(The Center Square) – A new report by an inspector general for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services shows 171 children died while in contact with the department last year, 40% more than the year before. Lawmakers are now demanding action.

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It is now illegal to buy or sell more than 170 semi-automatic firearms. Those who owned such guns before the ban went into effect Tuesday when the governor signed the measure must register them with Illinois State Police by Jan. 1, 2024. There’s also a ban on long gun magazines of more than 10 and handgun magazines of more than 15.

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The Southern Region of Nutrien recently attended a training session at Rend Lake College’s Agronomy Innovation Center, provided by Syngenta. The training covered machines and applications for agricultural spray application, including mixing, cleaning, and chemicals. The partnership with Syngenta allowed Nutrien to upskill its current agricultural employees and encourage a pipeline of students for the future workforce.

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(The Center Square) – Prosecutors in a case involving Michael Madigan say they have wires of the former Illinois House speaker acknowledging operatives “made out like bandits” in a scheme involving utility ComEd.

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(The Center Square) – The 103rd Illinois General Assembly is officially underway for a new two-year term after members of the House of Representatives and the Senate were sworn in during separate ceremonies Wednesday in Springfield.

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(The Center Square) – With a new ban on certain guns now in place in Illinois, some have said they won’t comply. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has a message for law enforcement: Do your job or else. Gun-rights groups say the ban won’t last long.

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(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker is now in his second term.

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In his second inaugural address, Gov. J.B. Pritzker vowed that Democratic lawmakers will send to his desk comprehensive legislation to ban military-style firearms and to require such guns already in circulation to be registered.

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LOS ANGELES — No. 1 Georgia won the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship in record-setting fashion Monday night, overpowering No. 3 TCU in a gaudy 65-7 victory that marked the most dominant title-game performance in the sport’s history. The win, which featured the Bulldogs scoring the most points in any FBS national title game, makes Georgia the first back-to-back national champions of the CFP era and first at all since Alabama in 2011-12.

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(The Center Square) – Illinois state lawmakers are looking to give themselves a $12,000 raise with a bill that spends more than $1.7 billion of taxpayer money

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