Are you looking for a job in Illinois? Are you looking to move elsewhere in the state? WalletHub released a list of more than 120 Illinois cities, ranking them based on their labor-market health.

Illinois will receive $43.5 million through a federal grant to be used in the fight against opioid abuse. About $29 million of that will go to increase the availability of addiction treatment and to help reduce overdose-related deaths through prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives.

Low-income residents, seniors, and people with disabilities in needing winter heating assistance can begin applying for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Oct. 1.

A barn dating back to the 1940’s at Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) in Oglesby will be demolished, with a new agriculture building going up in its place thanks to capital project money released Sept. 11 by the Illinois Office of Management and Budget.

Gov. Bruce Rauner today declared a harvest emergency to help level the playing field between Illinois farmers and crop haulers and those in neighboring states.

State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) will host a free Senior Health Fair Wednesday, September 12 at Simply Kracked (830 Harrison Street) in Peru from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. This is the former site of The Eagle’s Lodge.

For the first time, Illinois high school students will have access to information that shows how much they might earn if they graduate from colleges and universities located in the state.

Last spring, Sen. Rezin pushed for and voted for more education dollars and a new funding formula that will better help our schools for years to come. See a breakdown of how many new dollars are coming to schools in the 38th Senate District.

High school students will soon have another option to help prepare them for their future careers. Seeking to connect talented young people with good-paying jobs that don’t necessarily require a college degree, House Bill 5247 requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to adopt rules that would allow students ages 16 and older to participate in industry-based occupational apprenticeship programs.

Veterans with disabilities will now have their Disabled Veterans’ Standard Homestead Exemption follow them to a new residence, even if they move during the middle of the year, now that Senate Bill 2306 has been signed into law.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed the first human West Nile virus-related death in Illinois for 2018. A LaSalle County resident older than 65 who became ill during the first part of August and tested positive for West Nile virus has died.

A new law will ease weight-limit restrictions on state highways during harvest time, improving the competitive outlook for Illinois farmers and agricultural commodities haulers as a way to assist the state’s leading industry: agriculture.

Continuing efforts to keep students in-state, new laws focused on improving the affordability and effectiveness of Illinois’ higher education system were signed into law this week.

A new law recently signed by the Governor will extend the statute of limitations of reporting of sexual assault cases, correcting an anomaly in current law for victims of sexual assault.

Hunters’ apparel selection will now include blaze pink under legislation recently signed into law.

Five new state laws take steps toward addressing the state’s ongoing opioid crisis and improving access to mental health and substance abuse treatment.

New state laws will streamline veteran identification services and make it easier for homeless veterans to access critical medical benefits they have earned. House Bill 4848 requires health care providers to provide one free, complete copy of a patient’s medical records if the patient is an indigent homeless veteran.

A new law seeks to increase Illinois seniors’ access to high-speed Internet and provide more convenience with permanent identification cards.

A package of legislation was signed this week to benefit Illinois farmers and ag businesses. With more than 72,000 farmers and 2,400 food manufacturers in the state, Illinois leads the nation in food processing, and ag commodities businesses produce $19 billion annually—and billions more is stimulated by ag-related industry.

In response to the state’s ongoing teacher shortage, new laws intended to cut red tape for teachers and offer more teaching opportunities for military spouses, were recently signed into law.

All counties in Illinois will be able to establish stormwater commissions that can adopt plans and ordinances under legislation sponsored by State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner Aug. 10.

On Sunday afternoon, Governor Bruce Rauner signed Senate Bill 2225 which creates Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield license plates for Illinois veterans who earned the Southwest Asia Service Medal during their deployment. The bill was introduced into the Senate by State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and navigated the House with the help of chief co-sponsor State Representative Jerry Long (R-Streator).

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Rezin that gives the state’s colleges and universities tools they need to attract in-state students with improved financial aid plans, a more liberal application of credit transfers, and increased student counseling supports.

On July 31, Gov. Rauner signed legislation creating the Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission to develop plans for celebrating the famous road’s 100th anniversary in 2026.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is seeking proposals through the Safe Routes to School program for projects that help children walk and bike to school.