Illinois
Illinois legislators renew push for 'junk' fee transparency for hotels, restaurants and concerts
Piggybacking on former President Joe Biden’s efforts to fight “junk” fees, Illinois legislators are once again trying to get businesses like hotels, restaurants and live ticket companies to disclose all fees before customers can make a decision on whether or not to pay.
The Illinois Junk Fee Ban Act, sponsored by State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, and Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, also has the support of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who is hoping to target deceptive payment practices. A similar measure stalled in the Illinois General Assembly last session, but lawmakers are making another concerted push with airlines now taken out of the equation.
The bill applies broadly to Illinois businesses, but plans to target hotels and lodging, restaurants, food delivery apps, live-ticketed events and independent contractors. So-called “junk” fees include service fees for popular concerts, resort fees for hotels and additional fees tacked onto restaurant bills. The goal is to require businesses to disclose all fees before a customer can make a decision on the transaction.
A Consumer Reports analysis found that an average family of four can lose about $3,200 a year on junk fees.
Morgan said he recently spotted a 3% health insurance charge on a restaurant menu, which he had no problem with. But the bill eventually included another 3% service charge for a fee that hadn’t been disclosed.
“We as consumers make a choice all the time about what we pay for and when we’re going to price shop, but if we are blind to the actual cost of things because they’re hiding the fees, then we’ve got a serious problem,” Morgan said.
The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association is neutral on the measure but is engaged in negotiations.
“The hotel industry supports efforts to increase price transparency for guests, including proactively disclosing fees during the initial booking process,” Keenan Irish, vice president of government relations and member engagement for the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, said in a statement. “We appreciate the proponents’ willingness to address our technical concerns, and while we are currently neutral on the legislation, negotiations are ongoing to provide further clarity on a few details.”
The current bill excludes wholesale clubs, car rental companies, airlines and broadband or satellite internet companies.
Raoul last year settled a lawsuit with DoorDash amid allegations the company violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act by misrepresenting that tips would increase drivers’ pay. The company ended the practice in 2019 — but paid out $11.2 million to 79,000 workers who made deliveries in Illinois between July 2017 and September 2019. The legislation is hoping to ban similar practices, and it would allow Raoul to enforce violations of the act as an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
Biden in his 2023 State of the Union speech said his administration would tackle “junk” fees, and urged Congress to pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act. The measure stalled in the Senate in 2023.
The Federal Trade Commission in December 2024 finalized a “junk” fee rule in the waning days of the Biden administration, which targeted fees for short-term lodging and ticketing services. Failing to disclose a fee would constitute an unfair or deceptive practice.
Andrew Ferguson, then an FTC commissioner, was the lone dissenter to the rule. Ferguson was chosen by President Donald Trump to serve as FTC chairman in January. The Junk Fees Rule, however, is subject to the Congressional Review Act, and it’s unclear whether Congress will approve it.
One person is dead after a fire inside a condo complex in south suburban Glenwood on Saturday evening.
It happened around 5 p.m. in the 900 block of 194th Street.
Glenwood fire officials said that crews responded to a second-floor unit inside the three-story building that was engulfed with flames.
It was confirmed that one person died in the fire. Their identity was not released.
Neighbors in adjoining condos were displaced. The Red Cross was working to provide further assistance to those affected.
Glenwood fire said they are working with the state fire marshal to investigate what led up to the blaze.
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.
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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