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Tribune makes pitch to buy the Daily Herald

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Chicago Tribune A new potential buyer has thrown its hat in the ring for the Daily Herald.
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Categories: Newspaper News |
The Chicago Tribune named newsroom veteran Stacy St. Clair as the newspaper's new managing editor Friday.
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Categories: People in the News |
09

Obituary: Reva Johnson

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Reva Johnson, 93, of Pontiac, IL, passed peacefully into Heaven, surrounded by her family on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.
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Categories: Obituaries |
Lifelong Sauganash Park resident and former Nadig Newspapers columnist Kathleen Riordan passed away at age 82 on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
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Press Releases
 
 
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 17, 2026

Contact Information:
Katie Lewis
(217) 525-8012
katie@ioaweb.org
 

Legislation targets vertically integrated vision benefit managers and moves to close regulatory loopholes

 
Springfield, Ill. — Senator Cristina Castro (D-22) introduced SB 3707, legislation to strengthen oversight and accountability for vision benefit managers (VBMs), the middlemen that administer vision plans for patients across Illinois. The legislation builds on the Vision Care Plan Regulation Act by closing loopholes, strengthening enforcement, and ensuring the law works as intended for patients and providers.

Vision benefit managers wield extraordinary control over the vision care marketplace. The two largest companies control approximately 85 percent of all U.S. vision coverage and are vertically integrated, meaning they administer vision plans while also owning the eyewear manufacturers, optical labs, brick and mortar eye clinics, and supply chains used in patient care. This concentration of power allows these profit driven middlemen to steer patients and dollars away from locally owned practices and into the pockets of the same companies that control every layer of the vision care market, prioritizing profits over patients and competition.

“Illinois took an important first step by regulating vision benefit managers, but it is clear that loopholes remain. When vision benefit managers are allowed to ignore the law, patients lose choice and small businesses are weakened,” said State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin). “This legislation would ensure compliance, transparency, and accountability so health and vision care decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not by VBMs.”

The legislation would strengthen current law by requiring annual reporting and licensing, establishing meaningful penalties for violations, preventing coercive lab steering practices, adding anti retaliation protections for providers who report abuses, and requiring full transparency related to reimbursement, contracting, credentialing, and ownership.

The legislation is supported by the Illinois Optometric Association. Illinois is home to more than 2,400 licensed doctors of optometry who serve as front line family eye care providers in communities across the state.

“As doctors of optometry, we are small business owners, employers, and health care providers rooted in our communities,” said Dr. Clint Taylor, President and Chair of the Illinois Optometric Association. “When vision benefit middlemen steer patients, suppress reimbursements, and control supply chains, it weakens local practices and siphons health care dollars away from patient care. This legislation restores balance by holding these VBMs accountable and ensuring patients can continue to receive care from the doctor they trust.”

The introduction of the legislation comes amid escalating federal scrutiny of vision benefit managers. There are currently four congressional investigations into VBMs, their policies, and market conduct, which have been launched by the U.S. House Oversight Committee, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. Most recently, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee requested a briefing from a leading vision benefit manager regarding vertically integrated business practices, signaling growing bipartisan concern over consolidation, conflicts of interest, and the impact of VBM market power on patients and providers.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2026

Media Contact Information:
Carrie Skogsberg
carrie.skogsberg@countryfinancial.com
 

Illinois high schools have another shot at receiving a $5,000 donation from COUNTRY Financial® through the “Sport Your School Giveaway”

 
COUNTRY Financial and the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) are providing an opportunity for local high schools to win $5,000 to benefit their athletic department and student athletes through the “Sport Your School Giveaway.”  Individuals can enter their school to win through May 30, 2026.

This is the second time COUNTRY has held the Sport Your School Giveaway. Staunton High School was the winner of the first giveaway, which ran during the first half of the 2025-2026 school year. 

COUNTRY has been a sponsor of the IHSA for more than 50 years and is the presenting sponsor for 40 IHSA state championships for various high school sports throughout the 2025-2026 school year. “COUNTRY has a highly valued, longstanding relationship with the IHSA,” said Nikki Johnson, vice president of marketing at COUNTRY. “Schools are the lifeblood of our communities, and we are proud to be part of bringing championship opportunities to students and communities throughout the state.” 

Learn more and enter your school to win.

Learn more about the partnership between COUNTRY and the IHSA.


 


 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 12, 2026

Media Contact Information:
Bob Hubberts
(847) 508-4995
bhubberts@firstillinoisrobotics.org

 

Illinois students apply research and robotics in the Illinois FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge state championship


Chicago, Illinois   – Creativity and science will come together this Saturday at the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge Illinois State Championship at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, Illinois, where 56 teams of 9- to 14-year-old students and coaches will demonstrate their problem-solving skills, creative thinking, teamwork, competitive play, sportsmanship, and sense of community.  The tournament is open to the public.  The robot table competition portion of the event starts at Noon on Saturday, February 14th.

More than 650,000 students in over 75 countries will participate in the FIRST® UNEARTHED season. Teams will have to program robots, using LEGO Education technology, to solve a set of missions on an obstacle course set on a thematic playing surface. 

For the UNEARTHED challenge students will unearth hidden treasures and piece together the past as they embark on this thrilling journey of discovery. Students will identify and research a problem related to the season theme and then design and create a possible solution. They will also identify a mission strategy and design, create, and code a robot to complete missions during a 2.5-minute Robot Game.

The competition is judged in three areas: innovation project; robot design, and core values, which embody aspects of teamwork and good sportsmanship. Top robot game scores are also honored.
                                      
FIRST LEGO League is an international program for 9- to 14-year-olds (ages vary by country) created in a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Group in 1998 to get students excited about science and technology – and teach them valuable career and life skills. Using LEGO® Education technologies and materials, students work alongside adult mentors to design, build, and program autonomous robots and create an innovative solution to a problem as part of their research project. After several intense weeks, the competition season culminates at high-energy, sports-like tournaments. Like any other organized “sport,” teams also fundraise, create a team identity, and go on field trips.

The tournament is being run by FIRST Illinois Robotics, a 501 c3 organization focused on delivering FIRST programs in Illinois.   Contact us for a list of the area schools and youth organizations with teams participating in the competition.

About FIRST® 
FIRST® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school, in structured after-school programs or by other organizations or groups of parents. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges.  An international not-for-profit organization founded in 1989, FIRST has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life. Learn more at firstinspires.org.


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To learn more about FIRST programs in Illinois, go to www.firstillinoisrobotics.org.


 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 7, 2026

Media Contact Information:
Christopher Weishaar
Digital Public relations Specialist
(515) 273-7140
cweishaar@studentloan.org

 

Empowering tomorrow's leaders: Six $1,500 scholarships available for high school seniors across the Midwest
High school seniors from six Midwest states have a chance to earn the scholarships


WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (January 7, 2026) — Six high school seniors will each earn a scholarship valued at $1,500 through the 2026 ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship program.   This program is sponsored by ISL Education Lending and is designed to make higher education more accessible while equipping students with essential financial literacy skills.

Who Can Apply?
All high school seniors attending school in Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin are eligible to enter. No essay is required—making it simple and stress-free to apply. 

Parents Can Register Their Student
Parents now have the option to register their student for the scholarship program, ensuring every eligible senior has the opportunity to participate.

What Makes This Program Unique?
Every participant will learn valuable financial literacy tips during the process, helping them prepare for life after high school.

How to Apply
Applications open on January 5, 2026, and close on April 30, 2026. Students and parents can apply online at www.iowastudentloan.org/Midwest. Winners will be announced in June 2026.

Scholarship Details

  • Number of Scholarships: 6
  • Amount per Scholarship: $1,500
  • Eligible States: Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, Kansas
  • Funds can be used to pay expenses at any eligible, accredited college or university. 

Why It Matters
“Student loan debt is a huge concern for new college students,” said Steve McCullough, president and CEO of ISL Education Lending. “As a nonprofit, we provide tools and resources to help high school seniors plan so they can reduce the amount of debt they need to take on while achieving their education goals. Students sign up for a chance at a $1,500 scholarship, and we take that opportunity to share information with them about our free resources.”

Additional Resources Available
In addition to offering student loans, ISL Education Lending has other resources for families planning for college and for students who intend to pursue advanced degrees. The Parent Handbook consists of valuable tips to help families of students in sixth through 12th grades prepare for success in college and other postsecondary options. Parents of students in eighth through 12th grades can also sign up to receive twice-monthly emailed tips on academic, college and career planning through the Student Planning Pointers for Parents program. The College Funding Forecaster helps families understand the total cost of four years of college based on a freshman-year financial aid offer. Information about these resources is available at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/SmartBorrowing.

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About ISL Education Lending
Established in 1979 as Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation, a private, nonprofit organization, ISL Education Lending helps students and families obtain the resources necessary to succeed in postsecondary education. ISL has helped nearly 400,000 students pay for college, offering student loans and other products under the name ISL Education Lending. The organization, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, also provides an array of borrower benefits, financial literacy tools and community reinvestment programs, including support for free college planning services for students and their families. For more information, visit www.IowaStudentLoan.org.

 

 

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