SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- The Illinois National Guard issued the following news: Jason Carter of Bloomington, Illinois, was promoted to the rank of colonel during a ceremony at the Illinois Military Academy in Springfield Feb. 2, 2024. * Carter was pinned with his new rank by his wife, Celena, son, Jalen and his daughters Cenea and Ciere. * Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, Assistant Adjutant General - Army, and Commander of the Illinois Army National Guard, officiated the ceremony and thanked more PR

ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb. 9 -- Constangy, Brooks, Smith and Prophete, a law firm, issued the following news release: Constagy partner Laura Balson will present a webinar, hosted by LaSalle Network, on the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act on February 28, 2024. The Paid Leave for All Workers Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2024, will significantly impact paid time off policies and have sweeping implications for Illinois employers. Laura will join HR professionals on a panel to di more PR

UNIVERSITY PARK, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- Governors State University issued the following news release: The Department of Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health at Governors State University (GovState) has been awarded a $507,000 grant to increase the number of certified alcohol and drug abuse counselors in Illinois. The grant will provide tuition scholarships, internship stipends, and wraparound supports for students attending. Funded through the Illinois Division of Substance Use Prevention an more PR

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a multistate coalition of 23 attorneys general opposing Texas' ongoing effort to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In the amicus brief (https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/News-Room/Current-News/DACA%205th%20Cir%20amicus%20brief%20%28STAMPED%29.pdf?language_id=1) filed before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, Raoul  more PR

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 11 attorneys general urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Congress and the Biden administration to protect workers from the dangers of exposure to extreme heat in the workplace. Raoul and the coalition petitioned OSHA to implement a nationwide emergency extreme heat standard to take effect this summer to protect wo more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 6 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit involving the Department of Lottery, State Lottery Fund. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the financial audit of the Department of the Lottery's (Department) State Lottery Fund as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023. The Department's State Compliance Examination for the two years ended June 30, 2023 will be released at a later date. There were no findings disclosed  more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 6 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit involving Eastern Illinois University. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers Eastern Illinois University's Financial Audit as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023. Digests covering the University's Single Audit and the University's Compliance Examination for the year ended June 30, 2023 will be issued at a later date. * * * FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS INA more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 6 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following compliance examination involving Illinois Conservation Foundation. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the Illinois Conservation Foundation's (Foundation) compliance examination for the two-years ended June 30, 2023. A separate digest covering the Foundation's financial audit as of and for the year ending June 30, 2023 was released under a separate cover. In total, this report contains two more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 6 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit involving Illinois Conservation Foundation. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the financial audit of the Illinois Conservation Foundation (Foundation) as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023. The Foundation's compliance examination covering the two-years ended June 30, 2023 will be released under a separate cover. * * * FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS LAC more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 6 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit involving Illinois Finance Authority. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the Illinois State Finance Authority's (Authority) Financial Audit as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023. The Authority's Compliance Examination covering the two years ended June 30, 2023 will be issued in a separate report at a later date. * * * FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS CYBE more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 9 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 8, 2024, involving the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Here are excerpts: * * * FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS NONCOMPLIANCE WITH STATUTORY MANDATES The Office did not comply with certain provisions of statutory mandates related to boards, commissions, and committees and lacked sufficient internal controls to ensure compliance. We noted the Office: * Failed to appoint  more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 9 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 8, 2024, involving Office of the Secretary of State. Here are excerpts: * * * FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS INACCURATE CENSUS DATA The Office had certain deficiencies in their internal control to ensure accurate census data was provided to the State Employees' Retirement System of Illinois (System) for us in the applicable annual actuarial valuations. Census data is demog more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 6 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit involving the University of Illinois. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION The University's financial audit report consists of three sets of financial statements as follows - the financial statements of the University, the revenue bond financial statements of the Auxiliary Facilities System, and the revenue bond financial statements of the Health Services Facilities System. This digest covers more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: State Senator Rachel Ventura is leading a measure that would increase fines to hospitals that fail to implement a written staffing plan amidst continuous nurse negotiations at the St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet. "There needs to be accountability for hospitals who negotiate and operate in bad faith," said Ventura (D-Joliet). "Numerous nursing strikes have gone on and yet no changes have been implemented -  more PR

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- Lincoln Land Community College issued the following news: Lincoln Land Community College has partnered with AT&T to offer free digital literacy training classes throughout 2024 to help bridge the technological divide for older adults. A series of seven initial courses is available this spring. "The world has been moving toward more digital services and access, which has left many older adults feeling isolated, frustrated and socially excluded," said Dr. Laurel more PR

EVANSTON, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- Northwestern University issued the following news release on Feb. 9, 2024: As construction fences go up around Ryan Field, Northwestern University is announcing measures to keep the community informed of upcoming milestones and ensure transparency and engagement with the community throughout the construction process at the University's athletics campus. "A vital component of this project is communication with our stadium neighbors," Senior Executive Director of N more PR

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 10 (TNSres) -- Northwestern University issued the following news release: A new Northwestern Medicine study has found the immune system in the blood of Alzheimer's patients is epigenetically altered. That means the patients' behavior or environment has caused changes that affect the way their genes work. Many of these altered immune genes are the same ones that increase an individual's risk for Alzheimer's. Northwestern scientists theorize the cause could be a previous  more PR

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- The Illinois National Guard issued the following news: Friends and family gathered at Rock Island Arsenal's Heritage Hall Feb. 4, for a mobilization ceremony for Logistics Advisory Team 6612 of the Illinois National Guard's 6th Battalion, 54th Security Forces Assistance Brigade. * The team of about half a dozen Soldiers will deploy to the Philippines to replace a team slated to come back in February. LAT 6612 will take over training and integrating wit more PR

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 10 -- Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes issued the following news: Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined a letter to leadership of the U.S. House and Senate "urging Congress to provide bridge funding to the Crime Victims Fund." The letter, spearheaded by the attorneys general from Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, was sent by the National Association of Attorneys General. According to the letter, the "Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA) established the Crime more PR

MACOMB, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- Western Illinois University issued the following news release: Western Illinois University Television (UTV) Chief Broadcasting Engineer Michael Morrison has been named the Al and Elaine Goldfarb Civil Service Employee of the Month for January. Morrison started at WIU in October 2014. Prior to his current position, he was a broadcast and maintenance engineer at WEEK TV in East Peoria for 15 years; an instrument lab technician for two years at Caterpillar Inc. in the more PR

MACOMB, Illinois, Feb. 10 -- Western Illinois University issued the following news release: MACOMB/MOLINE, IL - Western Illinois University-Quad Cities graduate student Taylor Murphy recently received a scholarship to pursue a specialist degree in School Psychology at the Macomb campus. Murphy was among the first cohort of students to major in Psychology at WIU-QC, where she earned her bachelor's degree in May 2021. Murphy was selected as one of three recipients of the 2023-2024 Lori Lynne Mye more PR