The Illinois Associated Press Media Editors and the Illinois Press Association are following 2018’s Illinois Bicentennial series with the Illinois Important Dates series for 2019. This series will include about 10 stories related dates and events - Labor Day, Memorial Day, Black History Month, D-Day, Pearl Harbor, Martin Luther King Day, Veterans Day, 1969 Moon Landing, 9/11, Fourth of July - most newspapers write about.

Thanks to Illinois Press Association lobbying efforts, a new state law does not contain a requirement that news organizations remove or expunge coverage of certain criminal record information, free of charge, within 30 days after a request by the subject of that information.

2019 contest to recognize those who turn public notices into stories

As I wrote about in the previous PressLines, we learned during the newsprint tariff battle that we have considerable influence with Congress. That’s because as an industry, we play a vital role in the communities we serve.Now we must return our attention to the state level. We are going to see some new members of the Illinois Legislature next session. Build and nurture relationships with these new lawmakers.The tariff won’t be the last battle we fight, and we know a new legislative s...