonetheless, Crowl’s odds of being picked in the 2025 NBA draft or signing with an NBA franchise are slim. The workouts will expose him to some NBA personnel, but his most likely route revolves around a career oversees.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Midwest
New footage shows Milwaukee judge confronting ICE before allegedly helping illegal immigrant exit
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Newly released video footage appears to show Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan speaking with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Milwaukee County Courthouse before she allegedly directed an illegal immigrant defendant to leave through a private exit.
Dugan, 65, was indicted last month on federal charges of obstruction of proceedings before a U.S. agency and unlawful concealment of an individual subject to arrest.
Federal prosecutors allege that the Milwaukee Circuit Court judge personally escorted Mexican illegal immigrant and domestic battery suspect Eduardo Flores-Ruiz out of the courthouse in April while ICE agents were attempting to serve a warrant.
The surveillance footage, released by Milwaukee County in response to an open records request, appears to show Dugan, wearing her black robe, confronting ICE agents in the courthouse hallway.
MILWAUKEE JUDGE HANNAH DUGAN TO ENTER PLEA IN FEDERAL COURT
The surveillance footage released by Milwaukee County appears to show Judge Hannah Dugan, left, confronting ICE agents in the courthouse hallway. (Milwaukee County)
Federal prosecutors say members of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), along with federal partners from the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, were preparing to serve Flores-Ruiz with a warrant in a public courthouse hallway on April 18 before his scheduled court appearance with Dugan.
After becoming aware of what federal officials described as a valid immigration arrest warrant for Flores-Ruiz, Dugan allegedly told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and told them to go to the chief judge’s office.
MILWAUKEE JUDGE INDICTED FOR HELPING IMMIGRANT EVADE ICE FACES UP TO 6 YEARS IN PRISON
Judge Hannah Dugan allegedly told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and told them to go to the chief judge’s office. (Milwaukee County)
The agents then left their place in the hallway, at which point Dugan allegedly chose not to hold a hearing for Flores-Ruiz and “personally escorted” the suspect and his attorney through a private exit while the victims of his alleged crimes were in the courthouse at the time, the Justice Department said in a press release.
MILWAUKEE COUNTY JUDGE HANNAH DUGAN INDICTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY HELPING ILLEGAL ALIEN EVADE ICE
Video footage appears to show Eduardo Flores-Ruiz exiting the courthouse with his attorney, while an ICE agent follows him, and then running alongside the building for about a block before agents capture and arrest him. (Milwaukee County)
A federal indictment accuses Dugan of “falsely” telling federal officials in April that they needed a warrant to come into her courtroom during a scheduled appearance by Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican national facing three misdemeanor battery charges.
Video footage appears to show Flores-Ruiz exiting the courthouse with his attorney, while an ICE agent follows him, and then running alongside the building for about a block before agents capture and arrest him.
WISCONSIN JUDGE ACCUSED OF OBSTRUCTING ICE COULD FACE YEARS IN PRISON, DOJ HAS ‘UPPER HAND’: FORMER PROSECUTOR
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. (DHS/Milwaukee Independent via AP)
Federal officials arrested Dugan a week after the courthouse incident.
Dugan faces a maximum sentence of six years. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against her. Fox News Digital has reached out to her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, for comment on the footage.
Last month, Dugan’s legal team also filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against her, saying the judge “is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts.”
“Immunity is not a defense to the prosecution to be determined later by a jury or court; it is an absolute bar to the prosecution at the outset,” the motion said.
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