Illinois quick hits: Gun ban challengers petition SCOTUS; man sentenced for COVID fraud

Illinois quick hits: Gun ban challengers petition SCOTUS; man sentenced for COVID fraud

August 27, 2025/
Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Gun ban challengers petition SCOTUS

The Second Amendment Foundation is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take a challenge to Cook County’s ban on semi-automatic firearms.

Originally filed in 2021, the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals sided with the county, upholding the ban in June of this year. In 2023, the state enacted a similar ban.

A Second Amendment challenge for the statewide ban is set to be heard by the appeals court Sept. 22. A district judge found the state’s ban unconstitutional last year.

Man sentenced for COVID fraud

A federal judge has sentenced a former Chicago man to a year and half in prison for scheming to fraudulently obtain nearly $2 million in small business loans from COVID relief funds.

Prosecutors say Samuel W. Jackson, 45, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering after he and others spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury vehicles and at restaurants and entertainment venues.

Airport funding announced

More than $8 million in federal tax funds from the Trump administration is headed for airports across Illinois.

The U.S. Department of Transportation funding goes to improve taxiways, accommodate more passengers and make travelling easier.

An airport in Peoria is getting $7.6 million. Airports in Decatur and Bloomington are also receiving funds.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

AAA: Record July 4th travel expected as gas prices ease

AAA: Record July 4th travel expected as gas prices ease

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Drivers will get some relief at the pump this Independence Day weekend after months of high gas prices. With a record number of Americans expected...
A year after deadly floods: Foundation launches national parent pledge campaign

A year after deadly floods: Foundation launches national parent pledge campaign

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The Safe Summers Foundation has launched a national parent pledge campaign approaching the one-year anniversary of the July 4 historic flood that swept through the...
A year after deadly floods: Foundation launches national parent pledge campaign

A year after deadly floods: Foundation launches national parent pledge campaign

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The Safe Summers Foundation has launched a national parent pledge campaign approaching the one-year anniversary of the July 4 historic flood that swept through the...
Survey: Patriotism runs high as most Americans are achieving the American Dream

Survey: Patriotism runs high as most Americans are achieving the American Dream

By Tate RosentreterThe Center Square A majority of U.S. adults say they are living the American Dream and are proud to be Americans, while negative sentiments toward AI’s effect on...
Colorado's 50,187-acre fire tops U.S. firefighting priorities

Colorado’s 50,187-acre fire tops U.S. firefighting priorities

By Robert MattesonThe Center Square A 50,187-acre wildfire in Colorado has been declared the nation's No. 1 firefighting priority. Spanning Pueblo and Custer counties, the Aspen Acres Fire is expected...
Polling: Texas' U.S. Senate race statiscally tied

Polling: Texas’ U.S. Senate race statiscally tied

By B y Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The Republican Party will hold its first-ever midterm national convention in Dallas in September as Texas’ U.S. Senate race is statistically tied. Political...
Polling: Texas' U.S. Senate race statiscally tied

Polling: Texas’ U.S. Senate race statiscally tied

By B y Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The Republican Party will hold its first-ever midterm national convention in Dallas in September as Texas’ U.S. Senate race is statistically tied. Political...
Major TdA busts in Texas, Illinois, charges include murder, kidnapping

Major TdA busts in Texas, Illinois, charges include murder, kidnapping

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Eight Venezuelan men, all illegally in the U.S., have been arrested in Texas and Illinois on...
Vought cites $30B war cost as his agency seeks $67B for conflict

Vought cites $30B war cost as his agency seeks $67B for conflict

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told Congress the Iran conflict has cost "about $30 billion," six days after his own agency asked...
Vought cites $30B war cost as his agency seeks $67B for conflict

Vought cites $30B war cost as his agency seeks $67B for conflict

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told Congress the Iran conflict has cost "about $30 billion," six days after his own agency asked...
Pritzker defends state ban on semiautomatic weapons

Pritzker defends state ban on semiautomatic weapons

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – After the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider a case challenging Cook County’s ban on semiautomatic weapons,...
Pritzker defends state ban on semiautomatic weapons

Pritzker defends state ban on semiautomatic weapons

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – After the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider a case challenging Cook County’s ban on semiautomatic weapons,...
GOP hardliners vow to blockade must-pass bills unless voter ID demands met

GOP hardliners vow to blockade must-pass bills unless voter ID demands met

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Despite the looming 2026 midterm elections and the growing list of congressional responsibilities, a persistent group of Republicans are vowing to obstruct all U.S. House...
GOP hardliners vow to blockade must-pass bills unless voter ID demands met

GOP hardliners vow to blockade must-pass bills unless voter ID demands met

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Despite the looming 2026 midterm elections and the growing list of congressional responsibilities, a persistent group of Republicans are vowing to obstruct all U.S. House...
Illinois Quick Hits: AG, Chicago Law Department hail Massachusetts ruling

Illinois Quick Hits: AG, Chicago Law Department hail Massachusetts ruling

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul says he is pleased with a U.S. District Court of Massachusetts decision...