Illinois quick hits: Bovino thanks police; fire assistance grants available

Illinois quick hits: Bovino thanks police; fire assistance grants available

December 17, 2025/
Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Bovino thanks police

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino has expressed his appreciation to police officers in Chicago and Evanston.

In a social media post Wednesday, Bovino thanked the Chicago and Evanston departments and said they provided assistance in preventing “violent mobs” from assaulting CBP law enforcement officers as they conducted Title 8 immigration duties.

Fire assistance grants available

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is accepting applications for federal Volunteer Fire Assistance grants through Feb. 16, 2026.

The federal funds are passed through IDNR to aid fire departments in the purchase of new equipment and funding for training.

In 2025, the program awarded $322,893 for 48 Illinois projects.

Deer harvest totals

Hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 81,225 deer during the seven-day 2025 Illinois firearm deer season that concluded Dec. 7, down from 82,496 deer harvested during the 2024 firearm season.

Adams County had by far the highest total of deer harvested in 2025 with 2,291.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

What a terrorist designation could mean for Antifa

What a terrorist designation could mean for Antifa

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square President Donald Trump declared Antifa a terrorist organization on Wednesday, describing them as a “sick, dangerous, radical left disaster;” however, it’s unclear at this time...
WATCH: Report says national student debt is over $1.6 trillion

WATCH: Report says national student debt is over $1.6 trillion

By Esther WickhamThe Center Square The college student loan balance in the United States is $1.66 trillion, according to a WalletHub report. To determine the best and worst states with...
DOJ sues health plan that got almost $3.5 billion from Feds

DOJ sues health plan that got almost $3.5 billion from Feds

By Dave MasonThe Center Square The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California is suing a health insurance plan for allegedly violating the public’s trust at taxpayers’ expense....
Bill blocks Federal Reserve members' dual appointments

Bill blocks Federal Reserve members’ dual appointments

By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square Federal Reserve board members would not be able to hold dual positions appointed by the president if U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego’s new bill becomes law....
Lawmakers call for changes to cashless bail as Illinois faces federal funding loss

Lawmakers call for changes to cashless bail as Illinois faces federal funding loss

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Statehouse Republicans are calling for reform of the Pretrial Fairness Act as Illinois faces the potential loss...

WATCH: House committee debates D.C. crime after Trump emergency order

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square For the first time since President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C., district leaders squared off with congressional lawmakers regarding the government’s...
Illinois quick hits: Unemployment down; Rivian supplier gets tax incentives

Illinois quick hits: Unemployment down; Rivian supplier gets tax incentives

By The Center SquareThe Center Square Unemployment down The unemployment rate in Illinois has dropped to its lowest point since July 2023. The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced the...
Pritzker’s office ‘extremely troubled’ by photo with suspect ‘peacekeeper’

Pritzker’s office ‘extremely troubled’ by photo with suspect ‘peacekeeper’

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Officials from the governor’s office say they were “extremely troubled” to learn that a man that Gov....
Democrats' CR could cost up to $1.4 trillion, add millions to Obamacare plans

Democrats’ CR could cost up to $1.4 trillion, add millions to Obamacare plans

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Democrats’ plan to prevent a government shutdown could cost the federal government up to $1.4 trillion and subsidize millions of new Obamacare recipients over the...
Treasury goes after fentanyl-producing Sinaloa Cartel faction

Treasury goes after fentanyl-producing Sinaloa Cartel faction

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Sinaloa Cartel faction Los Mayos, along with the leader of the faction's armed wing on Thursday. The...
Pritzker touts quantum future, state senator urges caution for taxpayers

Pritzker touts quantum future, state senator urges caution for taxpayers

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker is touting Illinois as a destination for quantum computing companies, but a state senator...
Supreme Court sets oral arguments in tariff case

Supreme Court sets oral arguments in tariff case

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear arguments Nov. 5. in a case critical to a wide swath of President Donald Trump's economic agenda....
Dems release funding counterproposal full of partisan policy riders

Dems release funding counterproposal full of partisan policy riders

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square As the government shutdown deadline looms, Democrats are splitting sharply with Republicans over what kind of funding stopgap Congress should approve. While Republicans have introduced...
WATCH: Pritzker on Kimmel suspension; SNAP error rate alarms; hemp regulations loom

WATCH: Pritzker on Kimmel suspension; SNAP error rate alarms; hemp regulations loom

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop shares Illinois Gov....
Temporary Rockford Courthouse fence sparks debate over security and costs

Temporary Rockford Courthouse fence sparks debate over security and costs

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A temporary fence surrounding the federal courthouse in downtown Rockford, Illinois is drawing sharp criticism and...