Illinois

Coalition of business, labor and agriculture groups support Illinois lawmakers’ carbon capture and storage plan

Published

2 years ago

March 18, 2024

Coalition of business, labor and agriculture groups support Illinois lawmakers’ carbon capture and storage plan

SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – A bill in the Illinois legislature would create a regulatory framework to streamline carbon capture and storage projects in the state.

Sponsored by state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, the plan is backed by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Climate Jobs Illinois and Matt Rush, the former president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association.

“We’re falling short in our decarbonization goals,” said state Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago.

Cunningham is sponsoring the senate version of the bill. He said Illinois is not going to meet its goal of having at least 25% of its energy come from renewable sources by 2025.

“We have to look for new ways to stop damaging carbon from going into our environment and warming the planet, and carbon capture technology can do that,” Cunningham said.

Carbon capture and storage has three main components according to the Clean Air Task Force:

Carbon dioxide is captured from the exhaust facility and separated from other gasses that go into the atmosphere.
The carbon dioxide is then taken to a geological storage site, typically by pipeline, rail truck or ship.
The carbon dioxide is then stored underground usually at least a mile below the ground.

“Carbon capture and storage is a proven technology. It is safe and viable, and Illinois is poised to be a global leader in climate management due to our exceptional geology, natural resources and a robust regulatory framework, all of which have been demonstrated in our state,” said carbon capture and storage scientist Sallie Greenberg.

She led a 2022 study on the technology that estimated carbon capture and storage could create more than 14,000 jobs in Illinois. It also precited carbon capture and storage could pump more $3 billion into the state’s economy over a decade.

“With this legislation, we can decarbonize without deindustrializing our state. Illinois can lead the way sustainably and economically, ensuring that businesses will be able to innovate and grow for decades to come,” said Illinois Manufacturers’ Association President and CEO Mark Denzler.

Not everyone’s on board with the proposal.

The Sierra Club Illinois Chapter released a statement opposing the legislation:

“Illinois is woefully unprotected and unprepared for the threat from the fossil fuel industry to make Illinois a ground-zero state for carbon capture. The legislation introduced last week does not adequately protect Illinois communities, our water, and our climate from the dangers of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) because it focuses solely on sequestration. We need legislation that regulates CO2 pipelines at every point of the CCS industrial cycle, including at the point of capture and when transported through pipelines. We’re working with landowners, farmers, and advocates across the state to instead advance common-sense legislation that puts a moratorium on CO2 pipelines to ensure our water resources are protected and that all liability rests with private developers, not Illinois taxpayers.”

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Illinois

2025 FCS football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

Published

10 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

2025 FCS football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

The 2025-26 FCS playoffs consist of a 24-team bracket with play starting on Saturday, Nov. 29 and concluding on Monday, Jan. 5. The top 16 teams seeded and the top eight seeds receive automatic byes to the second round, while the rest of the 24-team field (the remaining 16 teams) play in the first round.

Here’s everything you need to know for the Division I Football Championship postseason.

FCS championship bracket

Click or tap here to view the bracket

FCS championship schedule

All times Eastern

Quarterfinals

Friday, December 12
Saturday, December 13

Semifinals

Saturday, December 20
- Semifinal 1 | 4 p.m. ET | ABC
- Semifinal 2 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

National Championship

FCS championship rounds, dates

Selection show: 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPNU
First round: Saturday, Nov. 29
Second round: Saturday, Dec. 6
Quarterfinals: Friday, Dec. 12 through Saturday, Dec. 13
Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 20
National championship: Monday, Jan. 5 on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET

FCS selections

The bracket selections for the 2025-26 FCS Championship was on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. The bracket was be revealed via a selection show on ESPNU at 12 p.m. ET and a selections release.

Eleven conferences (or conference partnerships/alliances) earn automatic bids to the playoffs. The FCS Championship Committee selects the remaining 13 at-large bids.

AUTOMATIC BIDS: Click or tap here to see all 11 of the clinched auto-bids

FCS championship history

North Dakota Dakota State is the reigning national champion, winning its 10 title in 2024 with a 35-32 win over Montana State. Here’s every FCS champion and runner-up from the past decade:

Year	Champion	Coach	Score	Runner-Up	Site
2024	North Dakota State	Tim Polasek	35-32	Montana State	Frisco, Texas
2023	South Dakota State	Jimmy Rogers	23-3	Montana	Frisco, Texas
2022	South Dakota State	John Stiegelmeier	45-21	North Dakota State	Frisco, Texas
2021	North Dakota State	Matt Entz	38-10	Montana State	Frisco, Texas
2020	Sam Houston	K.C. Keeler	23-21	South Dakota State	Frisco, Texas
2019	North Dakota State	Matt Entz	28-20	James Madison	Frisco, Texas
2018	North Dakota State	Chris Klieman	38-24	Eastern Washington	Frisco, Texas
2017	North Dakota State	Chris Klieman	17-13	James Madison	Frisco, Texas
2016	James Madison	Mike Houston	28-14	Youngstown State	Frisco, Texas
2015	North Dakota State	Chris Klieman	37-10	Jacksonville State	Frisco, Texas

Click here for a full list of every champion since 1978.

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Illinois

Another Winter Storm Targets Central Illinois

Published

22 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Another Winter Storm Targets Central Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — After a brief lull in the weather on Friday, now another winter storm is setting its sights on central Illinois. Come Saturday, our next round of Winter is set to arrive. A new weather maker sweeps across the Upper Midwest, causing more snow to develop by mid-morning on Saturday. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued from 7AM Saturday through 8 PM Saturday evening. The snow will pick up intensity by late-morning and last through the afternoon into the early evening hours before ending. This new weather system will follow a path very similar to the previous storm system and spread a swath of moderate to locally heavy snow. Before the snow wraps up Saturday evening, expect another 2″-4″ for much of central Illinois, with afternoon high temperatures bitterly cold in the mid-teens.

But the worst blast of cold air comes in Saturday evening into Sunday. Frigid Arctic air surges down from Canada causing temperatures to really tumble, driving in the coldest weather we’ve had in a long time and certainly the coldest so far this season. A Cold Weather Advisory is issued from 8 PM Saturday through Noon on Sunday. Sunday morning will be dangerously cold with wind chills around 20 to 25 BELOW ZERO. With wind chills this extreme, it doesn’t take long to suffer from frostbite or hypothermia. Please stay inside to keep warm, but if you do need to venture out, limit the time you spend outdoors, and make sure to cover up all exposed skin by wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves. Sunday afternoon features lots of sunshine, but despite the sunshine, temperatures will be brutally cold and frigid with high temperatures stuck in the low single numbers while wind chills remain well below zero.

Expect more extremely chilly weather on Monday with wind chills still ranging from 5 to 15 BELOW ZERO in the morning and afternoon highs only reaching into the 20s. Then temperatures will finally start to warm up, and we should climb out of the deep freeze with highs in the mid to upper 30s on Tuesday.

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Illinois

Illinois is newest state to allow medical assistance in dying after Pritzker signs bill

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Illinois is newest state to allow medical assistance in dying after Pritzker signs bill

Updated on: December 12, 2025 / 11:49 AM CST
/ CBS Chicago

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Friday making Illinois the newest state allowing medically assisted dying in terminally ill residents.

Known as “Deb’s Law,” it allows eligible terminally ill adults with a prognosis to live six months or less to request a prescription from their doctor that would allow them to die on their own terms.

The legislation was narrowly approved by the Illinois Senate in October after the Illinois House passed it in May.

People on both sides of the debate over the controversial legislation lobbied the governor up until the last minute. Medical aid in dying, also called assisted suicide or dying with dignity, is already legal in 12 states. Eight more are considering similar legislation.

“I have been deeply impacted by the stories of Illinoisans or their loved ones that have suffered from a devastating terminal illness, and I have been moved by their dedication to standing up for freedom and choice at the end of life in the midst of personal heartbreak,” Pritzker said in a news release after signing the bill.

Pritzker’s signature makes Illinois the first state in the Midwest to allow medically assisted death.

Advocates for the law say it allows adults to die on their own terms when survival is already not an option. Opponents say the bill legalizes “state-sanctioned suicide.”

The law requires two doctors to determine a patient has a terminal disease and will die within six months. The medication provided would need to be requested both orally and in written documentation, and will have to be self-administered. The law also requires all patients opting into medical assistance in dying to have been full informed about all end-of-life care options, including comfort care, hospice, palliative care and pain control.

The law is named for Deb Robertson, a former social worker from Lombard who had an aggressive case of neuroendocrine carcinoma. She began advocating for medical aid in dying in 2022 and has been a central figure in the movement.

Please note: The above video is from a previous report

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