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Illinois adds new requirements to job posting

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Illinois adds new requirements to job posting


(WIFR) – Almost 300 new laws ring in the new year including one that affects the way employers post open positions.

The Illinois Equal Pay Act, enacted in 2003, adds several amendments starting January 1st, 2025. Among these are laws that strengthen pay transparency and promotion posting requirements.

Businesses with 15 or more employees must include the salary range and a general description of the benefits and other compensation for open positions posted on job sites.

Additionally, employers must announce all promotion opportunities to all current employees no later than 14 days after posting externally.

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Dave Vella, 68th District State Representative, hopes to put more money into residents with these amendments. He says this is an opportunity to empower the Illinois worker.

“As we saw from the last election, there’s a lot of discontented people who want the economy to change,” Vella says. “This is a way to change the economy is to get people paid better. Which is, I think is a good thing overall, for all of us.”

But 90th District State Representative John Cabello disagrees. He believes Illinois is acting as a nanny state and these changes will do little to nothing to boost the economy. Cabello adds that the beauty of our country exists in the free market that keeps the government out of personal business.

“If you can get the better-paying job, you’re probably going to go do that. And if you are one company that’s not paying the same amount, you’re probably going, “Why am I not getting better employees or more talented people?” Well, that’s probably because you need to raise your pay,” Cabello says.

On the other hand, Vella believes this is a step towards leveling the playing field between worker and employer. Besides worker empowerment, he says these amendments decrease gender and racial disparities.

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“Women ask for less money for their job than men do. If we say how much the low end and the high end is, it will, I think give women more of a prompt to ask for more money so that there’s a pay equity,” Vella says.

You can check out the full amended Illinois Equal Pay Act here.



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Illinois

Illinois fines multiple Springfield-area nursing homes

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Illinois fines multiple Springfield-area nursing homes


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  • The Illinois Department of Public Health fined several nursing homes in the Springfield area for violations.
  • Violations included medication errors, abuse, neglect, and failure to prevent falls, some resulting in hospitalization or death.
  • Arcadia Care on the Hill in Springfield received a $25,000 fine for a medication error that led to a resident’s hospitalization.

SPRINGFIELD – Four times a year, an Illinois agency releases a report showing violations against nursing homes, and how much the facilities were fined.

The Illinois Department of Public Health recently released its fourth quarter report that spans from October to December of 2025.

Here are facilities within about 45 minutes of Springfield that were fined for violations.

Arcadia Care on the Hill, Springfield

Address: 555 W. Carpenter Road

Fined: $25,000

Survey date: Sept. 17, 2025

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What: The facility failed to ensure competency of the Professional Nursing staff when that staff failed to provide one resident in a crisis condition the correct medication. The resident did not receive his glucagon when needed, resulting to his blood sugar dropping to a critical low. The resident was taken to the hospital and subsequently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Arcadia Care on the Hill, Springfield

Address: 555 W. Carpenter Road

Fined: $2,200

Survey date: Oct. 17, 2025

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What: The facility failed to send the results of a urinalysis and urine culture in a timely manner to one resident’s urologist. This failure resulted in a nonverbal resident being taken to the emergency room where he was diagnosed with a UTI. IDPH said the failure caused pain, discomfort and invasive interventions during a hospital visit.

After readmission, the facility failed to reassess the resident for warning signs of sepsis for multiple days prior to having a change in condition on Feb. 20, 2024. The resident was again taken to the emergency room and diagnosed with a UTI and sepsis.

Additionally, facility staff failed to complete change in condition documentation which included current vital signs and assessment of two residents reviewed for change in condition. These residents were also taken to the emergency room.

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Curtiss Court, Springfield

Address: 2883 S. Taylor St.

Fined: $1,100

Survey date: Aug. 7, 2025

What: IDPH found the facility failed to identify two occurrences of abuse for a resident, failed to verbally notify administrator of abuse allegations per policy, failed to investigate abuse allegations and failed to protect individuals from alleged perpetrator. This failure resulted in the resident feeling targeted and anxious.

The facility also failed to prevent elopement for one resident with a known history of elopement and allergy to bee venom without an EpiPen. This failure resulted in the person walking out of the door unsupervised. Local first responders then found the resident on the asphalt in a parking lot, playing in a puddle of water, around 0.4 miles from the facility and without their EpiPen.

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Arcadia Care, Auburn

Address: 304 Maple Ave.

Fined: $2,200

Survey date: Aug. 27, 2025

What: The facility failed to ensure room temperatures were within the heat index/apparent temperature guidelines inside the facility and did not exceed 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The facility also failed to follow their Heat Emergency Policy as residents were not moved out of their rooms when temperatures were reached over 81 degrees for four residents. This failure resulted in residents being left in rooms with the heat index, indicating extreme caution to the residents.

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Sunny Acres Nursing Home, Petersburg

Address: 19130 Sunny Acres Road

Fined: $2,200

Survey date: July 26, 2025

What: The facility failed to protect a resident from staff-to-resident mental and verbal abuse for two residents. These findings resulted in a Certified Nursing Assistant yelling at a resident and causing them to feel belittled, to feel like a child, and feel verbally abused, according to IDPH.

Taylorville Care Center, Taylorville

Address: 600 S. Houston St.

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Fined: $1,000

Survey date: Aug. 15, 2025

What: The facility failed to conduct pre-employment screening and obtain results of fingerprint checks to determine if employees had a prior criminal history that would disqualify them for employment.

Sunrise Skilled Nursing & Rehab, Virden

Address: 333 S. Wrightsman St.

Fined: $2,200

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Survey date: Sept. 4, 2025

Based on interview, observation, and record review, the facility failed to provide supervision to prevent falls for one of three residents reviewed for falls.

Sunrise Skilled Nursing & Rehab, Virden

Address: 333 S. Wrightsman St.

Fined: $25,000

Survey date: Oct. 14, 2025

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What: IDPH said the facility failed to properly transfer a resident for appropriate safe transfers. This failure resulted in the resident having a fall, sustaining a right hip fracture and ultimately passing away.

Lincoln Village Healthcare, Lincoln

Address: 2202 N. Kickapoo St.

Fined: $4,400

Survey date: July 20, 2025

What: IDPH found three residents experienced symptoms after not receiving prescribed opioid medication, indicating the health facility failed to perform proper pain assessments and implement pain relieving interventions when residents were not receiving their prescribed medicine.

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Lincoln Village Healthcare, Lincoln

Address: 2202 N. Kickapoo St.

Fined: $25,000

Survey date: Sept. 10, 2025

What: IDPH said a resident was taken to the hospital after the facility failed to protect a wound from insect contamination.

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Fair Havens Senior Living, Decatur

Address: 1790 S. Fairview Ave.

Fined: $25,000

Survey date: Aug. 13, 2025

What: The facility failed to ensure physician orders were accurately transcribed and implemented for one resident reviewed for blood glucose monitoring. These failures resulted in the resident being hospitalized.

Arc at Hickory Point, Forsyth

Address: 565 W. Marion Ave.

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Fined: $25,000

Survey date: Sept. 3, 2025

What: A resident fell and suffered multiple fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. IDPH said the facility failed to ensure fall interventions were in place to prevent the resident from falling.

Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@usatodayco.com.



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Family, friends, supporters honor fallen Illinois police officers

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Family, friends, supporters honor fallen Illinois police officers


In a ceremony at the state Capitol, family, friends and supporters honored the lives of two law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2025.

The ceremony honored Officer Krystal Rivera of the Chicago Police Department and Detective Tim Jones of the Park Forest Police Department. Held annually on the first Thursday in May, the event is a tradition to honor law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty the previous calendar year.

“Today, as we remember your brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, coworkers and friends who lost their lives in the line of duty, let us not remember them as indestructible superheroes that we may envision as children,” state Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “Let’s remember them as human beings, in all their vulnerabilities and susceptibilities, who chose to take on the risk of the ultimate sacrifice to make others’ lives safer.”


Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and state Treasurer Michael Frerichs speak with the family members of Krystal Rivera, who was killed in the line of duty in June 2025. She was one of two officers honored in an annual ceremony. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jenna Schweikert)

This year’s memorial also included seven historic honorees who died from 1852 to 1936 and one K-9 honoree, Bear, who died in 1987.

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“These officers represent the very best of what it means to be a public servant,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. “They came from different communities, different departments and different backgrounds, but they were united by a common goal: to protect people they may never meet, to run toward danger while others run away and to always put service above themselves.”

In an emotional address, Giannoulias also spoke of “fellow Greek American” CPD Officer John Bartholomew, who was shot and killed while on duty in April. Bartholomew’s visitation and funeral services are set to take place this weekend.


Illinois State Police officers

Illinois State Police officers stand in formation during an annual ceremony honoring fallen Illinois law enforcement officers. The ceremony honored a Chicago police officer and Park Forest detective who died while on duty in 2025. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jenna Schweikert)

State Treasurer Michael Frerichs also gave a short speech, speaking on his family history with law enforcement and loss: “I’m invited here today because it’s my title. I come here today because of family.”

Frerichs encouraged families of fallen officers to apply to the Fallen Heroes Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to children who lost a parent in the line of duty.

The event included a squad car procession at the state fairgrounds and an interfaith church service at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, ending in the ceremony at the Illinois Police Officers Memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol.

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The mayor of Springfield, Misty Buscher, and the families of two 2025 honorees — Illinois State Police trooper Corey Thompsen and Chicago Police officer James Crowley — also spoke. Gov. JB Pritzker, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Comptroller Susana Mendoza were unable to attend.


Officers place wreaths

Officers place wreaths at the Illinois State Police Memorial in Springfield. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jenna Schweikert)

Crowley’s sister Beth Carter gave a critical address, calling for reforms to the beneficiary system that she said left her with legal issues when her brother, a former police officer who was permanently injured while on duty, and her mother died within a month of each other.

Thompsen’s parents and brother also called for legislative reform. Thompsen was hit and killed by a driver who was later issued two tickets for an expired license and failure to yield. His family asked lawmakers to enact stricter consequences for crashes resulting in death and to communicate with other states about such events.

“If someone causes a crash that kills another person, there needs to be more of a consequence than two paid tickets for $500 each. We feel that the state of Illinois should notify the other state where the original license was issued, reporting that a fatality is caused by this person with an expired driver’s license,” Thompsen’s brother Ryan said. “As the state’s attorney told us, you won’t find any satisfaction here in the courthouse. How true that was.”

The Illinois Police Officers Memorial Committee, formed in 1987, organizes and maintains the monument located on the grounds of the Capitol. The memorial is self-funded and underwent a renovation and re-dedication in 2021.

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Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.



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Delavan police officer resigns after arrest on stalking charges in Illinois

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Delavan police officer resigns after arrest on stalking charges in Illinois


DELAVAN, Wis. — A Delavan police officer has resigned immediately following his arrest on stalking charges in Illinois.

Joshua Bittner faces charges stemming from contacting a woman against the orders of the Winnebago County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office. The woman detailed a long pattern of harassment in court documents obtained by TMJ4.

Before being hired by the Delavan Police Department in 2023, Bittner was an officer in Beloit. He resigned from that position while the police department investigated his behavior.

Bittner’s resignation takes effect immediately.

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Watch: Delavan police officer resigns after arrest on stalking charges in Illinois

Delavan police officer resigns following arrest


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