Wednesday, August 20, 2025

• Former O'Bama administration staff members call for fairer legislative maps in IL

Two bipartisan former Obama administration officials are pushing for fairer maps in Illinois' state legislative districts.   Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley and ex-Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood are leading an effort to establish a ballot initiative in 2026 to reform the redistricting process for state legislative map-making.  The proposed constitutional amendment would establish a citizen-led committee to redraw the maps after the 2030 census.  The latest attempt to make legislative maps fairer in Illinois follows the departure of Texas Democrats who spent two weeks in suburban Chicago to avoid a vote in their state on a Republican-backed redrawing of congressional district boundaries.

• Watch out for kids, it's back to school time

It’s the first day of school for many of our local school districts. Officer Megan Lanie with the Bradley Police Department has some safety reminders for area drivers.  Remember that man children are excited to get back to school and may not look both ways before darting out into the street. 

• Will County Fair starts today

It's opening day for the Will County Fair in Peotone today. Representative for the fair, Karen Dralle, has a rundown of today's events.