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To view the entire Illinois Adult Use Cannabis Monthly Sales Figures report please click here.

The rise of hate in our state and across the country is alarming. At the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes (CDHC), we regularly hear about entire communities feeling unsafe, targeted, and afraid. Data bears out this dramatic and frightening increase of bias incidents and hate crimes. "Hate should never have a home here in Illinois," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Alongside the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, I call on all Illinoisans to reject hate, alienation, and bias in favor of empathy. When we treat one another with respect and dignity, it protects us all." In times of crisis, we may be inclined to turn against each other. Groups that are targeted with bias and hate may focus on other targeted populations as the source of their strife, feeding the weeds of blame, mistrust, and hate, harming all vulnerable populations. Hate is an insidious impulse and emotion that adapts, shifts its target, and manifests in a range of pernicious behaviors; when hate against one group is allowed to flourish, it inevitably will shift and target another group, often led by malicious opportunists.

On December 5, 2023, Governor JB Pritzker was joined by Dollywood Foundation Executive Director Nora Briggs, United Way of McLean County President and CEO David Taylor, local officials, parents, and community members at the Bloomington Public Library for the statewide launch of Illinois' partnership with The Dollywood Foundation to provide Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. This book gifting program mails free, high-quality, and age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five, regardless of the family's income. Governor Pritzker's FY24 budget allocates $1.6 million to the program to support early childhood learning in Illinois and instill lifelong reading practice.

The Illinois sports betting market joined in on a record-setting September, notching its own monthly handle high while helping push nationwide handle to new heights. The recently released state report from the Illinois Gaming Board shows bettors staked $1.078 billion in September, the most in Illinois sports betting history. September marked the sixth time monthly handle eclipsed the $1 billion mark and bested the previous high-water mark set in January 2023 at $1.070 billion.

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. With two major holidays and many people on the road traveling, December is a deadly month for drunk driving. The intention of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month is to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving. Impaired driving refers to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other substances that can restrict a person's ability to drive safely. Impaired driving is a critical public safety issue, which is why drivers will notice an increase in law enforcement patrols and sobriety checkpoints throughout the month of December. NEVER get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you are impaired. Impaired driving is a significant cause of traffic accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

The McHenry County circuit court clerk, who has served in the position for over 15 years, has been awarded Illinois’ County Official of the Year after being nominated for the award. Illinois Association of Court Clerks President Lisa Fallon nominated McHenry County Circuit Court Clerk Kathy Keefe for the Illinois Association of County Officials “County Official of the Year” 2023 award.

Illinois’ ongoing commitment to water quality is demonstrated in the 2023 Biennial Report of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Strategy (NLRS). The report has been developed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA), Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), and University of Illinois Extension, and is available at go.illinois.edu/NLRS. The 2023 Biennial Report is the fourth update to the strategy since its inception in 2015. Implementation of the NLRS is guided by research to optimize nutrient loss reduction while fostering deep collaboration and innovation across academia, the private sector, non-profits, wastewater agencies, and local, state, and federal government agencies. The report details the progress of the State’s efforts to improve water quality by reducing nutrient pollution, which affects both local waterways and the Gulf of Mexico. It outlines initiatives in 2021–22 that reduce nutrient loss across the agricultural, wastewater, and urban stormwater sectors and stresses the multifaceted challenges to addressing nutrient loss.

Building on the State’s data-driven plan to improve the asylum seeker response, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and the Greater Chicago Food Depository announced an additional $4 million investment to provide meals to asylum seekers through the end of the calendar year. The additional $2 million state investment will be matched by philanthropy through the Food Depository.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Energy has announced $2,909,890 of grant funding available for the development of local strategic energy plans as well as energy efficiency audits and local government building upgrades. Under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG), grant awards ranging from $200,000 to $249,900 will aim to create long-term sustainability and energy reduction roadmaps and reduce energy usage for Illinois municipalities and counties.

On November 30, 2023, the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) announced its reaccreditation by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the membership organization for state DOIs that sets insurance regulatory standards for all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. IDOI has received NAIC accreditation ongoing since 1993.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim today announced the latest funding opportunity to assist counties and other units of local government in implementing their solid waste planning obligations under the Illinois Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act (SWPRA). A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) has been posted to the Illinois EPA website.

On November 30, 2023, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced an additional $13 million investment in the Job Training and Economic Development Program (JTED) for workforce training and wrap-around services that will bolster equitable workforce recovery for Illinoisans struggling to gain meaningful employment. As part of Illinois’ workforce recovery efforts, JTED grants focus on helping increase employment among workers and industries hardest hit by COVID-19. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process.

Building on the State's data-driven plan to improve the asylum seeker response, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and the Greater Chicago Food Depository announced an additional $4 million investment to provide meals to asylum seekers through the end of the calendar year. The additional $2 million state investment will be matched by philanthropy through the Food Depository.

On December 1, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) Office of Energy has announced $2,909,890 of grant funding available for the development of local strategic energy plans as well as energy efficiency audits and local government building upgrades. Under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG), grant awards ranging from $200,000 to $249,900 will aim to create long-term sustainability and energy reduction roadmaps and reduce energy usage for Illinois municipalities and counties.

Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is implementing its fifth year of the Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program. New this year, users will be able to enter their information into the application and validate it during a pre-enrollment period starting at 8:00 A.M. CST on December 4, 2023. Applications can be submitted once the program opens at 8:00 A.M. on December 15, 2023. Applications can be saved and edited at any time, prior to submittal.

USDA Secretary Vilsack issued a disaster declaration for Christian, Hancock, McDonough, Sangamon and Washington counties due to losses caused by a derecho and tornadoes that occurred June 29 through June 30, 2023. Counties contiguous to Christian, Hancock, McDonough, Sangamon and Washington counties are eligible for the same assistance. The contiguous counties include: Adams, Cass, Clinton, Fulton, Henderson, Jefferson, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Marion, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Randolph, St. Clair, Schuyler, Shelby and Warren.

More than $3.7 million has been awarded for recreational trail development projects in 19 Illinois communities to help them meet the growing demand for improved trails and outdoor recreation facilities, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced today. “Trail development projects contribute to safer transportation and improved recreation opportunities across Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This grant program helps us maintain these indispensable spaces for bike riders, hikers, joggers and families to enjoy our state’s natural beauty.”

The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments in a case alleging the state’s 2019 law that consolidated nearly 650 individual police and firefighter pension funds actually hurt retirees by diluting their voting power. The nearly three-dozen pensioners and 17 individual pension funds that sued over the law have already lost twice in lower court. But their attorney on Tuesday was insistent the retired police and firefighters were wronged when Gov. JB Pritzker signed the law – passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities in the General Assembly – that consolidated the 649 funds into two.

Tazewell County’s government phone and email systems remain down after a cyber incident last week. Tazewell County Sheriff Jeffrey Lower said the incident occurred early last Monday. The Tazewell County computer network was proactively taken offline to determine the nature of the incident and the best response. “The two major systems that appear to be most affected are the telephone and email,” Lower said. “The email system remains offline, but we have begun restoring the telephone system.”

Nearly 350 Illinois schoolchildren will visit state historic sites this school year thanks to grant funding provided through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ State Historic Sites Field Trip Grant program. More than $5,200 in donated grant funds were awarded for 10 field trip grants. The grantees represent four counties in the state. “This program enables students to visit sites throughout Illinois to see first-hand what they’ve been learning about in the classroom,” said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie. “Students need the opportunity to experience Illinois’ historical resources in person. We are pleased to be able to support learning outside the classroom with these grants.”

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (“IDFPR”) congratulates 34 recipients of scholarships in Illinois from the Appraiser Diversity Initiative (“ADI”). This comes after IDFPR’s Division of Real Estate (“DRE”) hosted its first “How to” Series workshop on November 15 at the Real Estate Institute in Niles, collaborating with ADI on this free event that quickly filled to capacity after registrations opened. This marks the first time ADI (a national partnership between the Appraisal Institute, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the National Urban League that seeks to attract new entrants to the real estate appraisal field while fostering diversity in the profession) partnered with a state-level appraisal program to award scholarships to professionals seeking to enter the appraisal industry. This new series will help educate people across Illinois about becoming an appraiser in Illinois, with the goal of bringing new entrants into the field from diverse backgrounds and rural communities.

The Illinois Power Agency (IPA) and the Program Administrator are committed to the success of Equity Eligible Contractors (EEC) in the Illinois Shines program. As part of that commitment, the Program Administrator has recently made significant enhancements to the Become an Equity Eligible Contractor webpage on the Illinois Shines website. The webpage has been updated to provide a more seamless and supportive user experience for solar contractors and subcontractors navigating the EEC certification journey, making benefits and processes clearer.

Advancing a data-driven plan to improve the asylum seeker response and provide safe shelter through the winter, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced construction will launch this week on two new shelter sites. The sites, a base camp in Brighton Park and a brick-and-mortar site in Little Village, will house up to 2,200 asylum seekers in total. The locations of the shelters were identified by the City of Chicago and both shelters will operate as part of the existing City of Chicago shelter system. Work to construct and operate the shelters is being funded by the State through Governor Pritzker’s recently announced $160 million investment to improve the asylum seeker pipeline as well as the $478 million in State funding that has been provided or committed to the asylum seeker response over state fiscal year 2023 and 2024.

Plans for a pipeline that would have transported carbon dioxide from Iowa for eventual storage in central Illinois are off the table – for now. Wolf Carbon Solutions, the company behind the proposed project, filed a motion with state regulators on Monday to withdraw its application, although Wolf’s president said the company intends to file a new application in the future.

Monday morning marks the official beginning of the 2024 election cycle in Illinois, opening up the week-long period when candidates for local, state, congressional and judicial races are required to turn in the signatures they’ve spent the last two months collecting to get on the ballot.