Rockford Register Star
Stadium bill fails to clear IL House
SPRINGFIELD — Despite a Hail Mary heave from the Illinois Senate in the final hours of the spring legislative session, state lawmakers ultimately failed to reach the end zone on a bill incentivizing the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in Illinois....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Big House Ballgame celebrates Route 66
JOLIET – At the Old Joliet Prison, made famous by the “Blues Brothers” film, the Joliet Slammers baseball team staff were generously handing out tickets to a ballgame recently, helping kick off the statewide celebration of the Route 66 centennial. But...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hard Rock may bring in hard cash
ROCKFORD — The opening of a 215- to 225-room hotel at the Hard Rock Casino Rockford would bring dramatic changes to the city’s tourism landscape. It would mean additional higher end hotel rooms, something that visitors have been asking for. And it is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Potential Iran deal puts Trump in a bind
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump finds himself in a bind as he seeks to end the war against Iran: He is under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get U.S. gasoline prices down but at the same time faces a potential backlash from Iran hawks...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Sum Function’ tells story of wheelchair rugby team
ROCKFORD — A Rockford filmmaker and Marine Corps veteran is bringing his award-winning documentary back to his hometown after a national film festival run. Noah Currier’s “Sum Function” premieres May 30 at Hard Rock Casino
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Streets under construction this May
Rockford Register Star | USA TODAY NETWORK Several construction and improvement projects are underway in Rockford, affecting traffic and public spaces. 11th Street Project (Harrison Avenue to Broadway) Work continues on the 11th Street project...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CAREER CLASS WITH CREED
The newest crop of interns for Caterpillar had a chance to rub shoulders with company leaders, including CEO Joe Creed, on Tuesday during their intern orientation in Edwards. Over 550 interns from across the United States descended on the company’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump announces 5,000 troops to Poland
President Donald Trump said on May 21 that an additional 5,000 troops would deploy to Poland, an apparent reversal of an earlier threat to reduce U.S. military presence in the country, as his administration has floated pulling American forces from...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Communities prepare for 100th anniversary
LIVINGSTON, IL — For 40 years, Felipe de la Cruz Tenorio of Majorca, Spain, dreamed of driving America’s famed Route 66. He still recalls working at a nightclub as a young man and watching HarleyDavidson riders roll in wearing Route 66 jackets. Now...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Universities still hold Native remains, artifacts
Many universities and museums in the United States have long held Native American burial artifacts, other sacred objects and even human remains. Most of these collections were acquired in the late 19th and 20th centuries. They came from grave...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump ratings sink, grip on GOP holds
If President Donald Trump’s approval rating is sinking into dangerous territory − and it is − how does he manage to keep vanquishing Republican critics and imposing his will on a compliant Congress? Call it the political dichotomy of the 47th...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rockford approves bonds for Hard Rock Casino expansion
Rockford could be getting into the hotel and conference center business. At its May 18 meeting, City Council authorized the sale of bonds to finance an expansion of the Hard Rock Casino Rockford. Rockford plans to tap its borrowing power to finance a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RISING COSTS Data: 1 in 3 households struggles to pay energy bills
Americans’ concerns about being able to afford electricity and home heating fuel have been elevated since the beginning of the Iran war. But recently released nationwide data shows that even before the war began, these concerns were widespread,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Memorial Day events scheduled in Rockford
A parade and two ceremonies honoring veterans are planned for Memorial Day in Rockford. The events begin with the annual parade at 9 a.m. on May 25, according to a community announcement. The parade will start near the intersection of 7th Street and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
IL General Assembly debates data centers
The Illinois General Assembly continues to debate what to do about data centers as the artificial intelligence business keeps booming while communities complain about their energy bills, noise and environmental impacts. Data centers are warehouse-like...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Firm rapidly took over youth hockey teams
As a hockey dad, Murry Gunty saw how money and access can determine which kids make it to the sport’s highest levels. As an investor, he built a business around it. A nine-month USA TODAY investigation found that Gunty, founder of Blackstreet Capital...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Gardening grows life skills alongside produce
I used to teach high school science in Oklahoma, and one day I brought in a stalk from a cotton plant with bolls of cotton still attached. Students asked me why I glued cotton balls to a stick. My students and I lived in a rural town surrounded by...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Without SNAP, recipients prepare to reduce spending
As households across Illinois brace to lose their federal food assistance this month, grocery stores, especially independent grocers across the state, are preparing for the devasting effects of decreased spending. For some independent grocers, whose...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FINAL SALE FOR LONGTIME STAPLE
ROCKFORD, IL — Family-owned Gustafson’s Furniture & Mattress plans to permanently close and on May 14 begin liquidating its inventory after weeks of struggling to restructure and remain open after key retirements. The business has been a Rockford...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Curran’s Orchard publicly against nearby solar farm
ROCKFORD, IL — Curran’s Orchard is objecting to a 5 megawatt commercial solar farm proposed on a nearby property that it argues could harm its operations. Known for its family-friendly activities and awardwinning apple cider, Curran’s Orchard has for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Coronado theater to host free summer cinema series
Legends Global Rockford, the Coronado Theatre, and Friends of the Coronado are launching the first-ever Coronado Summer Cinema this summer, according to a community announcement. The series begins Saturday, June 13, 2026, with a showing of “Wicked:...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CASINO GOES BIG
Hard Rock Casino Rockford plans to add a more than 200-room hotel, spa and fitness facility, new food and beverage offerings and a 15,000-square-foot convention center, with construction kicking off in 2026. “We’re doubling down on Rockford,” Geno...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
COST OF DUE PROCESS
The Rockford Police Department has paid more than half a million dollars to an officer on administrative leave since 2021. h It’s just one example of the expenses the department has faced when officers are placed on administrative leave after being...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trade court rules against tariff in defeat for Trump
A federal court dealt another blow to President Donald Trump’s trade agenda May 7, ruling against a 10% global tariff the president imposed earlier this year to replace tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court. A panel of judges for the Court of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charting his own path
It’s been nearly 1,000 years since King Henry IV stood barefoot in the Italian snow to beg forgiveness after clashes with Pope Gregory VII, and over two centuries since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII in France. Now, a battle is underway between a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Demographic dynamics upending the world
Government-shaking protests in Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal and Sri Lanka – to name a few – have all in recent years been linked to what demographers call a “youth bulge.” Meanwhile, the economic slowdown in China and ballooning public debt in the United...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Program celebrates 1,000 scholarships and counting
Rockford Promise gathered students, families and supporters May 3, 2026, for Promising Futures, an annual event that celebrates the city-wide college scholarship program. The program recognized 192 students who will be receiving scholarships for the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Low Trump approval threatens Senate GOP
A few months ago, the prevailing thinking in Washington was that while Republicans could lose the House in the 2026 midterm elections, their Senate majority was secure. To win control of the Senate, Democrats would need to upset four GOP incumbents,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Prediction markets see explosive rise
Though prediction markets have been legal in the United States for less than 18 months, they can’t stop making news and making money. On prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, users can stake real money on just about anything, from the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Colman Yards reboot
ROCKFORD — Milwaukee-based J. Jeffers & Co. plans to kickstart its stalled historic redevelopment of the former Barber-Colman factory campus by breaking the $120 million Phase 1B into smaller chunks, first aiming to convert a pair of connected...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT’
The Food and Drug Administration has announced the winners of national priority vouchers to study the therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs, shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order paving the way for more research. In an...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Food aid doesn’t make people loafers
Millie Morales believes in hard work. “I feel that as an American citizen, we all have a great opportunity to be able to improve our life,” the 58-year-old woman explained in an interview I conducted with her in 2025. “Are you willing to put in the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HEAD START HURDLES
A new report from the National Institute for Early Education Research found Illinois’ rate of growth in enrollment and funding for universal preschool is slowing, despite state efforts to expand preschool programming. While the report noted Gov. JB...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Golden Apple rolls out red carpet
ROCKFORD, IL — Teachers walked a red carpet, laughed beneath crystal chandeliers and dined on black table cloths as Rockford’s education community gathered to celebrate the best of the best in education. Nearly 380 guests toasted Golden Apple Teacher...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
U.S.-Iran negotiations remain at a standstill
Work has not halted to bridge gaps between the United States and Iran, sources from mediator Pakistan said, despite the failure of face-to-face diplomacy after President Donald Trump called off a trip by his envoys over the weekend. Iranian sources...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Illinois leads U.S. in tornadoes, hail, wind
Illinois is leading the nation in tornado, hail and strong wind reports from Jan. 1 to April 19, 2026, according to AccuWeather. The latest round of tornado activity happened on April 17, when multiple tornado warnings were issued stretching across...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
POWER SURGE
A House committee got an overview last week of how data centers are driving up energy demand and threatening potential shortfalls in the second of three planned hearings on the matter. The fundamental issue is that data centers have created a sudden...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Consumer sentiment slumps to record low
WASHINGTON – U.S. consumer sentiment fell to a record low in April as households shrugged off a ceasefire in the war with Iran, remaining focused on the inflation fallout from the conflict. The University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers said its...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
U.S. animal lab company facing another citation
Less than two years after Indianabased Inotiv agreed to pay the largest fine ever issued under the Animal Welfare Act, the company has once again been sanctioned for its experimentation on beagles. Two dogs died at an Inotiv-owned laboratory in Fort...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
World’s great fish migrations collapsing
Hidden beneath the surface of the world’s rivers, some of Earth’s great animal movements unfold – migrations that rival, in sheer biomass, the famous mass movements of zebra and wildebeest across the Serengeti. h For centuries, fish migrations were as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Response to Lena tornado earns praise
Stephenson County officials are praising the efforts of first responders, school leaders and volunteers for their response to the April 17 tornado that ripped through Lena. h During an April 20 news conference, those managing cleanup and recovery...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Pundits questioning president’s health
President Donald Trump’s behavior and comments have long led political opponents to question his mental health, but now the accusation that he is unhinged is coming from more than the usual liberal suspects. Prominent conservative pundits − including...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Latino vote shifting away from Trump, GOP
In the 2024 election, President Donald Trump dramatically improved his performance among nearly all groups of voters from four years earlier. Trump’s growth among Hispanic voters was especially notable, increasing by more than 10 points from 2020 to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘NONE OF US WOULD HAVE LIVED’
It was April 20, 1945 — 10 days before the fall of the Third Reich — and Dr. Mark Olsky’s mother had a secret. She was on a train with more than 1,000 Jewish women, heading to what they believed to be their deaths at Austria’s Mauthausen Concentration...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Report says fewer global travelers coming to U.S.
Despite more people taking international trips globally, the United States is losing ground as a top destination, according to new data. Last year was one of the best years for the travel and tourism sector, with a 4.1% increase in gross domestic...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The long trip back to Illinois
Hummingbirds will soon be returning to Illinois from as far as southern Texas and Central America. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, in particular, will be arriving in mid-April. Here’s a few things to know about the migration. Types of hummingbirds in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HARVEST HELP
CHICAGO — Jeff Flamm, farm owner at Flamm Orchards in Cobden, struggled to find enough workers to harvest his crops — and the problem kept getting worse each year. “It got down to the point where I left a pretty significant amount of my crop in the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘HONORING OUR PAST’
Landmarks Illinois is investigating a longshot plan to physically move a Civil War-era house that may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad to prevent UW Health from demolishing it. UW Health plans in May to raze the house at 1244 E. State St....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
IL legislators consider self-driving vehicles
CHICAGO — In downtown Chicago, people have been spotting Google’s Waymo automated vehicles testing and mapping the Windy City’s streets. For now, the autonomous vehicles must be driven by a human, as the industry seeks the endorsement of state...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
IL House delves into data centers’ impact
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are digging deep on data centers, with a House committee hearing from mayors, labor groups and agriculture representatives on Wednesday, April 8, about the facilities’ local impacts in the first of three planned...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Data center could bring millions in property taxes
As Rockford area officials contemplate the pros and cons of a potential data center, the property taxes it could pay to local taxing bodies might tip the scale. A Meta DeKalb Data Center is generating tens of millions a year in property taxes and is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Iran sets the conditions for further negotiations
Iran vowed on April 10 not to participate in negotiations unless a ceasefire takes hold in Lebanon and Iran’s assets are unfrozen, throwing doubt over highstakes peace talks set to begin the following day in Pakistan. Iran’s parliamentary speaker,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
U.S. News & World Report ranks top grad schools in Illinois
Thinking of going to graduate school? If so, you may be interested to know which colleges in Illinois ranked in the latest U.S. News & World Report. Illinois colleges can be found nearing the top of national lists. The publication released rankings...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The high cost of U.S. health care
In announcing its “Great Healthcare Plan” in January, the Trump administration became the latest in a long history of efforts by the U.S. government to rein in the soaring cost of health care. h As a physician and professor studying the intersection of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Public defender shortage ripples across legal system
The Oregon Supreme Court on Feb. 5 issued a ruling that will have a wide impact. More than 1,400 criminal cases had to be dismissed, the justices ruled, due to lack of adequate counsel available for defendants. Like other states, Oregon must provide...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Strategist: Hot Dems can make party cool
Former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, fired off a flirty fundraising text on Valentine’s Day about someone suggesting he’d be a good partner in an effort to woo potential donors to his New York City congressional...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Crusader buys former Walgreens for $3.5M
ROCKFORD – Crusader Community Health has closed on the nearly $3.5 million purchase of a former Walgreens that it plans to turn into a women’s health center. Located across Ninth Street from UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital, the building measures...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
City plans $6.6M bike path for spring 2027
A key part of the city’s plans to become more bike and pedestrian friendly is taking shape on Highcrest Road. Rockford City Council is considering a $120,000 contract with Peoriabased Hanson Professional Services to acquire land and easements needed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump funding cuts axed nutrition program
If the government had found a way to save $10 for every dollar it spent helping low-income people get healthier, wouldn’t it make sense for it to keep doing that? Well, that’s exactly what the U.S. government did when it piloted the SNAPEd program in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rockford Roasting Co. plans second location
ROCKFORD — Rockford Roasting Co. LLC. has purchased the former Vintage@501 and former Taco Libre building at 501 E. State St. in downtown Rockford with plans to open a second location. The $400,000 purchase from Steele’s 126 LLC was recorded by the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
11th Street project enters phase two this summer
A second phase of the 11th Street reconstruction project from 18th Avenue to Charles Street is scheduled this summer even as Rockford completes the first phase of work that began last year. City Council will consider a $9.7 million contract with...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Companies announce layoffs, changes
ROCKFORD, IL — TreeHouse Private Brands Inc., which operates a South Beloit cookie and cracker production facility, is among 10 companies that in February informed the state of Illinois of coming layoffs. The Illinois Department of Commerce compiles a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
No Kings rallies a huge show of political force
The demonstration outside the Minnesota State Capitol for the marquee No Kings rally, with Bruce Springsteen and Jane Fonda on the bill, wasn’t the most notable development during the day of protests on March 28. More notable was the No Kings march in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Junk fee, child torture bills clear committee
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House passed more than 150 bills out of committee last week as it worked toward a March 27 deadline to move legislation to the full House. The measures included a ban on junk fees, classification of “child torture” as a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rockford officials: ‘NO TIMELINE YET’
As officials continue to get pushback on the idea of a data center locating south of the airport, the city of Rockford shared information on social media about next steps and how the approval process would work. San Diego-based Monarch Energy is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Trump slump’ hit U.S. tourism in 2025
With an upcoming FIFA World Cup being staged across the nation, 2026 was supposed to be a bumper year for tourism to the United States, driven in part by hordes of arriving soccer fans. And yet, the U.S. tourism industry is worried. While the rest of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
No Kings details for Rockford, Freeport
No Kings Rockford will be one of more than 3,000 events taking place across the country and the world, according to a community announcement. The rally is set for 1-3 p.m. March 28 at the Rockford City Market Pavillion, located at Water and State...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
LAWMAKERS AT ODDS
Chicago’s steep new tax on sports betting is creating a backlash in Springfield that could lead to new restrictions on whether municipalities should have the power to tax gambling revenue. The highly contested tax charges sports betting businesses...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Prediction markets thrive despite Illinois crackdown
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, at a small, round table in a spacious apartment in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, 19-year-old Oliver Wilson sits engrossed in front of two laptop screens, neither of which have anything to do with his...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rockford votes Raja, defeats schools tax
ROCKFORD — Democratic voters across Illinois eager to change the direction of the country backed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton to succeed U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, but that wasn’t the case in Rockford and Winnebago County. In a low turnout election, voters...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Troops deployed to Middle East region
Despite promises of the war with Iran ending soon and broad disapproval of further U.S. involvement, the White House is signaling more is coming on the front in the Middle East. The U.S. military is deploying thousands of additional troops, including...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Illinois voters decide primary races
Democratic voters itching for a new direction took advantage of a rare opportunity to significantly reshape the national party by backing a new generation in the March 17 Illinois primary. The marquee race was picking a replacement for longtime...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
AI school flips learning on its head
Matt Shenker recently witnessed a group of fourth and fifth graders at Alpha School Scottsdale doing what he said boys that age do: calling each other fat and making jokes at each other’s expense. At most schools, a teacher or staff member would step...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wanted: Volunteers to host nuclear waste
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration’s plan to unleash a wave of small futuristic nuclear reactors to power the AI era is falling back on an age-old strategy to dispose of the highly toxic waste: bury it at the bottom of a very deep hole. But there’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)