Latest Illinois Headlines

All the headlines from our Illinois Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Some Crops Falter in Record Midwest Rains

Aug 3 2015 // Weeks of record rainfalls drenched Don Lamb’s cornfields this summer, drowning some plants and leaving others yellowed, 2 feet tall and capable of producing little, if any, grain.The 48-year-old central Indiana...

Summer Recreation Business a Washout Due to Illinois River Floods

Jul 29 2015 // Flooding along the Illinois River that has prompted National Weather Service warnings and closed the waterway to boaters for weeks this summer has dampened recreational activities.Marina owners, boat shop workers and...

Groups Divided Over Lax ATV Safety Laws in Illinois

Jul 27 2015 // Illinois has some of the least-restrictive laws regulating all-terrain vehicles, and enthusiasts and consumer advocates are divided about how to make the popular sport safer.The Chicago Tribune reports that July and August...

Blaze Causes $250K in Damage to Illinois Store; 12-Year-Old Charged

Jul 24 2015 // Authorities say a 12-year-old Kankakee, Ill., boy is charged with arson in a fire at a Family Dollar store earlier this month. The (Kankakee) Daily-Journal reports that the boy was charged after investigators saw...

Golf Carts Being Allowed on Streets in More Small Towns in Illinois

Jul 21 2015 // It’s not unusual to see residents zipping around on golf carts in many small Illinois communities, as local officials increasingly adopt ordinances to accommodate the popular vehicles.Golf carts are getting the green...

Berry Joins FIRST Insurance Funding in Illinois

Jul 7 2015 // FIRST Insurance Funding Corp. in Northbrook, Ill., has added Justin Berry as a senior vice president and regional sales manager. Berry will manage FIRST Insurance Funding Corp.’s Midwest sales team and assist with...

Integro Acquires Lemme Insurance Group in Illinois

Jul 7 2015 // International insurance broker and risk management firm Integro Ltd. has acquired Lemme Insurance Group Inc., based in Arlington Heights, Ill. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.Lemme, a boutique insurance...

Illinois’ Harper College, Zurich Team Up for Insurance Apprenticeship Program

Jul 6 2015 // A Chicago-area community college and a global insurance company are creating what they believe is the first-of-its-kind insurance apprenticeship program in the United States and one they hope will become an industry...

Tort, Work Comp Reform Among Illinois Gov.’s Budget Holdouts

Jun 30 2015 // Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has an answer to the state Capitol budget impasse: adopt five “structural reforms” that make it cheaper to do business in Illinois.House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago calls the...

Severe Storms, Tornado Damage Homes, Injure 7 in Illinois

Jun 24 2015 // At least seven people were injured as severe thunderstorms that swept across northern Illinois spawned a tornado, damaged homes and uprooted trees.Particularly hard hit Monday night was Coal City, a community of...

Illinois’ Harper College to Host Zurich’s Apprenticeship Program

Jun 18 2015 // A global insurance company is teaming up with a Chicago-area community college to create what they believe is the first-of-its-kind insurance apprenticeship program in the United States and one they hope will become an...

Illinois’ Euclid Insurance Forms Financial Institutions Underwriting Unit

Jun 18 2015 // Euclid Insurance Services Inc. (Euclid), based in Itasca, Ill., has formed Euclid Financial Institution Underwriters LLC (Euclid Financial) and hired David McDonald and Jim Thomas to lead the new operation. Euclid...

Illinois House OKs Workers’ Comp Reform

Jun 8 2015 // Illinois House Democrats came back to Springfield carrying what they called an olive branch to Gov. Bruce Rauner on business reform.However, Republicans derided the Democrats’ ideas on employment insurance for...

Tipsord to Succeed Rust as State Farm CEO

Jun 5 2015 // Michael Tipsord, State Farm president and chief operating officer who first joined the insurer in 1988, will succeed outgoing CEO Edward B. Rust Jr. in September as chief executive officer.Rust, in speaking during a...

Health Insurers in Illinois, Michigan Seeking Rate Hikes for 2016

Jun 3 2015 // Blue Cross Blue Shield and Blue Care Network, which sell medical insurance to more than half of Michigan residents who buy their own coverage under the federal health care law, are seeking 2016 premium increases that...

Illinois-Based Pinnacle Actuarial Adds Landon as Controller

Jun 1 2015 // Pinnacle Actuarial Resources Inc., headquartered in Bloomington, Ill., added Lyn Landon has as controller in its home office.Landon has more than 30 years of accounting and finance management experience, most recently...

Liability Insurance Required for Rideshare Drivers in Elgin, Illinois

Jun 1 2015 // The Elgin City Council in Illinois has approved rules that make it legal for Uber and other ride-hailing services to operate in the city.The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports the Elgin ordinance mirrors a state law...

Dowling Selected as Illinois Insurance Department Director

Jun 1 2015 // Gov. Bruce Rauner says he will appoint the acting commissioner of the Connecticut Insurance Department to be director of the Illinois Department of Insurance. Rauner’s office made the announcement on May 29 about...

People – Midwest

Jun 1 2015 // Michael E. LaRocco has been officially named president and chief executive officer of State Auto Financial Corp., taking over those duties from Robert P. Restrepo Jr., who is retiring.LaRocco also has been elected as a...

Watercraft Laws Taking Effect in Illinois Are Aimed at Safety

May 22 2015 // Law enforcement officials say Illinois boaters should be aware of new laws taking effect this year. Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran Jr. says the laws will keep boaters safe. It’s now a requirement to display a bright...