Latest Illinois Headlines

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

$6M Awarded in Fatal Illinois Crash

Apr 24 2012 // An Illinois judge has awarded more than $6 million to the family of a 17-year-old Loves Park girl killed by a drunk driver.Judge Edward Prochaska awarded the money to the family of Amanda Kordich. She was a Harlem High...

Illinois Man Sues Nestle, Wal-Mart Over Dog’s Death from ‘Wholesome’ Treat

Apr 20 2012 // The death of a 9-year-old Pomeranian from eating a dog treat is hardly “what nature intended,” according to a lawsuit filed this week.An Illinois man has sued Nestle Purina Petcare Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.,...

NFP Property and Casualty Services Acquires Illinois’ Ameribonds Surety

Apr 11 2012 // National Financial Partners Corp. subsidiary, NFP Property and Casualty Services Inc. (NFP P&C), acquired Illinois-based Ameribonds Surety & Insurance Services (Ameribonds Surety), effective April 2, 2012, the...

Texas Bus Inspections Get Lax Oversight Despite Crashes

Apr 4 2012 // Months after their state-certified vehicle inspection station was cited by federal authorities for failing to notice defects in a bus that crashed in North Texas, killing 17 passengers, brothers Alam and Cesar Hernandez...

Bill Would Help Illinois Residents Hit by Storm Damage

Apr 2 2012 // Southern Illinois property owners trying to rebuild after tornadoes and storms that hit in March would get a tax break under a bill passed by the Illinois House.The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that the...

Feds Probe Defect in Buses Manufactured by Illinois Firm

Mar 28 2012 // Federal safety regulators have begun investigating buses made by Motor Coach Industries Inc. over the past 20 years because the drive shafts can fall out and cause drivers to lose control.The problem has led to two crashes...

More Doubts Emerge About Illinois Prison Guard Comp Claims

Mar 22 2012 // Some Illinois prison guards who received workers’ compensation settlements had only mild carpal tunnel syndrome in their wrists or similar elbow injuries and might not have needed surgery, according to a newspaper...

New Members Appointed to Illinois Self Insurance Advisory Board

Mar 20 2012 // Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission Chairman Mitch Weisz has made two new appointments to the Illinois Self-Insurers Advisory Board: David Henwood of CCMSI, a risk management company in Danville, and Deborah...

Insurance Claims from Recent Tornadoes May Top $1B

Mar 19 2012 // March came in like a very large and powerful lion, spawning severe weather across the Midwest, South and southeastern United States.Insured losses from the tornadoes, hail and high winds that struck in late February and...

Illinois to Recalculate Storm Damage Cost for FEMA

Mar 16 2012 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given Illinois more time to recalculate the tornado damage to southern parts of the state to bolster its push to reverse the denial of aid, Sen. Dick Durbin said.FEMA...

Illinois Officials Dispute FEMA Denial of Tornado Aid

Mar 14 2012 // Looking at the destruction in his southern Illinois town, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg couldn’t understand why federal officials turned down a plea to financially help local homeowners. Nearly a hundred homes are now...

Audit Questions $7B in Illinois Insurance Contracts

Mar 12 2012 // A new audit finds serious problems with the way Illinois awarded $7 billion in contracts last year for state employees’ health insurance.Auditor General William Holland said in a recently released report that...

Connecticut Urges Other States to Sue Credit Rating Agencies

Mar 8 2012 // Connecticut officials are encouraging other states to consider suing credit-rating agencies that gave high grades to risky mortgage-backed securities that plummeted in value when the housing market collapsed in...

USI Acquires Illinois-Based Euclid Insurance Retail Business

Mar 8 2012 // USI Insurance Services (USI), headquartered in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., has acquired the Euclid Insurance retail property/casualty and employee benefits division (Euclid Retail Business) from Euclid Insurance Services...

FEMA Begins Survey of Illinois Tornado Damage

Mar 6 2012 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency on March 5 began surveying the damage from tornadoes and other severe weather that roiled southern Illinois last week, starting in the small town of Harrisburg, where six people were...

Illinois Church That Gave Hurricane Aid in ’05, Now Gets Tornado Aid

Mar 5 2012 // Four pickup-and-trailer loads of goods brought over the weekend to tornado-stricken Harrisburg, Ill., are just a partial return for help after Hurricane Rita in 2005, say residents of Lake Arthur, a town of 2,700 in...

Storm Damages Missouri Country Music Resort Town, Kills 9

Mar 2 2012 // A powerful storm system that produced multiple reports of tornadoes and lashed the Midwest early Wednesday roughed up the entertainment resort town of Branson and laid waste to small towns in Illinois and Kansas. At least...

Storms Blamed for 4 Deaths, Widespread Damage in Midwest

Mar 1 2012 // A powerful storm system that produced multiple reports of tornadoes lashed the Midwest early Wednesday, roughing up the country music resort city of Branson and laying waste to a small town in Kansas. At least four people...

Illinois Officials to Promote Weather-Radio Use

Feb 29 2012 // Illinois officials are urging residents to prepare for the threat of severe weather that accompanies the spring season.This year authorities will highlight the usefulness of weather-alert radios. Jonathon Monken is the...

Sen. Durbin Announces Funds for Illinois Fire Departments

Feb 24 2012 // U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has announced a nearly $1.4 million federal investment in five Illinois fire departments.The funding will help boost the capability of each department in responding to fires and other emergencies. The...