The field of contestants for the 2025 title of “The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois” has been cut to the top eight products as the sixth annual Makers Madness contest continues. The drone to clean oil and fuel spills from water in hard to reach places like piers and around ships made by Elastec in Carmi made it into the quarterfinals and is pitted against Whiskey Acres Blue Popcorn Bourbon this week. In last week’s voting, the Rain Light Sensor from Hella in Flora was eliminated by the Mothers Milk Bank of the Great Lakes. Hosted by the Illinois Manufactures’ Association, the online contest is a bracket style tournament in which statewide residents cast votes on the MakersMadnessIL.com website around the clock. Voting for the current round runs through Sunday, March 30th.
Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill into law that addresses differences between police officer body cameras and Illinois State Police dash camera laws. The bill clarifies that if a victim or witness of a crime asks a Trooper to turn off their body camera, the officer must inform them that their vehicle’s dash camera will still be recording. Not all lawmakers agreed with this bill that was approved by the General Assembly last year.
Another new law is on the books in Illinois, designed to protect nursing home residents. Taking effect January 1st, 2026, nursing homes are prohibited from retaliating against a resident who exercises their rights. The new law also requires nursing home staff to undergo training designed to prevent retaliatory action from occuring.
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