Legislation would address overcrowded prisons and high recidivism rate

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) took to the House floor on Friday to urge representatives to pass the Recognizing Gun Violence as a Public Health Emergency Act.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor Wednesday to deliver a speech in which he urged fellow lawmakers to work harder to craft gun reform legislation.

Governors State and Joliet Junior College will increase academic support and student services.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin wants college students to have access to free textbooks.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) recently placed the University of Phoenix on probation and prohibited the school from enrolling new service members using its tuition assistance program -- a decision that was lauded by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who also serves as vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

The college was awarded due to its sustainable resource curriculum.

Thrive Magazine explores how the metropolitan area serves its residents.

The last day of the season for brush picking/chipping in Momence will be Oct. 20. 

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) recently announced the closing of his fall Abuelitas program, a program that helped connect over 160 relatives of Mexican descent with their families in Illinois throughout September and October.

Kankakee County Planning Department Director Michael Van Mill has been recertified as an economic developer by the International Economic Development Council, the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County said Tuesday.

Senator suggets potential interference from banking industry

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) called on the leaders of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Education recently to reconsider their relationships with the University of Phoenix after a recent Department of Defense report on the school's inappropriate recruiting practices.

Bradley village officials said Wednesday that construction work on city of Kankakee's Sewer Service Project will affect the village beginning in November. R&R, Inc. and Reuben E. Smith construction will dig a new piping trench, lay pipe and resurface the road over the 24-inch pipe in order to extend sewer services to the biopharmaceutical company CSL Behring. 

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) said a hiring event she hosted Friday at South Suburban College in South Holland attracted 500 job seekers. Kelly said 70 employers with active job openings were on hand to accept resumes and interview potential employees.

Olive-Harvey College in Chicago is receiving a five year, $600,000 federal grant to help more low-income minority students earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly said Tuesday.

The Kankakee County Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMH) received the William H. Morgan Annual Memorial Award on Friday morning in recognition of the unique mental health services it provides to convicts in transition.

U.S Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) became the first Republican U.S. senator to earn the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence's (ICHV) Abraham Lincoln Award, given to officials who have taken a strong position against gun violence, on Monday.

Kankakee County Enterprise Zone Administrator and Economic Alliance of Kankakee County President and CEO Mike Van Mill updated local business leaders on the impact of the area's two enterprise zones during a briefing Oct. 1.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined three other Democratic senators on Tuesday in a letter calling for the U.S. Department of Education to take a harder look at its funding policies for for-profit colleges. For-profit colleges, particularly the University of Phoenix, have come under scrutiny in recent months after a series of published reports about a variety of questionable recruiting practices.