Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Nearly 175 years after Illinois lawmakers exempted Northwestern University from paying property taxes to the City of Evanston and other taxing bodies, the school's historic 1851 charter remains one of the biggest roadblocks for Evanston officials seeking more funds from the city's largest employer.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis told James Lebuhn that “if we allow folks to just do what they want and threaten people in order to get the outcome that they want, that will ruin democracy faster really than anything we can do.”
Two teachers unions have filed a lawsuit against Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, alleging she is not distributing millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to schools and that students are being harmed as a result.
Students in all Illinois public schools will soon have to abide by rules barring them from using cellphones or other personal electronic communication devices during school hours unless they have been given specific permission to use them.
The DeKalb County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center administrator who quit without notice in July wrote in his resignation letter that he felt staying in the role would risk his professional license and integrity, documents show.