January 28, 2026/

Illinois quick hits: John Deere to build in North Carolina

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By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

John Deere to build in North Carolina

Illinois-based John Deere has announced that it will open new facilities in North Carolina and Indiana. The company said future generation excavators previously produced in Japan will be manufactured in Kernersville, North Carolina.

John Deere recently broke ground on a new distribution center near Hebron, Indiana. The company’s primary North American Parts Distribution Center remains in Milan, Illinois, at a site open since 1973.

The Center Square Managing Editor Alan Wooten contributed to this story.

EV rebate extended

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Acting Director James Jennings has announced an extension to the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program application cycle from Jan. 31, 2026, to May 31, 2026. After Jan. 31, the state EPA says it will again prioritize low-income applications as specified in the program requirements.

The agency says current applications represent a fraction of the $14 million appropriated to the Illinois EPA for fiscal year 2026.

Legal fight over gender name

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is seeking to overturn a state law banning groups from calling themselves Republicans or Democrats unless they get permission from party establishment.

Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias blocked them from registering as a nonprofit because they lacked approval from the Democratic Party of Illinois as required by state law.

Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender has registered as a nonprofit at the national level. The group opposes the Democratic Party’s stance on transgender issues and gender identity.

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