Illinois Tollway Expected To Vote On Largest Rate Hike In State History
(Chicago, IL) — The Illinois Tollway is expected to vote today on the largest toll rate hike in state history. If approved, tolls in Illinois could rise nearly 60-percent beginning next January. Under the proposal, passenger vehicles would see a 45-cent per-toll increase, while commercial vehicles would experience a 30-percent boost. The rates would be adjusted every other year based on inflation. The extra funds will help pay for a 15-year, more than 26-billion-dollar capital investment program.
NASCAR Not Returning To Downtown Chicago In 2027
(Chicago, IL) — NASCAR isn’t returning to downtown Chicago next year. City officials and NASCAR couldn’t come to an agreement on holding a street course race in 2027 in Grant Park. NASCAR held a race in downtown Chicago from 2023 to 2025. The auto racing organization will instead return next year to the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, where it held a race this year.
Illinois Strengthening Protections For Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors
(Chicago, IL) — Illinois is strengthening protections for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Governor Pritzker signed three bills into law. One measure strengthens protections for survivors of domestic violence and harassment by closing a legal loophole that happens between emergency and final orders of protection. That law goes into effect in 2028. The second bill creates safeguards for those at the highest risk of being seriously injured or killed by an intimate partner. The third expands access to sexual assault nurse examiners with telehealth options. The last two laws go into effect next year.