Home fire awareness
The Illinois State Fire Marshal is urging Illinois residents to review and practice their fire escape plans while testing and inspecting smoke alarms following a wave of recent deadly home fires.
Since Friday, Feb. 14, there have been eight deadly fires claiming the lives of 10 people in Illinois. So far in 2025, Illinois has seen 16 fatal fires resulting in 19 fire related fatalities.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fire deaths.
Legislator censored social media page
A judge has ruled in favor of four people who sued after an Illinois state legislator deleted critical comments on his Facebook page.
The lawsuit didn’t include specific comments that were critical of state Rep. Charlie Meier, but the attorney representing the plaintiffs said that one of the issues involves campaign donations by the Illinois Education Association, which is a union for teachers.
The plaintiffs were not seeking a monetary award but wanted access to the Facebook page.
Housing tax credits proposed
To address the ongoing housing shortage in Illinois, a bill has been introduced that aims to add more housing through tax credits. Lawmakers call the measure the Build Illinois Homes Act.
According to co-sponsor state Rep. Ryan Spain, a Republican from Peoria, this would be a relatively small tax credit at $20 million in total annually. The bill is currently being looked at by the House Revenue and Finance Committee.