News

Chicago officials want to boost the city’s tourism and convention business. They’re rolling out a sweeping plan that calls for a new sports arena and an overhaul for Navy Pier. IPR’S Alex Keefe reports.

The proposal calls for nearly 170-million dollars’ worth of changes to Navy Pier including a bigger children’s museum and a makeover to make the Pier feel a bit less like a carnival.

 17th District Congresswoman Cheri Bustos was among the lawmakers voting in favor of a five-year farm bill. The measure came out of the House Agriculture Committee, and is now ready for floor consideration.

OSF HealthCare is partnering with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois to create a new Accountable Care Organization. This will be the first commercial ACO for OSF. Under the deal, OSF is charged with improving patient care and satisfaction while also focusing on the overall cost of health care. That can be done by developing programs that will help people better manage their health, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and ER visits, costly re-admissions, and duplication of services. There are financial incentives for OSF to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Jim Richerson is no longer running the Peoria Riverfront Museum. The announcement comes after the Museum failed to provide Peoria County with contractually required financial information. Peoria County voters approved a quarter of one percent sales tax increase to build the museum in 2009.

It appears hockey will stay alive in Peoria. The Southern Professional Hockey League announced its adding the Bloomington Blaze and Peoria Rivermen to its league for the upcoming season. The Rivermen were at risk of leaving Peoria after the Vancouver Canucks told the Civic Center it won’t run its American Hockey League team in the city. But the owners of the Bloomington Blaze who are also former Rivermen executives came forward to say they will operate both teams and were moving to have both become part of the SPHL.

A Republican Illinois lawmaker who supports gay marriage is taking his name out of the running to be the next state GOP chairman. IPR’S Alex Keefe reports.

State Representative Ron Sandack  was one of nine candidates looking to replace the party’s former chairman. Pat Brady resigned last week following a controversy stemming from his public support of gay marriage.

Just over two weeks remain before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn for the summer, on May 31st. They still have a lot to deal with in that time like pensions, concealed carry, same-sex marriage, and next year's budget. But as IPR’S Brian Mackey reports, an incident in the Illinois House Wednesday shows tempers are already starting to flare.

The trouble began with a simple piece of legislation to ban lion meat -- yes, the slaughter and sale of lion meat. As it dawned on the sponsor that his legislation was heading for defeat, he withdrew it.

A new plan to regulate the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing is back on track in the Illinois legislature. IPR’S Amanda Vinicky has more.

New technology allows energy companies to use high volumes of water mixed with chemicals to drill deep into the ground for oil and natural gas. There's hope Illinois' New Albany shale could be rich with both. But before companies start "fracking," as the practice is known, the state needs to set up rules.

Federal marshals have finished selling all the known assets of Rita Crundwell. IPR’S Jenna Dooley has more:

The former Dixon comptroller is now serving a federal prison sentence for embezzling nearly $53 million from the city. Last week, marshals sold Crundwell’s final three assets, including two vehicles and a trailer. 

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee began work Wednesday on a five year farm bill. Taylorville Republican Rodney Davis introduced an amendment to give the U.S. Department of Agriculture more say in any changes introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency that affect agriculture.