Early voting and vote-by-mail in Peoria County are on hold as election officials here wait for an appellate court decision that could impact ballots. The Peoria County Election Commission has announced it will not begin early voting as scheduled due to ongoing litigation involving a Republican candidate for governor.

The Leland Grove police chief was placed on administrative leave after being arrested on DUI and domestic battery charges early Thursday morning. Leland Grove Mayor Mary Jo Bangert confirmed Chief Daniel Ryan's arrest to WAND News. She said Ryan was immediately placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

The Illinois Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s ruling that Grain Belt Express (GBX) did not demonstrate sufficient financing for a proposed multi-state transmission line that crosses nine Illinois counties and remanded the rest of the case back to the appellate court.

Amid a flurry of lawsuits filed in federal court against the Trump administration, Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office won a historic first in Illinois last month by successfully trying the state’s first civil hate crime lawsuit.

An indictment against a Granite City man accused of murdering his brother in October was made public. Franklin Smart Jr. was attacked Sept. 29 with a "long-handled gardening tool" and died about two weeks later in a St. Louis hospital.

The Candidate Report for the 2026 ISBA Election is available. All members of the Association (except non-lawyer members) with their dues paid by March 2, 2026, are eligible to vote.