In the News
Ending a tax deduction for interest paid on student loans. Raising taxes for more than 100,000 graduate students who receive tuition waivers. Imposing a levy on endowments at certain private colleges and universities.
These actions are anathema to higher education leaders across the country. Yet they all appear in the House-approved Republican tax overhaul, evidence of a growing disconnect between large segments of the GOP and colleges that, for generations, have wielded enormous clout on Capitol Hill.
Local Congressional members toed the political party line Thursday when the U.S. House voted 227-205 in support of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which calls for major changes in the personal and corporate tax structure.
The nearly $1.5 trillion tax overhaul drawn up by the GOP would lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, cap the deduction for property taxes at $10,000, and eliminate the deduction for state and local income tax and sales tax.
JOLIET - Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, announced Tuesday that Joliet Junior College was awarded a National Science Foundation grant worth $649,901, according to a press release from Foster's office.
The money will go to the Supporting Science Students through Scholarships, Academic and Social Activities and Reflective Journaling project, a program designed to address the ever-increasing need in Illinois and surrounding areas for highly qualified professionals in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
A group of mostly Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday slammed a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policy designed to overhaul the agency's scientific advisory panels.
Three weeks ago, President Trump announced his refusal to certify to Congress Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the grounds that he does not believe that it is in our national interest—despite his acknowledgement that Iran is in full compliance with the terms of the agreement. The facts, however, show that the deal is working.
Argonne National Laboratory near Lemont is celebrating two milestones: the 75th anniversary of the world's first nuclear chain reaction and the 10th anniversary of a microscopic research center.
Many know of the Southland's connections to the 1940s experiments that were instrumental in the development of the two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.
The first chain reaction was a key event that helped bring about the end of World War II. It occurred on Dec. 2, 1942, beneath the bleachers of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park.
Almost 200 people came out to Congregation Beth Shalom in Naperville for the Faces of Our Community: Interfaith and Anti-Hate Forum.
Illinois Representative Bill Foster led a panel of community members and religious leaders for an evening to discuss how to oppose prejudice, hate, and bigotry.
"This shows that people understand that there's a problem in the United States and that the best solution happens at the local level," said Foster. "To have everyone stand up and say, "this is not us."
In a new series called "Our Representatives,"Morning Shiftis reaching out to all 26 House members and senators in Washington that represent the people in the WBEZ listening area. In this first installment, host Jenn Whitetalks with Illinois Democratic Congressman Bill Foster.
For Batavia veteran Larry Orsborn, attending the wellness fair in Aurora Thursday for veterans was the "right thing to do."
"Unfortunately there are not a lot of 'outside' people who know as much about the resources available as the people that are here do," Orsborn said.
Illinois Democrats in Congress expressed outrage over the