The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index fell sharply in September 2025, dropping 3.6 points to 94.2, marking the lowest level since April and signaling growing economic anxiety among American consumers. The Consumer Confidence Index ended January 2025 at 104.1, down from 109.5 in December 2024. The Present Situation Index, which measures […]
The Trump administration is now challenging a 2019 law that guarantees backpay to furloughed federal workers. In a reversal from established precedent, the Office of Management and Budget has quietly removed references to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 from its shutdown guidance documents. This law, signed by […]
The ongoing federal government shutdown has triggered a major information blackout on the state of the U.S. economy, just when policymakers most need employment data, with economist Mark Zandi warning that, according to alternative indicators, the job market is “weak and getting weaker.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics failed to […]
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services must halt enforcement of new requirements imposed on recipients of federal teen pregnancy prevention grants. The lawsuit arose from a July 2025 policy notice issued by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s department that required recipients of […]
The 7th Annual Library Crawl, hosted throughout October 2025 by Illinois Heartland Library System member libraries, invites residents on a month-long journey to explore the diverse resources and welcoming spaces of nearly 200 participating public libraries across central and southern Illinois. Participants are encouraged to pick up an official passport—a […]
Champaign County families can celebrate the season with back-to-back fall festivities at Lake of the Woods, as the Forest Preserve District hosts a spooky evening of Eerie Illinois on October 18 followed by the autumn tradition of Harvest Fest & Touch-A-Truck on October 19. Eerie Illinois – Oct. 18, 2025 The Museum of the […]
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, appointed by President Trump, has issued two separate temporary restraining orders blocking the administration’s deployment of the National Guard to Portland. The judge’s rulings came after Trump’s September 27 announcement that he would send “all necessary Troops” to Portland to protect Immigration and Customs […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied Ghislaine Maxwell’s final appeal, firmly upholding her conviction and 20-year sentence for sex trafficking-related charges tied to the late Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse ring. The decision comes amid renewed controversy over Maxwell’s transfer from maximum security to a lower-security Texas prison, while President Donald Trump […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday that it has officially updated its immunization schedules to implement “individual-based decision-making” for COVID-19 vaccination and recommend standalone chickenpox vaccination for toddlers. The CDC will no longer make blanket recommendations for COVID-19 boosters, instead requiring Americans to consult with healthcare providers […]
A federal court has ruled that the systematic targeting of non-citizens for their political speech constitutes a clear violation of the First Amendment. In an opinion issued September 30, 2025, U.S. District Judge William G. Young declared that government officials “deliberately and with purposeful aforethought” orchestrated a campaign to chill protected […]
