Latest Illinois Headlines
All the headlines from our Illinois Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Amerigroup Settles Discrimination Lawsuit for $234 Million
Jul 24 2008 // Insurance company Amerigroup Corp. said on Jul 22 that it has agreed in principle to settle for $234 million a lawsuit accusing it of discriminating against pregnant women and other high-risk patients. The settlement...
Midwest’s Flood-prone Communities Consider Government Buyouts
Jul 18 2008 // After the Great Flood of 1993, thousands of properties in flood plains around the Midwest were bought out by the government. Now, weeks after the latest massive flood, buyouts are again being considered in at least five...
Illinois Traffic Fatalities Lowest Since 1924, Seat Belt Usage Up to 90 %
Jul 17 2008 // Governor Rod R. Blagojevich announced on July 15 that Illinois’ number of motorists and front seat passengers who buckle up in the state edged upwards and exceeded 90 percent for the second straight year. In...
Feds Approve $3.6 Million in Illinois Flooding Aid
Jul 14 2008 // Federal officials say they’ve approved more than $3.6 million in disaster assistance grants for severe flooding in Illinois last month. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the funds Saturday. The money...
S&P Advises Floods Could Lead to Ratings Actions on Midwest-Focused Insurers
Jul 11 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it does not expect the 2008 Midwest floods to impact ratings or outlooks for the majority of companies that it rates. However, property/casualty writers that are...
Indiana Insurance Names Frankovich Inland Marine Manager in Illinois Office
Jul 8 2008 // Indiana Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company, today announced the appointment of. Jessica M. Frankovich to Inland Marine underwriting manager. Frankovich will be based in Indiana Insurance’s...
U.S. Agriculture Chief Cites Obstacles to Aid to Farmers Hurt by Flooding
Jul 2 2008 // The U.S. agriculture secretary says he is concerned that legal hurdles prevented much immediate federal help for Midwestern farmers faced with serious setbacks because of flooding. “I think everybody is frustrated...
Hostage Killed in Illinois Insurance Office Incident
Jun 27 2008 // Authorities have identified the woman shot to death in a suburban Chicago insurance office. The Cook County medical examiner’s office says she’s 42-year-old Jeniel Morgan of South Holland, Ill. Police responded...
Flood Insurance, Public Aid Leave Gaps for Midwest Disaster Victims Looking to Rebuild
Jun 27 2008 // With federal aid limited and most homes damaged or destroyed by Midwest flooding lacking the proper insurance, states along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers will soon have to help homeowners recover, according to the...
Illinois, Missouri Residents Prepare for Floods with Sandbags, Sweat
Jun 19 2008 // Hundreds of volunteers stacked sandbags atop a levee in small Missouri towns on the evening of June 18, hoping the extra few feet of protection would save the town from record-level flood crests expected to hit this week....
Illinois, Iowa Join Indiana in Moratorium on Policy Cancellations
Jun 18 2008 // The Illinois and Iowa Insurance Departments have implemented a 60-day moratorium on the cancellation and nonrenewal of insurance policies for people who live in counties affected by the recent storms and flooding. Indiana...
$120 Million Judgement Against a Refinery Reinstated by Illinois Court
Jun 18 2008 // An Illinois appellate court has reinstated a $120 million judgment against owners of the former Clark Oil refinery, reversing a Cook County judge’s decision to dissolve the class-action suit after a verdict was...
American Family Says Losses in Midwest $143 Million Since May 1
Jun 10 2008 // One insurance company based in the Midwest says weather-related losses are adding up quickly. Madison, Wis.-based American Family Insurance Company says that claims are mounting in the Midwest since tornados, windstorms,...
Storms Cause Flooding in Indiana, Damage in Wisconsin and Illinois
Jun 9 2008 // The death toll now stands at eight in the Midwest as tornadoes, severe thunder storms and flooding hit Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin over the last five days. The forecast for all three states call for more of the...
Tornado Warning Sirens Send Illinois Lawmakers Running for Cover
Jun 2 2008 // Tornado warning sirens chased lawmakers to the statehouse basement, a semitrailer was blown from a roadway and homes and an airport building were damaged as severe storms battered parts of Illinois and Indiana on late on...
Illinois Fire Marshal Investigates Multiple House Fires
May 28 2008 // Residents in the Parkside neighborhood in the St. Clair County town of Centreville are more uneasy than ever after someone attempted to set another house on fire over the weekend. Since January, residents have reported...
Illinois Mother Settles Malpractice Lawsuit for $15.35 Million
May 28 2008 // An Aurora, Ill. mother has settled a malpractice lawsuit for $15.35 million with a hospital and doctor after her son suffered brain damage at birth six years ago. Vanessa Jenkins gave birth to her son, Cody Smithey, at...
Court: Spaniards Can Sue in N.J. for Overseas Asbestos Exposure
May 28 2008 // A group of Spanish workers injured by asbestos-containing insulation while working on Navy ships docked in Spain can sue the manufacturer of the insulation in New Jersey — where the products were produced — a...
Illinois Department of Transportation Safety Offices to Move South
May 7 2008 // The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced recently that it will move its 148-worker traffic safety division to somewhere in southern Ilinois. A state lawmaker says discussion about the decision to move the...
Illinois Creates Seismic Safety Task Force to Prepare for Earthquakes
May 6 2008 // Illinois has decided to create a panel aimed at improving earthquake preparedness. The Illinois Seismic Safety Task Force will assess how high-risk portions of the state have prepared to minimize earthquake damage. The...
