• Illinois quick hits: Food additives ban passes Senate; legislator seeks to criminalize blocking roads

    Food additives ban passes Senate The Illinois Senate has passed a measure that would supersede the federal government when it comes to banning food additives. The legislation would ban several additives, including brominated vegetable oil and red dye number 3. California recently passed a similar ban, but if enacted, Illinois would have one of the strictest food bans in the country. The National Confectioners Association has gone on record saying that states...

  • Illinois taxpayers to pay for climate education mandates

    (The Center Square) – Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, every public high school shall require a unit of instruction addressing climate change in either a required science class or a required social studies class. House Bill 4895 gives the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) the directive to create professional development resources for educators to best teach climate change coursework. State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, said she is working to...

  • WVU set to add a pair of Illinois transfers

    MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Just days after Chester Frazier’s hiring as the new associate head coach at WVU, a pair of Frazier’s former players at Illinois have committed to join the Mountaineers. On Sunday afternoon, 6-foot-3 guard Sencire Harris and 6-foot-8 forward Amani Hansberry verbally committed to play at West Virginia. Harris is a native of

  • EU bans harmful artificial smoke flavourings for food

    The European Union has decided to ban certain smoke flavourings used by the food industry, based on the recommendations of European food safety watchdog EFSA, Dutch media reported. The flavourings which produces the distinctive smoky flavour have been linked to cancer and infertility, research by the EFSA has shown, and should no longer be present in food. The EFSA did not investigate how much of the flavourings would have to be consumed to cause cancer but said a blanket ban

  • Illinois bill would ban corporal punishment in private schools

    (The Center Square) – A measure advancing in Illinois seeks to ban corporal punishment in all private schools. Opponents are concerned the measure could be misinterpreted and school coaches asking for more pushups could be in violation of the proposed law. House Bill 4175 passed last week out of the House and was sent to the Senate. The bill seeks to ban corporal punishment in all private schools in Illinois. Corporal punishment is legal in all private schools in...

  • Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban set to be repealed after Senate vote

    The state Senate voted in favour of repealing the bill, which narrowly cleared the Arizona House last week and is expected to be signed into law by the governor.

  • Legislation to ban new natural gas hookups in Illinois introduced in Springfield

    (The Center Square) – There's talk about banning natural gas in Illinois. A Democratic lawmaker has introduced legislation that would ban natural gas in new buildings. The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, calls Senate Bill 3935 the Clean and Healthy Buildings Act. “We must reduce pollution in our buildings and we must begin a managed transition away from dirty, expensive gas to more affordable clean energy solutions,” said...

    • KIFI

    Arizona governor set to sign repeal of near-total abortion ban from 1864

    By ANITA SNOW and MORGAN LEE Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is following through on promises to undo a long-dormant law that bans all abortions except those done to save a patient’s life. A signing ceremony was scheduled for Thursday on a bill to repeal the state’s near-total abortion ban.

    • CNN

    Florida’s 6-week abortion ban set to take effect this week

    A stricter abortion law is set to take effect in Florida on Wednesday — dropping the state’s 15-week ban to a six-week ban — and it will likely affect thousands of people seeking abortion care within the first month alone. Florida has become a key abortion access point amid widespread restrictions that have taken hold in the region in the two years since the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. It’s also one of the country’s most populous states. Last year, 1 of every 3...

  • US Supreme Court split over Idaho's strict abortion ban in medical emergencies

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court justices, wading back into the battle over abortion access, appeared divided on Wednesday in a case pitting Idaho's strict Republican-backed abortion ban against a federal law that ensures that patients can receive emergency care. The justices heard arguments in an appeal by Idaho officials of a lower court's ruling that found that the 1986 U.S. law at issue, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), supersedes the state's near-total ban in...

  • Biden administration bans noncompete agreements, setting up legal showdown with business groups

    The Biden administration has issued a nationwide ban on the ability of employers to make their workers sign noncompete agreements, a move regulators said would help boost employee pay but which is set to be challenged in court by business groups. In a ruling Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said noncompete clauses would henceforth be illegal. The measure was necessary, it said, for "protecting the fundamental freedom of workers to change jobs, increasing innovation, and...

  • US Congress Set to Vote Again on Bill that Would Force TikTok to Divest or Face Ban

    The US Congress will vote again regarding a bill forcing TikTok to divest or face a potential ban. The US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote once more on Saturday regarding a bill aimed at compelling TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or else face a nationwide prohibition, according to a report by AFP.