November 4, 2025/

Illinois quick hits: Ceremonies planned for new lawyers; energy efficiency grants announced

Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Ceremonies planned for new lawyers

Bar admission ceremonies are scheduled across the state Wednesday for the 1,637 people who passed the July 2025 Bar Exam.

Illinois Supreme Court justices are scheduled to swear in the new attorneys in all five of the state’s judicial districts.

Ceremonies will be held in Carbondale, Chicago, Elgin, Joliet and Springfield.

Energy efficiency grants announced

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Acting Director James Jennings has announced additional funding for energy efficiency grant opportunities.

The Energy Efficiency Assessment Program has $350,000 in funding available for recipients to conduct assessments at properties where residents receive housing assistance from a state or federal program.

The Energy Efficiency Trust Fund Program is offering $10 million to implement projects previously identified in an assessment at eligible properties where residents receive housing assistance.

Vendor summit Thursday

The 2025 State of Illinois Vendor Summit is scheduled Thursday, Nov. 6 at Malcolm X College in Chicago.

The Illinois Department of Central Management Services is hosting the event, designed to help business owners learn how to work with state agencies and universities.

CMS says the summit is a key outreach initiative in the state’s efforts to diversify its vendor pool and provide equitable access to contracting opportunities for disadvantaged firms.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

GOP lawmakers silent on Trump's EO punishing state AI guardrails

GOP lawmakers silent on Trump’s EO punishing state AI guardrails

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Frustrated with Congress failing to enact national artificial intelligence regulations, President Donald Trump took matters into his own hands Thursday night and signed an executive...
Gabbard: 2,000 Afghan refugees in U.S. have ties to terrorism

Gabbard: 2,000 Afghan refugees in U.S. have ties to terrorism

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square An estimated 2,000 Afghan nationals admitted to the United States following the deadly 2021 pullout of American forces from Afghanistan have ties to terrorism, according...
Op-Ed: No more CDL mills: Trump’s DOT puts safety back in the driver’s seat

Op-Ed: No more CDL mills: Trump’s DOT puts safety back in the driver’s seat

By Steve Cortes | League of American WorkersThe Center Square As families prepare for the holidays, America’s truck drivers are doing what they always do – keeping promises to working...
Illinois Gov. Pritzker signs assisted suicide bill

Illinois Gov. Pritzker signs assisted suicide bill

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed Senate Bill 1950 to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Illinois. The governor announced...
Hochul weighs AI regulations as Trump sets federal rules

Hochul weighs AI regulations as Trump sets federal rules

By Chris WadeThe Center Square New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is weighing plans to regulate the state's artificial intelligence sector, even as President Donald Trump seeks to restrict states from...
EXCLUSIVE: First Nation police chiefs want to participate in border security efforts

EXCLUSIVE: First Nation police chiefs want to participate in border security efforts

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square First Nation tribal police chiefs in Canada say want to participate in border security efforts. Many already are on the front lines, living at the...
Justice Department sues Fulton County over election records

Justice Department sues Fulton County over election records

By Kim JarrettThe Center Square The U.S. Justice Department sued Fulton County, Ga. Clerk of Court Che Alexander on Friday, claiming her office failed to produce records from the 2020...
USPS electric fleet push sparks cost, security and job concerns

USPS electric fleet push sparks cost, security and job concerns

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The U.S. Postal Service is pushing forward with a major electric fleet overhaul funded partly by...
WATCH: Use of Guard debated; Trump singles out Pritzker on AI; Property tax ruling

WATCH: Use of Guard debated; Trump singles out Pritzker on AI; Property tax ruling

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop reviews heated moments...
Illinois quick hits: Chicago Fed president explains vote; Treasurer encourages Bright Start gifts

Illinois quick hits: Chicago Fed president explains vote; Treasurer encourages Bright Start gifts

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Chicago Fed president explains vote Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee has explained his decision to vote against the...
EXCLUSIVE: Canadian groups, First Nation police support stronger border security

EXCLUSIVE: Canadian groups, First Nation police support stronger border security

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Despite Canadian officials arguing that the "Canada-U.S. border is the best-managed and most secure border in the world,” some Canadian groups and First Nation tribal...
More than 9,500 commercial truckers taken off U.S. roads nationwide

More than 9,500 commercial truckers taken off U.S. roads nationwide

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square More than 9,500 commercial truckers have been taken off of U.S. roads for failing English-language proficiency checks, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “We’ve now knocked...

WATCH: ‘Unfortunate accident’: Miss. senator blasted for comment on Guard troop shootings

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., faced heavy criticism Thursday after characterizing the recent shooting of two National Guard members blocks from the White House, killing...

WATCH: House Homeland Security hearing filled with tense exchanges

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square A U.S. House hearing on homeland security wasn’t void of drama Thursday as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem engaged in several tense exchanges with Democrats,...
Judge rules against Trump's freeze on wind energy

Judge rules against Trump’s freeze on wind energy

By Dave MasonThe Center Square Democratic attorneys general applauded a federal judge’s ruling this week that the Trump administration can’t halt development of all wind energy projects. Proponents have long...