District Preps For Potential Statewide Cell Phone Ban In Schools

A possible statewide ban on student cell phone use is now on the radar for Wabash District 348.

During Monday night’s School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Chuck Bleyer told members it appears the Illinois State Board of Education and the Governor’s office are seriously considering implementing restrictions on cell phones in public schools.

To prepare, Bleyer announced plans to form a committee made up of parents, teachers, administrators, and the school resource officer to study the issue and develop a plan if a ban is enacted.

Bleyer said the district has faced ongoing challenges with cell phone use this school year, particularly at the high school level, while issues have been less significant in lower grades.

He noted opinions on the issue vary widely among parents, students, and staff, and the committee will help bring those perspectives together while researching possible solutions.

Bleyer said the district already has the authority to implement its own policy locally, but wants to be prepared in case the state moves forward with a mandate, which he says could take effect as early as the next school year.

Among the options being discussed are stricter policies, requiring phones to be stored away, or the use of locking pouches that restrict access during the school day.

Bleyer said the goal is to develop a clear, consistent policy across all grade levels and be ready to act once the state provides further guidance.

Illinois governor’s race will be a rematch in 2026

Former state senator who lost to Pritzker in 2022 wins GOP nomination for governor for second try

By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com

Article Summary

  • Darren Bailey’s performance downstate helped him beat conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski for the GOP nomination for governor. 

  • The win sets Bailey up for a rematch against Gov. JB Pritzker, who beat him by over 12% in 2022.

  • While Dabrowski performed well in Chicago, downstate showed up in force for the former state senator and farmer from Xenia.

This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

This story will be updated after Darren Bailey’s election night victory speech

Darren Bailey celebrates with running mate Aaron Del Mar after securing the Republican nomination for governor in the 2026 general election. He will once again face Gov. JB Pritzker after losing by over 12 points in 2022. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock)  

SPRINGFIELD – Republican voters in Illinois have once again chosen former state Sen. Darren Bailey as their candidate for governor, giving him a second chance to unseat incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker in November.

Bailey, a farmer from southern Illinois and the party’s 2022 nominee, claimed victory Tuesday night in a four-way primary for the GOP nomination, defeating Ted Dabrowski, former head of the conservative policy website Wirepoints.

According to unofficial returns compiled by the Associated Press, Bailey had carried about 50% of the vote as about 8:35 p.m. when the race was called. Dabrowski garnered about 32%.

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick and businessman Rick Heidner, who spent more than $1 million of his own money on the campaign, each had under 10% when the race was called.

Four years ago, Bailey won the nomination with 57% of the vote in a crowded race that also featured Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan. 

In that campaign, Bailey had the endorsement of then-former President Donald Trump. But many observers noted he also had backhanded help from the Pritzker campaign, which viewed him as a weaker candidate than the better-financed Irvin.

Pritzker funded ads that, on the surface, appeared to criticize Bailey but which subtly targeted the GOP’s conservative base by asserting that Bailey was “too conservative” for Illinois.

Bailey went on to lose the general election, 55% to 42%, after Pritzker swept Cook County and most of the collar counties

Two years later, he tried unsuccessfully to unseat fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost in the 12th District, narrowly losing that primary by less than 3,000 votes.

Bailey announced his plan to run for governor again in September, vowing to run a different campaign that would focus more on Chicago and its suburbs. That started with choosing Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar as his running mate.

Darren Bailey will once again face Gov. JB Pritzker in the 2026 general election. The adversaries of 2022 both secured their parties’ nominations Tuesday night. (Capitol News Illinois file photo)

“Aaron definitely brings a whole bunch of stuff to the table,” Crystal Bell, a Bailey supporter from Beardstown, said in an interview Tuesday night. “The dynamic duo, is what I call them.”

Barely a month after announcing his candidacy, however, Bailey suffered a family tragedy that could have ended his campaign when his son Zacharay, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were all killed in a helicopter crash in Montana.

But Bailey chose to stay in the race, “not for politics, but for every family trying to make it in a state that’s lost its way, for every parent who dreams of a better future for their children and for every Illinoisan who knows that we can do better.”

Although Trump did not issue a formal endorsement this time around, Bailey made it clear that he would model his administration after the current president, vowing to set up a DOGE-like commission to root out waste and inefficiency in state government.

Speaking to a ballroom full of supporters in Springfield Tuesday night, Bailey reiterated his pro-Trump message. 

Dabrowski, meanwhile, campaigned on the idea that he was the more electable candidate, arguing  that Bailey’s poor performance in the suburbs four years ago was an omen that he could never win a statewide general election.

“Victory runs through the suburbs,” Dabrowski said in his final TV ad of the primary campaign. “Darren Bailey is a disaster in the suburbs. It's why Pritzker wanted to run against him four years ago and does again.”

But Sheldon Schulte, a Bailey supporter from Vandalia, said Tuesday that if more southern Illinois Republicans had turned out in 2022, Bailey would have won the race.

“People do not get out and turn out,” he said in an interview. “I mean, all we needed was 15% more people in southern Illinois to show up and we would have won. They just won't get out and vote. They like to sit around a coffee shop and bitch. They don't want to get out and vote. I don’t understand.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Croke leads Democratic comptroller race as downstate voters dominate GOP primaries

Article summary

  • Rep. Margaret Croke — Gov. JB Pritzker’s hand-picked candidate for comptroller — held an election night lead of about 2.3% Tuesday night, although the Associated Press had not called the race as of 10 p.m.

  • For secretary of state Diane Harris of Joliet surged to a lead over Chicago Committeeman Walter Adamczyk, thanks to downstate voters. That race was also uncalled at 10 p.m.

  • The general election will be held Nov. 3, 2026.

This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

By NIKOEL HYTREK
Capitol News Illinois
nhytrek@capitolnewsillinois.com

This story will be updated as results become final.

SPRINGFIELD — As Gov. JB Pritzker’s hand-picked candidate cruised to a high-profile victory in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tuesday night, another of his picks held a tight lead in the race for comptroller. 

State Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, held a 24,000-vote lead with 83 percent of votes reporting as of 10 p.m. — a roughly 2.4% advantage over state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago. The Associated Press had not called the race as of 10 p.m. We’ll update this story as results are finalized.

Croke has served in the Illinois General Assembly, representing Chicago’s North Side since 2021. She is a close ally to Gov. JB Pritzker, who endorsed her candidacy in early February. Her relationship with the governor goes back to 2017 when she worked with him on his first campaign and served on his transition team. 

If the results hold, she’d face Bryan Drew, a southern Illinois attorney, in the general election. He ran uncontested in the GOP primary.

State Rep. Margaret Croke, pictured on the House floor, held a lead in the race to replace Susana Mendoza as comptroller on Tuesday night. The Associated Press had not called the race as of 10 p.m. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki) 

Previously, Croke was the deputy director at Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. In the Illinois House, Croke chairs the House Financial Institutions and Licensing Committee as well as the Tax Policy: Income Tax Subcommittee. 

Croke said she supports a graduated income tax, which would require a constitutional amendment to implement. Though the comptroller’s office would play no formal role in passing such an amendment, and the last time it was on the ballot in 2020, voters rejected it. 

On her website, Croke said she will follow outgoing Comptroller Susanna Mendoza’s lead in enforcing the Prevailing Wage Act, which requires state contractors working on public works projects to demonstrate they aren’t underpaying their workers. She will also allocate more resources to the Comptroller’s Prevailing Wage Office and work with the Department of Labor to ensure investigations are thorough and timely. 

She was also endorsed by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and the Cook County Democratic Party. 

She was the top fundraiser in the primary. 

Trailing her was Villa, who has served in the General Assembly since 2019 and is regarded as the most progressive of the candidates. She was the only candidate without a background in finance. Instead, she’s said her social work career gives her the insight to understand what it means to balance budgets with services people rely on. 

Villa’s main focus is raising revenue for the state and suggested a state tax on digital advertising as well as trying again to pass a graduated income tax.

On her website, Villa says the comptroller’s office should “put our money where our values are” and voiced support for attracting jobs and investment in Illinois, ensuring contractors don’t have ties to Immigration Customs and Enforcement, or ICE, and for the Prevailing Wage Act, which requires state contractors working on public works projects to  demonstrate they aren’t underpaying their workers. 

Villa was endorsed by Senate President Don Harmon, the Chicago Teachers Union and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. She also had endorsements from U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez and outgoing U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García.

Other candidates

Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim was the only candidate without legislative experience, but she has been the treasurer for Lake County since 2018, managing the money for the 3rd largest county in Illinois with more than 700,000 residents. Kim was endorsed by outgoing comptroller Susana Mendoza but was sitting third in the race as of Tuesday evening with less than a quarter of the vote. 

State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, has served in General Assembly since 2013, and she touted her work with House Democrats on the Illinois budget during the tenure of Gov. Bruce Rauner. A former Marine, Kifowit raised the least money of the candidates in the final quarter of 2025 and appeared slated to garner less than 10% of the vote.

Secretary of State

Diane Harris, of Joliet, held a lead in the race for the Republican nomination for secretary of state as of Tuesday evening. That race was also uncalled. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)

Diane Harris of Joliet appeared poised to carry virtually of the state’s counties outside of Cook and its collars in the race for secretary of state. She’ll try to deny incumbent Democrat Alexi Giannoulias a second term in the November general election should the results hold. 

Her opponent is Walter Adamczyk, a GOP committeeman for Chicago’s 29th Ward. He outpaced Harris in the city and surrounding suburbs. Like in the race for the GOP governor nomination, which was won by downstate farmer Darren Bailey, voters outside of the Chicago region appeared to carry the day.

Harris has said her goal is to reduce fees for state stickers, vehicle titles and other vehicle service fees. She also wants to advocate for new rules of the road to better protect drivers and expand access to fast-lane kiosks in areas where DMV offices have closed.

For more than 30 years, Harris worked at Commonwealth Edison. Harris also served as an elected precinct committee member, vice chair of the Joliet Township Republicans and is the former chair of the Illinois Center Right Coalition. She has run for other offices before, including state senate and Joliet mayor.

Adamczyk’s main focus was improving services for veterans and lowering hurdles for honorably discharged vets by eliminating fees for licenses and reducing wait-times at secretary of state facilities. 

Treasurer

Max Solomon, who most recently ran for governor in 2024 among other unsuccessful attempts for public office over the years, ran as a write-in Republican candidate for Illinois Treasurer. That means his name didn’t show up on the GOP ballot, but voters could write it down to log their vote.   

Solomon is running against incumbent Michael Frerichs, a Democrat who was elected to the office in 2014. 

To be the nominee, Solomon would have to get 5,000 votes. The results likely won’t be known until tomorrow because the process for counting write-in candidates takes longer than traditional candidates. 

Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray said election judges keep an eye out for write-ins as they count ballots after polls close. Write-ins are then set aside to make sure they’re qualified. Qualified write-ins are indicated on paperwork that then goes back to election authorities .

“Write-in candidates get reconfirmed internally by professional staff and usually released the next morning or next day,” he said. 

If Solomon doesn’t receive 5,000 votes, the Republican State Central Committee can appoint someone to be the party’s general election nominee if that candidate meets standard ballot access requirements, including receiving 5,000 signatures.

Attorney general

Attorney General Kwame Raoul, the incumbent Democrat, is seeking a third term as Illinois’ chief law enforcement officer. He and his GOP challenger, Bob Fioretti, a former Chicago alderman who ran unsuccessfully for Cook County state’s attorney in 2024, both ran uncontested.   

Fioretti is a civil rights attorney and former alderman on the Chicago City Council. He switched to the Republican party “several years ago” because he said it better represents his values.

He said he wants to overturn or change the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, or SAFE-T Act. 

When it comes to the federal government, Fioretti has said he would review state lawsuits against the Trump administration and withdraw from suits that impede law enforcement, target law-abiding gun owners and infringe on parental decision making.

Raoul was first elected AG in 2018. Before that, he served in the Illinois Senate, appointed to fill the seat left by Barack Obama, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004.  

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.




Stratton defeats Krishnamoorthi with help from Chicago, downstate voters

Former Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy set to face Stratton in November 

By BEN SZALINSKI, BRENDEN MOORE & JENNA SCHWEIKERT
Capitol News Illinois
news@capitolnewsillinois.com 

Article Summary

  • Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the hotly contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, defeating U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly. 

  • Stratton performed better than expected in many downstate counties and the city of Chicago. 

  • Former Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy won the Republican nomination for Senate and will face Stratton in November. 

  • Several primaries were decided on Tuesday night in Illinois’ five open congressional districts. 

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton delivers a victory speech Tuesday night, shortly after 10 p.m., after securing the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Maggie Dougherty)

This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story. 

CHICAGO — Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton rode a late wave of momentum to win the Democratic nomination for Illinois’ open U.S. Senate seat, toppling longtime frontrunner Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi with the financial aid and political muscle of Gov. JB Pritzker and an outsider message that set her apart from her rivals with Washington experience.

With 82% of precincts reporting, Stratton had a 39.6% to 33.6% lead over Krishnamoorthi, a margin of about 50,000 votes out of more than 900,000 cast. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Lynwood, was in third place with 18.5%. The Associated Press called the race for Stratton at 9:40 p.m. Tuesday evening.

“Eleven months ago, I made a promise to Illinois to be the fighter you deserve, to go to the mat fighting for you, and bring your voices with me to Washington,” Stratton told supporters on Chicago’s West Side. “I haven't forgotten that promise.”

Stratton received about 44% of the vote in Chicago to Kelly’s 25% and Krishnamoorthi’s 23%. She essentially fought suburban Cook County to a draw with Krishnamoorthi while he came out ahead in the suburban collar counties besides Will County, where Stratton led.

Stratton also led in many downstate counties, especially population centers in the Metro East, Springfield, Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana. 

“We never lost sight of what's most important, and that is courage, courage, inspired me to run,” Stratton said. “Courage powered this campaign, and courage will bring this fight straight to Donald Trump's door.”

Stratton pledged to continue calling for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, raising the minimum wage and instituting Medicaid for All. 

“It's time for bold ideas, big dreams and real courage in Washington, and we won't wait a second longer,” Stratton said.

Across town at Krishnamoorthi’s event, the energy in the room was flat the entire night as results streaming on a large projector continually showed Stratton ahead. Eventually, the feed was cut off and replaced with a large “Raja” campaign logo.

While the Associated Press had yet to call the race, Krishnamoorthi took the stage shortly after 9:30 p.m. to announce that he’d called Stratton to concede the race.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi concedes defeat in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary to Juliana Stratton just after 9:30 p.m. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Brenden Moore)

“Obviously, this is not the result we sought,” a somber-looking Krishnamoorthi, flanked by his wife and two of his children, told supporters. “But unlike Donald Trump, I'm not going to question the outcome. I'm proud of the race we ran. And I'm honored at the support we received from every corner of the state, from Rockford to Cairo and from the Quad Cities to Decatur.”

Referencing an old Chicago machine phrase about excluding outsiders from party politics, Krishnamoorthi cast himself as the guy “nobody sent.” 

He thanked supporters “who had the courage to defy the party establishment and endorse the candidate with 29 letters in his name.” He also thanked his donors, whom he credited with enabling him to “compete against very wealthy interests,” a not-so-veiled reference to Gov. JB Pritzker, who largely bankrolled a super PAC that backed Stratton. 

End of long primary season

Tuesday night marked the conclusion of a lengthy and expensive primary campaign to replace Sen. Dick Durbin, who has held the seat since 1997, and did not make an endorsement in the race.

Krishnamoorthi spent years laying the groundwork for a Senate run. He made frequent stops across the state, from fundraisers for various county Democratic parties to official congressional events well outside the boundaries of his suburban congressional district.

He was also the most aggressive fundraiser in the Illinois congressional delegation, banking more than $19 million before he launched his Senate run in May 2025. 

He continued fundraising at a breakneck pace, allowing him to run television advertisements nonstop since last July — more than six months before any other campaign or outside political action committee got on the air. Krishnamoorthi’s campaign spent more than $27 million on ads.

The name recognition attained through his paid media blitz allowed Krishnamoorthi to build an early polling lead on his main rivals, Stratton and Kelly. However, Krishnamoorthi’s numbers eventually hit a ceiling, remaining stubbornly stuck in the mid-to-high 30s even as he continued to lead his opponents. 

Stratton entered the race with Pritzker’s endorsement. But after seven years as the self-funding billionaire’s No. 2, she struggled to fundraise on her own — a problem exacerbated by strict federal contribution limits to campaign committees.

Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton were in good spirits at Manny’s Deli in Chicago Tuesday afternoon — and for the remainder of the evening. Stratton became the Democrats’ nominee for U.S. Senate in 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Brenden Moore)

She attempted to turn this weakness into a strength by pledging not to accept donations from corporate political action committees. She also made bold policy proposals like an hourly $25 minimum wage. 

But she really started gaining ground on Krishnamoorthi in January, when the Pritzker-funded Illinois Future PAC finally launched a long-expected ad campaign on her behalf. 

Unlike candidate committees, which are subject to strict contribution limits, PACs can raise unlimited sums, making it an attractive option for Pritzker to exert outsized influence on the race.

Krishnamoorthi simultaneously faced tough headlines over more than $90,000 in contributions from donors with ties to President Donald Trump, including nearly $30,000 from Shyam Sankar, the chief technology officer of Palantir, a company that holds a $30 million contract with ICE to help track individuals for deportation. Krishnamoorthi donated a sum equaling Sankar’s contributions to immigrant rights organizations.

This was around the same time Operation Midway Blitz dominated the headlines, drawing negative attention to federal immigration officers.  

Kelly has served in Congress since 2013 and previously served a stint as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois before being ousted by Pritzker-backed Lisa Hernandez. She cast herself as a progressive in the race who could work across the aisle to get things accomplished. 

But Kelly also struggled to break out due to a lack of resources, always remaining a distant third place behind Krishnamoorthi and Stratton.

As Stratton gained in the polls, dark money PACs with ties to the cryptocurrency industry poured more than $10 million into ads against her. They also sought to boost Kelly, leading to accusations that the effort was meant to split the Black vote between Stratton and Kelly, who are both Black women. 

Stratton begins the general election as a heavy favorite to succeed Durbin, facing off against former Republican Party Chair Don Tracy. 

Seven other candidates were also on the ballot and received about 9% of the vote. 

Republican results

In the Republican primary for Durbin’s open Senate seat, Tracy received 40% of the vote as of 10 p.m. Tuesday evening. Tracy faced five other candidates in the primary race, which lacked the same attention as the Democratic primary with a field of lesser-known candidates with little political experience. 

Don Tracy, the former chair of the state Republican Party, celebrates his nomination as the GOP’s candidate for U.S. Senate in 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jenna Schweikert)

“We stand before you tonight as the Illinois Republican nominee for the United States Senate. Thank you again for entrusting me with this important nomination,” Tracy said at his watch party in Springfield. “With your help, we'll deliver that underdog victory in November that will shock the nation and make Illinois better, more balanced and a stronger state.”

Tracy said his top priority will be reducing cost of living in key areas like energy and health care. The mood at the watch party was quiet initially, picking up as supporters watched results roll in. Kathy Salvi, the current Illinois Republican Party chair and the party’s failed Senate candidate in 2022, spoke to the growing crowd around 8 p.m.

“I am absolutely delighted to be here for you, Don,” Salvi said. “Everything that you stand for will elevate and bring hope and promise to Illinois.”

Of the five other candidates, Chicago attorney Jeannie Evans received about 22% of the vote, real estate manager Casey Chlebek received 11%, and the final three candidates received about 25% collectively.

Congressional results

Four of the five open congressional seats saw intense competition in their primary races this cycle, with dozens of candidates seeking rare open seats in Congress and an unprecedented $62 million contributed in direct campaign contributions and outside funding.

In the 9th Congressional District, Evanston mayor Daniel Biss won with about 30% of the vote as of 10 p.m. The contentious primary in one of the state’s most liberal districts gained national attention after candidates sparred over whether they aligned with the views of American Israel Public Affairs Committee and one candidate was charged by the federal government with conspiring to impede immigration agents. Biss, a former state senator who lost the 2018 gubernatorial primary to Gov. JB Pritzker, will face Republican John Elleson in the November general election.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Cook County commissioner Donna Miller beat nine candidates including state senator Robert Peters and former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. with 40% of the vote as of 10 p.m. Miller will face Republican Michael Scott Noack, who won his primary uncontested, in the general election. 

In the 7th Congressional District, state Rep. La Shawn Ford won the Democratic primary against 12 other candidates, with just under 25% of the vote as of 10 p.m. Ford will face the GOP primary winner Chad Koppie in November.

In the 8th Congressional District, former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean won her primary with about 32% of the vote as of 10 p.m. and will face Republican nominee Jennifer Davis in November.

The 4th Congressional District is also open this fall but did not have a contested primary. The November election is expected to be a tense battle between Democratic nominee Patty Garcia and candidates who filed as independents. 

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Four Campuses, One Mission: IECC Hosts First-Ever Day of Giving

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges will host its first-ever coordinated Day of Giving on March 31, inviting alumni, businesses, and community members to support student success across its four campuses.

The 24-hour event will feature fundraising efforts led by the foundations of Frontier Community College, Lincoln Trail College, Olney Central College, and Wabash Valley College. Each campus will focus on raising support for scholarships, programs, and initiatives that benefit students.

IECC Vice Chancellor of Institutional Outreach Tona Ambrose said the idea for a coordinated Day of Giving grew out of the district’s recent reorganization and a renewed focus on strengthening alumni engagement.

“IECC has wanted to establish an alumni community for years, and with the collaborative reorganization of our district two years ago, it seemed like the perfect time to create our first Day of Giving,” Ambrose said. “This event gives each of our college foundations an intentional opportunity to grow partnerships with alumni, businesses, and community supporters who care deeply about student success.”

While each campus will highlight its own priorities, Ambrose said holding the event on the same day creates a sense of shared purpose across the district.

“Each campus has unique needs and priorities, but we are united by a commitment to serving our students and communities,” she said. “A coordinated effort allows alumni and supporters to rally around the campus that means the most to them while still contributing to the broader IECC mission.”

Support from the college foundations plays an important role in helping students succeed. Donations often fund scholarships, campus programs, and improvements to facilities and learning environments.

“Foundation support has a direct and meaningful impact on students every day,” Ambrose said. “These gifts help make college more affordable, remove barriers that might otherwise prevent students from completing their education, and allow students to focus on learning and achieving their goals.”

Ambrose emphasized that even small gifts can make a difference for students.

“A modest scholarship might help a student purchase a textbook, pay for a certification exam, or cover part of their tuition,” she said. “When many people come together and contribute, even small amounts, the collective impact can be powerful.”

Beyond fundraising, the event is designed to strengthen connections between the colleges and the communities they serve. It will also help the district reconnect with alumni and expand its ability to stay in contact with graduates in the future.

“Launching a coordinated Day of Giving reflects IECC’s commitment to building strong relationships with our foundations, alumni, and the communities we serve,” Ambrose said. “We see it as the beginning of a new tradition that celebrates community generosity and will have a lasting positive impact on our students.”

Ambrose said the event is about more than a single day of giving.

“Day of Giving is about building a culture of connection and pride,” she said. “We want alumni, community partners, faculty, staff, and students to feel that they are all part of something bigger. When our colleges succeed, our communities succeed as well.”

Madison County judge finds name in Epstein files because of legal representation

As an associate at an Edwardsville law firm, he represented Epstein in a 2013 debt collection matter   

Article Summary 

  • Andrew Carruthers was an associate in the Edwardsville civil firm HeplerBroom when he was assigned a collection case related to Jeffrey Epstein in 2013. 

  • Carruthers, who was appointed to the bench eight years later, said Epstein “was completely unknown to us” when the firm accepted his business. 

  • Carruthers said he never met or communicated with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but acted as local counsel to enforce a judgment handed down in the Virgin Islands. 

  • Epstein’s plane made maintenance stops at a Metro East airport, including one in July 2001 with passengers Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell and survivor of the sex-trafficking ring Virginia Roberts Guiffre.  

This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story. 

By BETH HUNDSDORFER 
Capitol News Illinois 
bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com  

& JANELLE O’DEA

Illinois Answers Project

jodea@illinoisanswers.com

EDWARDSVILLE — A man wearing a sandwich board protesting outside of the Edwardsville courthouse last month revived sleeping worries and anxieties Madison County Judge Andrew Carruthers had hoped to leave in the past.

That single protester’s sign put on display what Carruthers already knew.

His name is in the Epstein files because he once represented Epstein on a collection matter more than a dozen years ago. 

In the 3 million documents that contained horrific descriptions of child sexual abuse, photographs and videos released in January by the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the disgraced child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, there were legal filings signed by then-fledgling associate Carruthers. 

“I was assigned to serve as local counsel for attorneys in another jurisdiction seeking to enforce a civil money judgment for their client who, at the time, was completely unknown to us, just as he was unknown to most of the country 13 years ago,” Carruthers said in a statement he provided after speaking with reporters. 

It all began in 2013 with a collection matter, a foreign judgment for $250,000 that Epstein won in the U.S. Virgin Islands that had laid around for a couple of years. It was the result of a contract dispute over unfinished or subpar work at Little St. James, Epstein’s private island, as well as Epstein’s New York City townhouse. 

The Virgin Island lawyer needed Illinois representation to collect the debt on the business that was registered in Illinois. The Virgin Islands lawyer knew a partner at the Illinois-based HeplerBroom and asked for help.

Carruthers, then a new associate at the Edwardsville civil defense firm, was the “clean-up man” handling the extraneous minute legal matters that big civil clients bring to their legal firms — traffic tickets, wills, probate, small civil issues and collection matters.

There were no conflicts that prevented working on the case, so Carruthers filed the judgment in Lake County, near Chicago. He proceeded to try to collect the debt, always communicating through a lawyer in the Virgin Islands. 

Carruthers said he never met Epstein, never spoke to him, never even communicated in writing with him. He had no idea of his Florida conviction in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution. 

Eventually, the debtor went bankrupt. Carruthers’ representation was over.

There’s hardly a mention of Carruthers’ firm HeplerBroom in the files, only canceled checks to them for $900, $1,300 and a wire transfer for $1,000. Carruthers eventually left the firm, moving on to the Madison County state’s attorney’s office’s civil division. 

In 2019, Epstein was indicted on federal charges related to an international sex trafficking ring involving minors. Carruthers said he found out who Epstein was and what he was accused of around the time everyone else did.

Two months after that indictment, authorities said Epstein died after hanging himself in his prison cell. 

Carruthers carried on with his legal career. 

In 2021, Madison County circuit judges appointed him as an associate judge. 

He is a utility player as judge, just as he had been at the law firm. Carruthers volunteered to restart a docket in nearby Granite City where he would hear traffic tickets, misdemeanors and ordinance violations. The location has been closed since the pandemic. He organized a food drive and read to schoolkids.

He presides over the busy asbestos and probate docket. Lawyers who appeared before Carruthers gave him a 91% rating in an Illinois State Bar Association judicial advisory poll. Associate judges must receive at least 65% to be recommended by the ISBA.  

In January, the Justice Department released its files, detailing Epstein’s associations. They  were wide-ranging, including entertainment moguls, titans of industry, tech giants, two U.S. Presidents, the British royals, an Israeli prime minister and, incidentally, a Madison County lawyer turned judge. 

What Carruthers had dreaded had come to pass: Finding out those court filings with his name on them are part of the infamous Epstein files.

Even bad guys need lawyers

Carruthers has worried, lost sleep. He’s a father to three teenage girls, a husband to a professor at a nearby university; a symbol in his local legal community. His family, his career and his reputation weighed heavily on his mind.

Attorneys know what it is to represent a client with an unsavory reputation, one expert said, but even bad guys need lawyers. 

“If every controversial client you had disqualified you, there would be very few lawyers who would be eligible to serve as judges,” said Carol Needham, a professor at St. Louis University School of Law who specializes in ethics.

An associate judge is elected by circuit judges. Circuit judges are elected by the voters. The Third Judicial Circuit, which includes Madison and Bond counties, has eight circuit judges. Carruthers is one of 13 associate judges who serve four-year terms.

The circuit judges will decide whether to return Carruthers to the bench in 2029. 

Carruthers isn’t the St. Louis area’s only distant tie to the now-deceased pedophile and financier. Epstein took trips through the St. Louis area and had at least one plane serviced in Cahokia, according to court documents and emails in the trove of files published by the U.S. Department of Justice. The trips included at least one flight with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell that landed at the Downtown St. Louis Airport in Cahokia, about 10 minutes east of the Gateway Arch. 

The three came through Cahokia at least one time, on July 11, 2001, according to a court transcript of an interview with a private pilot, David Rodgers, who worked for Epstein. Giuffre was a trafficking victim of Epstein beginning when she was a teenager, and she grew up to become an outspoken survivor of the abuse committed by Epstein and Maxwell. She died by suicide in April 2025.

Maxwell was a close associate of Epstein and currently is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Texas for sex trafficking.  

Rodgers worked for Epstein as a private pilot for almost three decades. In the court transcript from a 2020 case against Maxwell, Rodgers confirmed the July 2001 flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Cahokia, Illinois. He also confirmed Maxwell, Giuffre, Epstein and a third unidentified person as passengers on the flight.

Rodgers at times flew the Boeing 727 now famously known as “The Lolita Express.” He denied ever witnessing Maxwell say or do anything to indicate she was helping Epstein traffic children and women. The flight to St. Louis was on Epstein’s Gulfstream jet, a different plane.  

“And nothing you saw or heard in the roughly 30 years you worked for Epstein ever gave you even the slightest hint that anything like that was going on; isn't that right?” a lawyer asked Rodgers.

“That’s correct,” he said. 

On other trips, Epstein’s Gulfstream jet also underwent renovations and repairs at the St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia. Beginning in the late 1980s, Epstein began doing business with Midcoast Aviation, and through the 2000s, Epstein’s aircraft were painted, refurbished, serviced and fueled by Midcoast. The full-service aircraft company has operated under the name Jet Aviation since 2011.

Epstein spent at least a quarter of a million dollars on services from Midcoast and Jet Aviation. FedEx records show a Midcoast employee sending an 8-pound package to Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico on July 14, 2001, three days after Epstein, Maxwell and Giuffre came through Cahokia. The package was addressed to “Shannon at Zorro Ranch.”

Jet Aviation declined to comment through a Zurich-based spokeswoman. 

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.  


Madison County Associate Judge Andrew Carruthers found his name in the recently released U.S. Department of Justice files regarding Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender accused of trafficking minors. Carruthers was assigned Epstein’s case in a collection matter in Lake County, Illinois, but said he never met him or communicated with him.  Photo: Provided

Illinois bill aims to address gender discrepancies in CPR training 

The legislation would mandate the use of female manikins in school programs 

By GEORGIA EPIPHANIOU 

Medill Illinois News Bureau 

news@capitolnewsillinois.com

Article Summary

  • Women are 27% less likely to receive bystander CPR due to fears of inappropriate touching or sexual assault accusations and repercussions. 

  • A bill, currently in a House committee, will mandate the use of female CPR dolls and chest covers for CPR training in secondary schools in Illinois. 

  • Illinois-based company WorldPoint and organization Illinois Heart Rescue have already taken steps to address the gender disparity in training by producing and supplying female manikins across state-led education programs.  

SPRINGFIELD — When someone experiences a heart attack, the emergency protocol is universal for all genders — first responders are supposed to place the patient on their back and their hands in the center of the chest, then push hard and fast.

Yet, women are 27% less likely to receive bystander CPR than men because of hesitancy to follow protocol, fueled by fears of inappropriate touching, exposing the chest or drawing accusations of sexual assault, according to the Journal of the American Heart Association.

House Bill 4788, sponsored by Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, aims to defeat this stigma, normalizing CPR performance on women by introducing female manikins in secondary school CPR training.

The idea for the legislation began with a Naperville High School student, senior Ashlynn Goldstein. "I had been CPR certified a lot of times — never in my life had I ever encountered a female manikin,” Goldstein said.

Her capstone project in high school examines why disparities exist in the performance of CPR between men and women, Illinois current statutes addressing CPR training, and how those policies are handled in schools.

"That was kind of where that idea of passing a bill for high schools came about, and Hirschauer took up the case,” said Goldstein, who drafted the bill with her teacher and proposed it to legislators.

The bill is currently assigned to the Education Policy Committee. It requires CPR training in secondary schools to include at least one female manikin for every two male versions, starting in the 2028-29 academic year.

Hirschauer, who said she is interested in “righting the wrongs of gender disparity,” emphasized the importance of introducing female manikins in high schools. 

“I'm always a fan of reaching people at their earliest. … So it felt like a really good way to capture a lot of people, and then a really good way to break down the stigma of CPR on a female if we're starting young,” she said. 

State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, was added as a co-sponsor to the bill Thursday.

With every Illinois high schooler required to receive CPR training, Goldstein also sees an opportunity to reach a wider audience. 

“That is your next generation of adults,” Goldstein said. “They are the next people who are going into the workforce, going out into the world, and it's more effective with the younger ages versus older.”

In the U.S., 40 states and the District of Columbia require CPR training in schools before high school graduation. There are no laws embedding the use of female manikins in school training curriculums. Such training can make a difference.

A 2024 study by the American Heart Association Journal, surveying 112 participants who received CPR instruction on both male and female manikins, concluded that the training increased confidence in performing CPR on women. Although 28.4% initially reported feeling either slightly or very uncomfortable using the female manikin, 81.6% said they felt more confident performing CPR on women after practicing with it.

“To date, most CPR training programs in the United States and globally continue to use the standard flat-chested manikin since training materials with secondary sex characteristics such as breasts have been lacking,” according to a recent study in ScienceDirect. 

“Normalizing the female anatomy and allowing hands-on simulation practice with breasted manikins may reduce reluctance to perform (CPR) on women, dispel misconceptions and myths, and cultivate confidence among the public rescuers to engage in life-saving skills, regardless of gender,” the study said.

Bill faces hesitation over costs

Despite Hirschauer’s enthusiasm for the bill and the state’s past support of CPR training in schools, the bill faces headwinds.

The Illinois Principals Association expressed skepticism around the bill, citing concerns about burdening schools with the costs. 

“We have other things that are kind of pressing on that financial button, if you will, and we always share those concerns with legislators,” said Alison Maley, the government and public relations director of the principals association. 

Lauren’s Law, passed in Illinois in 2008, mandated CPR training in all of the state’s high schools but also became an example of how financial considerations can thwart good intentions. The law does not provide any additional funding for compliance, therefore making higher income districts better positioned to meet the requirements. 

To bridge the gap, Illinois Heart rescue, an organization committed to improving outcomes when people experience cardiac arrest beyond hospital settings, got involved. It provides training, manikins and automated external defibrillators to lower-resource districts and schools that would otherwise struggle to finance the training themselves.  

Illinois Heart Rescue has already introduced female manikins in their training programs. 

“We made the decision as a program to use breasted manikins in all of our classes,’’ Courtney Schwerin O'Reilly, executive director of Illinois Heart Rescue, said. “It was mildly controversial, but it was important to me that we had that representation.” 

Goldstein acknowledged the cost-related concerns in the drafting of her bill. Instead of compelling schools to purchase female manikins, which cost $800, the bill provides the option of installing chest covers on existing ones instead, which are priced at approximately $14 to $18. 

The marketplace has begun to recognize the need for change as well. WorldPoint, a global distributor and one of the industry’s largest suppliers of CPR manikins, has developed two innovative, three-in-one manikins — CPR Taylor and CPR Tommi — each designed to convert between adult male, adult female and child. The products are released in light and dark skin colors. 

“It shouldn't be an add on, it shouldn't cost more money, it shouldn't be its own additional purchase thereby making it more expensive,” said ShellyAmato, executive vice president of WorldPoint. “It should be standard. You get a male and you get a female with every manikin."

That fits into Goldstein’s goal of raising awareness on the issues surrounding CPR for women and seeing a broader impact in society. If the Illinois legislature can pass Hirschauer’s bill, perhaps it can serve as a model.

"My hope is, honestly, for other states to take inspiration from that,’’ she said. 

Georgia Epiphaniou is a graduate student in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.


The Illinois Heart Rescue seasonal training at Cubs CPR Day at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The organization provided female CPR manikins for the program. (Courtesy of Courtney Schwerin O'Reilly / Illinois Heart Rescue)


Carterville football coach on leave is subject of investigators’ subpoenas

Carterville football coach on leave is subject of investigators’ subpoenas

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Board of Education sent requests for personnel records of the employee

 By MOLLY PARKER

Capitol News Illinois

& JACKSON BRANDHORST 

Saluki Local Reporting Lab

Article Summary

  • Carterville High School teacher and football coach who is the subject of a criminal investigation is named in subpoenas served in the case.

  • The employee was placed on leave more than a year after the FBI received a tip about possible crimes.

  • The Illinois State Board of Education has also issued a subpoena seeking records related to the employee’s employment.

CARTERVILLE — The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Board of Education have served subpoenas on the Carterville school district in southern Illinois seeking the personnel file and any disciplinary records of John J. Wakey, a Carterville High School teacher and assistant football coach who is under investigation for criminal sexual abuse.

The sheriff’s office served its subpoena on the district for Wakey’s records on Feb. 25, four days after announcing it had opened an investigation involving an unnamed Carterville school district employee accused of sexually abusing a former student.

Capitol News Illinois obtained the subpoenas under a Freedom of Information Act request.

Sheriff Jeff Diederich told CNI last week that his office has received numerous calls since making the announcement and believes there may be multiple victims.

A second subpoena from the sheriff’s office, issued the same day investigators sought Wakey’s personnel file, requests academic records for 17 former students whose names were redacted by the district, citing a privacy exemption under Illinois’ public record law. The subpoena does not indicate why investigators are seeking the former students’ records.

A subpoena is a legal public record that’s part of an official investigation. It does not indicate that wrongdoing has occurred, or detail any allegations, and Wakey — who has worked in the district for more than two decades — has not been charged with a crime. He did not respond to multiple calls and text messages to his cell phone seeking comment.

The district must provide the records by March 26 to Williamson County Deputy Mike Flaningam. The sheriff has confirmed that Flaningam, who joined the department on Jan. 1, 2025, and formerly served as the chief of police in Carterville, is the lead investigator on the sexual abuse case involving Wakey.

The Carterville school district previously announced that it placed the employee on administrative leave after receiving notification from the sheriff’s office on Feb. 20.  

On Friday, Diederich said the sheriff’s office did not have further comment about the subpoenas. Carterville Superintendent Sarah Barnstable had not responded to a list of questions about the matter as of Friday afternoon. 

Separate inquiry by state education board  

The Illinois State Board of Education has also issued a subpoena seeking records related to Wakey’s employment. ISBE served the district with the subpoena Monday — one business day after CNI and the Saluki Local Reporting Lab reported that an FBI tip that initially started the inquiry into the Carterville school employee had been made in November 2024 — nearly a year and a half before allegations became public — and the employee placed on leave. 

The state agency oversees education licensing in Illinois and is responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct involving licensed teachers. Such investigations are separate from criminal or child welfare investigations, though ISBE may obtain information from those agencies if they are involved in the case. Though the agency was made aware that CNI had obtained its subpoena in a public records request, ISBE spokesperson Lindsay Record said the agency still could not comment on or confirm whether any specific investigation was underway.

The ISBE subpoena, which is described as part of a “licensure investigation” of Wakey, also seeks emails, text messages, internal investigative reports, interview notes, witness statements and other records related to his employment. The district has been ordered to produce those materials to ISBE by April 16. 

Questions about reporting requirements 

An FBI spokesperson in Springfield told CNI last week that its National Threat Operations Center, which serves as a central intake for public tips regarding federal crimes, had received information about possible abuse by a Carterville school employee in November 2024. At the time, the spokesperson said the FBI determined it did not have jurisdiction to lead the investigation and turned it over to local law enforcement. 

Flaningam received the tip that same month from an FBI agent in Marion while he was still serving as the police chief in Carterville. The following month, city officials opted not to renew Flaningam’s contract; his employment with the city ended on Dec. 31, 2024. He was hired as an investigator in the sheriff’s office beginning the next day and transferred the case prior to his exit. Diederich said the case remained largely dormant for 15 months due to a lack of evidence. 

The announcement of the investigation has shaken Carterville, a southern Illinois community of about 5,800 people known in southern Illinois for its strong school system, as well as its high school football tradition. 

In the wake of the investigation, some parents and community members have questioned why the district did not make a report to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services upon first learning about the FBI tip in November 2024. Educators are mandated reporters under Illinois law and must report suspected child abuse or neglect to the state’s child abuse hotline. 

Barnstable, the Carterville school superintendent, said the tip, as relayed to a district administrator in November 2024, was anonymous and unverified, and school officials did not have enough information to conduct their own investigation or file a report to DCFS. She did not respond to a question about which administrator received the report, and whether that individual notified anyone else, including the district’s attorney and school board members

Barnstable said the district took immediate action once law enforcement notified administrators on Feb. 20 that a former student had provided a formal statement. The sheriff’s office notified the district that it had made a report to DCFS at the same time, she said. 

It is not clear whether an earlier report would have triggered a child welfare investigation. Diederich said his office has not spoken with any alleged victims who are currently minors or enrolled in the district. The individuals who have come forward are former students who are now adults, and DCFS typically only investigates allegations of abuse and neglect involving victims under 18. Reports involving child victims of abuse who are now adults are generally referred to law enforcement, according to DCFS spokesperson Heather Tarczan. 

Public sanctions against educators, including license suspensions and revocations, are published on ISBE’s Educator Quality webpage. 

CNI and the Saluki Local Reporting Lab have also requested any disciplinary records related to Wakey through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Barnstable asked for an additional five days to respond to that request. 

She said the district intends to respond by March 19 — the date of the next Carterville school board meeting, where several parents have said they plan to address the investigation and the school’s handling of it.

This story was produced for Capitol News Illinois through the Saluki Local Reporting Lab, supported by grant funding from the SIU Foundation and the Illinois Press Foundation. 

Jackson Brandhorst is a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and a senior member of the Daily Egyptian, SIU’s student newspaper. Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian.com.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.


The sun sets on the press box of the Lion’s Field football stadium at Carterville High School on March 3, 2026, in Carterville, Illinois. (Photo by Lylee Gibbs)