Illinois
Indiana wants to absorb 33 Illinois counties that voted to secede: 'Join us'
Indiana lawmakers propose redrawing state lines with Illinois
Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston lays out the efforts to redraw the state lines between Indiana and Illinois.
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston says lawmakers are looking into a proposal to absorb parts of Illinois after multiple counties voted to secede.
According to Huston, seven Illinois counties voted in November to leave the state. Upon further investigation, it was determined by Huston that 33 counties in total voted to secede, which is roughly one-third of Illinois’ counties.
Rather than forming a 51st state, Huston suggests these counties could instead become part of Indiana. Most of the counties in question are in central and southern Illinois, spanning east to west. Some already border Indiana.
Historically, Illinois was once part of Indiana from 1800 to 1809 before being divided into a separate state.
What Needs to Happen:
For these Illinois counties to officially join Indiana, several legal steps must take place:
- Both the Indiana and Illinois legislatures would need to pass bills approving the change.
- A commission would be formed to work out the logistics of shifting state boundaries.
- Both states would have to approve the commission’s report.
- Congress would need to sign off on the proposal.
What they’re saying:
Huston believes Indiana offers an attractive alternative to Illinois, citing lower taxes, fewer regulations, and strong economic growth.
“We just think this is a great opportunity for people that are interested in Illinois that want to secede, but we say, ‘join us.’ Low taxes, low regulatory environment, a ton of economic development already taking place,” said Houston. “We’re kinda raising our hand to say ‘hey don’t start a 51st state, we’d love to have you in Indiana.’”
Big picture view:
The idea of redrawing state lines is not new. Similar proposals have surfaced in other parts of the country. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Illinois residents have already relocated to Indiana since 2021, suggesting a trend of migration regardless of state boundaries.
What’s next:
It remains to be seen whether lawmakers in both states will seriously pursue the idea, and whether Congress would entertain such a move.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
Freeze Watch
from MON 12:00 AM CDT until MON 9:00 AM CDT, Lake County, Kankakee County, La Salle County, DuPage County, Northern Will County, DeKalb County, Southern Will County, Kendall County, Southern Cook County, Northern Cook County, Grundy County, Eastern Will County, Kane County, McHenry County, Lake County, Newton County, Jasper County, Porter County
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