Latest Illinois Headlines

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

Illinois Insurance Agent Sentenced 17 Years for Fraud

Feb 21 2012 // A southern Illinois insurance agent and securities broker was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to an investment scheme that prosecutors said swindled roughly $6 million from dozens of mostly...

Illinois Governor Defends State after Caterpillar CEO Blasts Jobs Climate

Feb 14 2012 // Gov. Pat Quinn defended the state’s business climate on Feb. 12 after the head of Caterpillar Inc. blasted state political leaders in a published column for not doing enough to grow business and jobs in Illinois.The...

Lawyers Appeal Mississippi Asbestos Fraud Verdict

Feb 14 2012 // Two Mississippi plaintiffs lawyers, including a former state lawmaker, have appealed a verdict that they committed fraud during an asbestos lawsuit they filed in 2001.A federal jury in Mississippi decided in 2010 that the...

State Farm Plans to Hire 3,000 Employees

Feb 6 2012 // Illinois-based State Farm Insurance said it will hire 3,000 people across the U.S. and Canada, filling many positions left empty during the recession, and add 900 agents.The news follows an announcement by Chrysler that it...

People

Feb 6 2012 // Jamie Durocher has been promoted to director of business development for Eau Claire, Wis.-based wholesale insurance firm, Scobie Group.Durocher has held the position of marketing representative with Scobie Group since...

Boron to Lead Illinois Department of Insurance

Jan 30 2012 // Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has named a new top state insurance regulator. Andrew Boron has been appointed director of the Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI), the governor’s office announced. The department has been...

3 New Workers’ Comp Arbitrators Appointed in Illinois

Jan 27 2012 // Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed three more arbitrators for workers’ compensation system disputes.William Gallagher has 35 years of experience as an attorney concentrating on workers’ compensation in...

Illinois Nursing Homes to Get $110M in Federal Aid

Jan 26 2012 // Illinois is getting $110 million from the federal government to improve safety and staffing at nursing homes, Gov. Pat Quinn said.The money is supposed to address poor supervision of sometimes-dangerous psychiatric...

Foremost Launches Updated Auto Program in Illinois

Jan 25 2012 // Foremost Insurance Group has introduced its enhanced auto program in Illinois, featuring more competitive rates, new discounts, increased coverage options and improved online processing.“The technological...

Founders Insurance Offers Renter’s Endorsement in Illinois

Jan 24 2012 // Founders Insurance Co. of Des Plaines, Ill. has launched a property and liability endorsement for its personal automobile policies in the state. The company started offering the optional renter’s coverage at the...

Outpatient Costs Higher in States Without Fee Schedules

Jan 23 2012 // States without fee schedules have higher hospital outpatient costs for common surgeries compared to states with fee schedules, according to a workers’ compensation study.The study found that significant variations in...

Dada-Olley Is New Deputy Counsel at Illinois Workers’ Comp Commission

Jan 18 2012 // Lola Dada-Olley has joined the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission as deputy counsel. Dada-Olley prior work history includes a mixture of policy, communications, and law, both in the private and public sector....

Illinois Officials Report Drop in Tollway Usage After Fee Hike

Jan 12 2012 // Illinois State Toll Highway Authority officials say the number of cars using the state’s toll roads dipped by 4.5 percent since fees for users nearly doubled on Jan. 1. Spokeswoman Wendy Abrams says the decrease was...

Report: Police in Illinois Stop Fewer People

Jan 11 2012 // The number of traffic stops across Illinois has dropped by nearly 6 percent and the number of ticketed motorists has dipped about 11 percent, according to a published report.The Chicago Tribune analyzed state data on...

Illinois Gets $7.7 Million in Federal Storm-Repair Aid

Jan 11 2012 // Illinois is getting more than $7.7 million to help cover the costs of repairing roads and bridges damaged by last year’s flooding and windstorms. Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick Durbin announced that the money will be...

Outpatient Costs Higher in States Without Fee Schedules: Workers’ Comp Study

Jan 11 2012 // States without fee schedules have higher hospital outpatient costs for common surgeries compared to states with fee schedules, according to a workers’ compensation study.The study found that significant variations in...

Wagner Named Acting Director of Illinois Insurance Department

Jan 5 2012 // Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed a new acting director of the Illinois Department of Insurance.Robert Wagner has been with the department 11 years and is its general counsel. He is the department’s third acting director...

Illinois Warns of Fraudulent Health Insurance

Dec 19 2011 // The chief executive of a company allegedly selling fraudulent health insurance says he is fully cooperating with the Illinois Department of Insurance to resolve the matter.Donald Chew, president and CEO of ReAssurance...

Illinois Judge Pulled from Asbestos Cases Will Return $30K in Donations

Dec 16 2011 // A judge who was assigned to hear all of the asbestos cases in her southwestern Illinois county was stripped of those cases after it was revealed her campaign committee received $30,000 in contributions from area law firms...

Longueil Named Sales Executive at Risk Sciences Group in Illinois Office

Dec 7 2011 // Risk Sciences Group, a provider of risk management information systems (RMIS) and related analytics services, has named Kathy Longueil national sales executive in its Schaumberg, Ill., office. Longueil brings with her 17...