(SPRINGFIELD) Republicans and Democrats introduced legislation late last week that would address the high cost of housing in Illinois. The proposed Illinois Home Buyer Savings Accounts Act would offer tax-advantaged savings accounts to those looking to buy a single-family residence in Illinois. Account holders could deduct contributions to the savings account from their state income taxes, up to $5,000 for individual filers or $10,000 for those who file jointly. If the funds are used for purposes other than housing costs, the entire balance would become taxable, plus a 10 percent penalty would be assessed.
(SPRINGFIELD) Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary record statewide total of 1,045 wild turkeys during the 2024-2025 fall archery turkey season. The total compares to last year’s harvest of 803 birds and the 5-year average of 763 turkeys taken. The total shattered the previous record total for fall archery season in 2015 when 851 birds were harvested.
(SPRINGFIELD) The longest running Corvette car show is moving downstate this summer. In its 52nd year, the Bloomington Gold Car Show will be relocating from Normal to the World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, where organizers say the Corvette owners will be able to drive their cars on the Metro East Area racetrack. The show has a nearly $1 million economic impact on the Bloomington-Normal twin-cities area last year in 2024