August 7, 2025/
Illinois quick hits: Fatal helicopter crash; Comptroller orders another extra pension payment
Fatal helicopter crash
Two people are dead after a helicopter crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Hughes 369D with two people on board went down around 11:05 a.m. Thursday in East Alton.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Comptroller orders another extra pension payment
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza says she is ordering a third round of pension pre-payments.
Mendoza said more than $1.3 billion in payments to the state’s five retirement systems will include $428 million in pre-payments, allowing the pension systems to keep more money in their portfolios and earn more in returns.
Statehouse rematch shaping up
State Rep. Amy Briel, D-Ottawa, and Republican Liz Bishop are gearing up for a potential rematch in Illinois’ 76th House District.
Briel defeated Bishop by 595 votes, or 1%, in the general election last November.
Bishop will first face a primary rematch with Crystal Loughran.
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