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

IHSA postpones Illinois state high school football championship games on Saturday due to winter storm

Published

4 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

IHSA postpones Illinois state high school football championship games on Saturday due to winter storm

November 28, 2025 / 4:56 PM CST
/ CBS Chicago

The Illinois High School Association football state championships scheduled for Saturday have been postponed, as Illinois State University is closing its campus due to heavy snow in the forecast.

IHSA said the university in the Bloomington-Normal area is closing its campus out of an abundance of caution due to the winter storm. The National Weather Service is expecting snow totals expected to reach 7 to 10 inches in the area on Saturday.

Four IHSA Football State Finals games were scheduled to take place at ISU’s Hancock Stadium in Normal on Saturday – the Class 5A, 6A, 7A, and 8A championship games have been postponed. New dates have not yet been announced.

The Class 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A games on Friday were not affected, and will be played as scheduled.

“The postponement of the IHSA Football State Finals is unprecedented in the state playoffs’ 51-year history,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of these schools and communities as we work to determine the best and safest solution to rescheduling these contests and crowning state champions in our four largest classes.”

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Illinois

Four-Star Forward Quinton Kitt Commits to Illinois: How He Fits

Published

22 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Four-Star Forward Quinton Kitt Commits to Illinois: How He Fits

Illinois scored a major early win in the 2027 recruiting cycle on Thanksgiving, securing a commitment from East Peoria native Quinton Kitt, a 6-foot-6 forward ranked No. 114 nationally by 247Sports.

Kitt becomes the Illini’s first pledge in the class and continues a trend that has become increasingly familiar under head coach Brad Underwood – top in-state talent choosing to stay home. His decision is another reminder that Illinois basketball is no longer simply competing on the national stage. It is becoming a program that players want to be part of.

forever thankful to represent to put on for my state… go fighting illini 🟠🔵 #home #happythanksgiving pic.twitter.com/MFynfw7rm1
— Quinton Kitt (@quintonkitt) November 27, 2025

Kitt’s commitment also reinforces the momentum Illinois has built over the past several seasons. Since Underwood’s arrival, he has resurrected the program and turned it from a middling Big Ten team into one of the most consistent winners in college basketball. The Illini have pulled top recruits, landed marquee transfers, developed NBA talent and built an identity centered around toughness and modern offensive spacing. When a top prospect commits this early, it signals more than momentum – it shows Illinois is becoming the type of powerhouse that can reload year after year with players who believe in what Underwood is building.

The centerpiece of Kitt’s game is his premier skill: high-level spot-up shooting. At 6-foot-6, he possesses clean mechanics, fluid footwork and a natural rhythm that makes him one of the best floor spacers in the Midwest for his age. Underwood has made three-point shooting a priority in roster construction, and Kitt fits that philosophy seamlessly. He projects as an immediate shooting threat who can open the floor for Illinois’ guards and bigs, whether stationed in the corners, popping off screens or trailing in transition.

Quinton Kitt (class of 2027, Meanstreets 15U) has caught my eye as a shooter to remember in the coming years. As he grows, he has a high level trait to hang his hat on with his jumper pic.twitter.com/2DLDiBJdEy
— Rich Stayman (@RichStayman) July 6, 2024

Although shooting is the headliner, Kitt isn’t a one-dimensional piece. He’s not the twitchiest athlete in the class, but he gets to the rim with efficiency, using size, stride length and composure to finish through contact. He has the IQ to make the right reads – finding cutters, swinging the ball to shooters and delivering simple but effective passes that keep an offense flowing. That feel for the game elevates his value well beyond spot-up scenarios.

“Be one of them ones.”
Meanstreets EYBL 2027 Wing Quinton Kitt (@quintonkitt ) drops 29 points to lead the 16U to a 1-0 start in Peach Jam Pool Play with 73-65 win over AB Elite.
Ⓜ️💨#RespectTheStreets pic.twitter.com/ogzzhFtiZc
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— Nike Meanstreets (@MeanstreetsEYB) July 16, 2025

All of this makes Kitt a classic Underwood-style Swiss Army Knife. He can dribble, pass, shoot and play multiple spots without needing plays run for him. He enhances spacing, connects actions and fits into virtually any lineup construction Illinois might throw onto the floor. For a program that has thrived with multipositional, high-IQ wings, Kitt checks every box.

Landing Kitt sets a strong tone for the 2027 class – and again shows that Illinois doesn’t have to leave the state to find talent that fits its growing powerhouse identity.

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Illinois

11 reasons Illinoisans can be thankful this year

Published

2 days ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

11 reasons Illinoisans can be thankful this year

This Thanksgiving, Illinoisans should give thanks for Illinois’ heritage, opportunities, wins against new taxes and educational freedom.

From Rockford to Carbondale, towns and cities across Illinois are creating opportunities, increasing liberty and decreasing the burden of taxes.

Here’s a look at 11 items worthy of gratitude.

Growing pride

1) Illinois grows more pumpkins than any other state.

Producing 85% of the world’s canned pumpkin, Illinois farmers produced about 485 million pounds of pumpkins. Illinois produced one-third of the nation’s pumpkins as Morton, Illinois, is dubbed the “pumpkin capitol of the world”

2) Illinois lawmakers end ban on nuclear energy

The state’s 40-year moratorium on large-scale plants has ended. Lifting the ban is a positive step towards competitiveness and reliability and a much-needed step toward energy independence and affordability.

3) Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed 5 bills to help fix Illinois education

Illinois lawmakers passed five education reforms focused on literacy, transparency and career pathways. Pritzker signed these bills into law, signaling a renewed effort by state lawmakers to improve student outcomes, empower parents, invest in literacy and diversify career pathways.

4) Chicago ordinance will remove college degree requirements for most city jobs.

Breaking down employment barriers for disadvantaged groups, new pathways to prosperity open. By endorsing a shift toward skills-based hiring, city leaders recognized some simple but powerful truths: a college degree isn’t the only path to career success and isn’t the only – or even the best – indicator of competency.

Decreasing tax burdens

5) Rockford cut property tax rate almost in half since 2017

The mayor’s office cut back on anything piling on unnecessary expenses, such as printing costs, centralizing printers and defaulting them to black and white. The city also re-bid routine contracts and merged back-office tasks.

6) Kane County, six townships and Bensenville vote “no” to more taxes

More than 75% of Kane County voters rejected a ballot question which would raise county taxes by 0.75% for public safety costs. Voters in Kane County, the six townships and Bensenville have loudly said “no” to tax increases. Taxes are too high, and local leaders who raise grocery taxes, gas taxes or property taxes do so without the consent of those who gave them power to govern.

7) Peoria Heights mayor vetoes grocery tax

“…I know we can and we will balance our budget without balancing it off the backs of families at the grocery checkout.”

Boosting housing affordability

8) Chicago and Lamont boost development, housing supply to address housing shortage

Chicago is expanding where accessory dwelling units can be built, cutting parking minimums near transit and converting ground floors of commercial spaces into residential units. Lombard allows smaller lots to lower cost.

Protecting against government overreach

9) Highly opposed “Homeschool Act” stalls on Illinois House floor

Lawmakers failed to advance a bill riddled with troubling provisions to limit families’ educational options and create government intrusion into families’ privacy

10) Pritzker signed 7 bills into law to make it easier to work

To reduce the number of government permission slips needed to earn a living, Pritzker signed seven bills into law that expand the ability of professional to work in Illinois. With the 38th-worst unemployment rate in the country, the state cannot afford barriers that block people from jobs they are qualified for.

Calling out corruption

11) Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was found guilty on 10 counts of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud by a federal jury.

Madigan ruled the Illinois House for 36 years, building a political machine that controlled Springfield. The end of one man’s corruption is the start to increasing transparency and trust between lawmakers and constituents.

Illinois is taking steps to relieve the burden of corruption and high taxes. The commitment to pursue economic and educational freedom must prevail over partisan politicians working in their own self-interest.

Illinois still has its issues, but these 11 beams of hope show the state can be turned around.

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