In the News

Believing in paying its employees a fair wage, IKEA hosted Congressman Bill Foster to tour its Bolingbrook facilities and speak on the importance of raising the minimum wage.

JOLIET – The difficult journey of one woman in her 90s trying to visit Wal-Mart for grocery shopping was shared Wednesday at a panel discussion in Joliet on transportation for seniors.

The woman was at Senior Services Center of Will County and waited a long time for a cab ride she didn't know she missed because she went to the restroom, recalled Barry Kolanowski, executive director of the agency.

Congressman Bill Foster is the U.S. representative for Illinois's 11th district. Before moving into politics, Representative Foster enjoyed a successful career as a high-energy physicist and particle accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

Argonne National Laboratory will get a new supercomputer that's over 17 times faster than its existing one — the result of a $200 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, officials announced Thursday.

The supercomputer, named Aurora, is slated to begin operating in 2018 and will replace Mira, Argonne's current supercomputer, which is now the fifth-fastest in the world.

Aurora will be able to tackle many of the complex challenges in the world today, including materials science, biological science and renewable energy, officials said.

Several U.S. House Democrats from the suburbs participated in a multi-hour, high-profile sit-in to try to pressure Republicans for a vote on federal gun control legislation.

The rare, raucous floor display included Democratic Reps. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates, Jan Schakowsky of Evanston, Bill Foster of Naperville and Mike Quigley of Chicago and Sen. Dick Durbin of Springfield.

JOLIET – Not even a gray, overcast sky and light rain could dampen the enthusiasm of Star Wars fans who crowded downtown Joliet on Saturday to celebrate the nearly 40-year-old science fiction adventure saga.

The seventh annual Star Wars Day attracted fans of all shapes and sizes, from those dressed as Wookies, Tusken Raiders and Stormtroopers to one fan who played Palpatine running for emperor.

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, toured the waterways in Lemont on Friday to help plan transportation infrastructure and to get more federal dollars for it.

"This is an important part of the economy," he said.

Foster said Illinois loses about $40 billion annually because state residents pay about $20 billion more in federal taxes than the national average for residents in other states, and "also lose about $20 billion because we get a lot less back in federal spending" than national averages.

JOLIET – U.S. Congressman Bill Foster, D-Naperville, is stepping up the fight against the deadly opioid epidemic sweeping Illinois and the rest of the nation.