In the News

The U.S. Department of Energy’s decision to pull the plug on an approved grant to pay for half of a $2.25 million Naperville electric utility project means the city is on the hook for the full cost.

In early October, amid the federal government shutdown, federal officials announced the termination of 321 financial awards for 223 projects, totaling roughly $8 billion. States that did not vote for President Trump in the 2024 election were primarily affected, with Illinois seeing $583 million in cuts for projects.

Lawmakers from both parties have said for months that artificial intelligence is one of the most pressing issues of our time.

They may have missed their best chance to regulate it.

BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — Representative Bill Foster (D) has donated his salary from the recent government shutdown to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, fulfilling a promise he made during the shutdown.

During the government shutdown, thousands of workers were furloughed and SNAP payments were disrupted, while lawmakers continued to receive their salaries. Foster, who represents the Belvidere area, pledged to donate his salary to support those affected by the shutdown.

GENEVA, Ill. — A local congressman has made good on his promise to donate money he earned during the government shutdown to an Illinois food bank.

Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) donated the salary he received during the government shutdown to the Northern Illinois Food Bank on Friday. Foster had pledged to do so in October.

Foster also donated his pay to the Northern Illinois Food Bank in 2013 and in 2019, during government shutdowns in those years.

As groundbreakings go, the one that took place Nov. 14 at the old St. Paul Lutheran School in Aurora was extra special.

For one thing, this 20-unit development, which will provide affordable housing for those with disabilities, is called Las Rosas, named after Sister Rose Marie Lorentzen, the founder of Hesed House homeless shelter in Aurora who passed away almost a year ago.

Naperville officials are celebrating the completion of improvements to the Eagle Street gateway along the Riverwalk in the city’s downtown.

As part of the $3 million project, access between the Riverwalk and the lower walkway was improved with two grand staircases and a wheelchair-accessible ramp. It also added native plantings to help highlight the colorful Landforms sculpture.

The Association for Individual Development, Hesed House, and The Neighbor Project hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 14 to celebrate the start of construction on new Permanent Supportive Housing in Aurora.

The event brought together community members, partners, and leaders from across local, county, state, and federal levels.

Officials at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva are expressing relief that the government shutdown has ended and funding for the essential SNAP food assistance program is secured for the next year or so.

But they also warn that daunting challenges remain, and that demand for their services is growing at a pace they say they will ultimately be unable to keep up with, as demand for food assistance remains “incredibly high.”