Illinois

Illinois regains access to $77M in federal education funds following judge’s order

Published

7 months ago

May 7, 2025

Illinois regains access to M in federal education funds following judge’s order

A federal judge in New York issued a preliminary order Tuesday blocking the Trump administration from cutting off states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds for public schools, including more than $77 million for Illinois.

U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, of the Southern District of New York, issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of an order that Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued on Friday, March 28. That order reversed earlier decisions to grant the states additional time to spend funds they had been allocated.

The effect of McMahon’s order was to immediately cut off access to funds that states said they had already committed to spend but not yet made the actual expenditures.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 17 states in suing the federal government to block McMahon’s order.

“The Trump administration’s shortsighted and illegal decision to attempt to rescind already-appropriated education funding would hurt vulnerable students the most and could wreak havoc on the budgets of school districts throughout Illinois and the nation,” Raoul said in a statement Tuesday.

The lawsuit over pandemic-related education money is one of more than a dozen multistate suits Raoul has joined, in combination with other Democratic state attorneys general, challenging actions Trump has taken since being sworn in for a second term Jan. 20.

In 2020 and 2021, Congress passed several relief and economic stimulus packages totaling trillions of dollars to help individuals, businesses and state and local governments deal with the financial consequences of the pandemic. For schools, that included costs associated with preparing for the safe return to in-person learning, addressing the learning loss students suffered during the extended period of school closures, and addressing some of the unique needs of homeless children that were exacerbated by the pandemic.

According to the complaint, Illinois was awarded just over $5 billion in “education stabilization” funds under the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, which was enacted in March 2021. Of that, $77.2 million remained obligated but not yet spent as of the end of March 2025.

Those funds had been earmarked for such things as teacher mentoring, statewide instructional coaching, new principal mentoring, trauma response initiatives, the creation of social-emotional learning hubs and contracts for technology infrastructure upgrades, according to the complaint.

Under ARPA, those funds were intended to cover expenses incurred through Sept. 30, 2023. Subsequent legislation gave states an additional year, to Sept. 30, 2024, to “obligate” their funds. And under agency regulations, they had another 120 days beyond that to draw down the funds, although they were also given the option of requesting further extensions.

In January 2025, Illinois requested, and later received, permission to extend its deadline for drawing down the remainder of its funds to March 28, 2026. Other states involved in the lawsuit also received extensions.

But on Friday, March 28, 2025, the Department of Education issued a memo rescinding those extensions, effectively cutting off the states’ access to any unspent funds.

“Extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion,” McMahon said in a memo to state education agency heads.

The injunction means the Department of Education cannot enforce the order, at least while the case is still being litigated or until the court issues a different order.

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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Illinois

Illinois transportation crews prepare for winter weather

Published

9 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Press Room

Illinois transportation crews prepare for winter weather

MILAN, Ill. (KWQC) – The Illinois Department of Transportation held a “Winter Weather, Get It Together” event Tuesday as crews prepare for the upcoming winter season.

Crews want drivers to pay extra attention to crews working to clear roads during winter weather events.

“Definitely just keep in mind, slow down when you see our trucks,” Devin McNeill, Illinois DOT lead worker at the Silvis yard said. “Our drivers are doing multiple things while they’re operating the trucks so they can’t see everywhere.”

He also said drivers should be patient.

Crews in District 2, which covers several counties in northwest Illinois, have nearly 4,100 miles of roads to plow.

Guidelines from the Illinois Department of Transportation:

Give yourself extra time for trips
Slow down and increase the distance between other vehicles
Prepare an emergency kits with jumper cable, flares or reflectors, windshield washer fluid, an ice scraper, traction material, blankets, food and a first-aid kit
Keep a cellphone charger in your vehcile
Check your battery, tires, lights, charging system and belts
Look out for black ice and slippery conditions, even with no snow
Be careful at intersections, ramps, bridges and shady areas
Don’t travel in bad weather unless you have to. If you do, share your route and check the forecast
Give plows and other equipment treating the roads space

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Illinois

Illinois is MUCH better than Wisconsin. They need to play like it.

Published

1 day ago

November 18, 2025

Press Room

Illinois is MUCH better than Wisconsin. They need to play like it.

On this episode of “Oskee Talk” I recap Illinois football’s victory over Maryland (2:44), highlighting Luke Altmyer’s rise in the Illini record books (8:27) and noting that the program is currently in one of its most successful stretches (17:11). I also preview Illinois’ upcoming game against Wisconsin (21:32), analyze the Badgers’ unusually poor offense (26:24), and offer a score prediction for Saturday’s matchup (31:33).

I also review men’s basketball’s win over Colgate (33:37), spotlighting David Mirkovic’s record-setting game and Keaton Wagler’s strong start (36:13). I look ahead to Wednesday’s Top-15 matchup with Alabama in Chicago (41:01). I also recap women’s basketball’s strange shooting night against Oregon State (47:43) and preview the Field Trip game against Murray State (50:15).

I end the show by recognizing Illinois women’s soccer team for its historic season (53:21).

Join the conversation! Comment below and make sure to subscribe to Oskee Talk wherever you find your podcasts!

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Illinois

Illinois lawmaker calls out Pritzker over violent Broadview ICE protests

Published

2 days ago

November 17, 2025

Press Room

Illinois lawmaker calls out Pritzker over violent Broadview ICE protests

BROADVIEW, Ill. – An Illinois state lawmaker is calling on Gov. JB Pritzker to publicly condemn the violence that broke out during protests outside the Broadview ICE processing facility on Friday where clashes led to 21 arrests and several injured officers.

What they’re saying:

State Rep. Patrick Sheehan said the confrontation highlights growing dangers that officers face statewide.

“Our officers put everything on the line to maintain order and they were met with violence,” Sheehan said in a statement. “Governor Pritzker must condemn the violence against Illinois law enforcement officers in Broadview now!”

The protests, which drew about 300 people, escalated late Friday morning when roughly 50 demonstrators crossed a barrier outside the facility. Authorities said the clash left four officers hurt, including two Broadview police officers, an Illinois State Police trooper and a Cook County Sheriff’s deputy.

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson also denounced the violence, calling the behavior of some demonstrators who she claimed were from out of town “unacceptable and outrageous.”

Sheehan pointed to ongoing strain on Illinois police departments, citing a statewide survey showing that 60 percent of agencies report being understaffed, with recruitment and retention reaching “crisis-level” conditions.

The clash came as a federal judge ordered the release of 13 immigrant detainees and signaled that hundreds more could qualify for home confinement. Family members gathered outside the facility Friday, hoping to see relatives walk out.

Some protesters told Fox 32 they remained peaceful and were demonstrating in solidarity with detainees awaiting release.

“We’re not being violent,” one protester said.

Sheehan said the injuries in Broadview underscore what he believes is an urgent need for immediate state action. “Any delay leaves both officers and residents at continued risk,” he warned.

The Source: The information in this report came from State Rep. Patrick Sheehan along with previous reporting by FOX 32 and The Associated Press.

BroadviewCrime and Public SafetyImmigrationNewsJ.B. Pritzker

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