Illinois in Focus

The podcast bringing you the most important stories out of Illinois from TheCenterSquare.com. Join us as we dive into the top headlines and provide insightful commentary and analysis.

Illinois in Focus is a news podcast hosted by The Center Square, with 600 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

The Center Square hosts Illinois in Focus, a news show with 600 episodes published.

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  Episode #734

  Weekend Edition | Local hike on Springfield hotels ups rate to second highest in state

  Sep 4, 202624 min

  (The Center Square) – A new tax set to be imposed will soon make hotel rooms in Springfield the second-most taxed in the state, behind the city of Chicago. Debate over the new tax saw economic development pit against a burden the tax could place on the local hotel industry. A new 3% hotel tax passed by the Sangamon County Board on Tuesday is planned to fund an expansion of the publicly owned Bank of Springfield Center, which the county hopes to break ground on in the fall of 2027.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #733

  Weekend Edition | Illinois officials, elections advocates respond to mail-in voting ruling

  Aug 28, 202624 min

  (The Center Square) – Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday, Illinois elected officials are urging residents to send any mail-in ballots to be cast in the midterms ahead of election day. The highest court temporarily allowed the Trump administration to maintain an executive order placing restrictions on mail-in voting across the country, requiring the U.S. Postal Service to cross reference Homeland Security lists of legal citizen eligible voters. Ed Yohnka, spokesman for Illinois ACLU, said the ruling was disappointing but would allow the group's case to be ruled on to potentially block the executive order’s rule based on its merits. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #732

  Weekend Edition | Statewide Dems focus on Trump during State Fair event

  Aug 21, 202624 min

  (The Center Square) – A slate of Democrats running in statewide races appeared at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday during a campaign event, discussing what they could do to push back against President Donald Trump’s administration during a campaign event. Retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., appeared alongside the slate of statewide officials and candidates. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul let other politicians, such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his running mate, Christian Mitchell, did most of the talking about the state suing the federal government repeatedly over a variety of different policies alongside other Dem AGs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #731

  Weekend Edition | Illinois taxpayers provide nearly $190 million for state fair

  Aug 15, 202624 min

  (The Center Square) – The Illinois State Fair is expected to generate about $100 million of economic impact after taxpayers invested nearly $190 million for infrastructure and programming. The fair is set to run from Thursday morning until Sunday, August 23 at the state fairgrounds in Springfield. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said both the Illinois State Fair and the Du Quoin State Fair are important to the economy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #730

  Weekend Edition | Investigating Committee Waits on U.S. Attorney Before Ammons Fact-Finding Starts

  Aug 7, 202624 min

  (The Center Square) – An Illinois House of Representatives committee decided it will move forward with an investigation into a number of complaints against a central Illinois lawmaker, but only after the special committee receives input from the U.S. Attorney's Office that brought charges against her. The first hearing of the Special Investigating Committee held at the State Capitol Thursday was largely procedural. Chaired by Assistant Majority Leader Curtis Tarver II, D-Chicago, committee members heard a complaint filed by 11 House Republicans regarding the federal indictment brought against Rep. Carol Ammons for an alleged kickback scheme involving state grant money. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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