Illinois General Assembly

The Midgets mascot originated roughly 90 years ago. If passed by Illinois lawmakers, the bill would require the Metro East high school to change by September 2028.

While the next closest option received less than 9% of the vote — nearly 57% of votes were cast for a different option. That may signal that the state does indeed want change, according to flag experts.

Advocates have said Freeburg's mascot, the "Midgets” to be derogatory, objectifying and dehumanizing. A bill proposed in the Illinois General Assembly would ban public schools from using derogatory names for people with disabilities as mascots.

Voting to decide Illinois’ next flag is underway until Feb. 14. From there, the results will be turned over to state lawmakers, who have the final say.

Flag voting began Friday and will remain open until Feb. 14, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said.

Bill allows tribe to acquire 1,500-acre state park in DeKalb County.

“You have to get the foundation laid and then go from there,” said Lynn Cope, whose 29-year-old son, Clayton, was killed by an Edwardsville tornado in December 2021.

The public will vote on the finalists or a former flag beginning in January. From there, the results will be given to the Illinois General Assembly.

Following an Edwardsville tornado that killed six Amazon employees, the Illinois Warehouse Safety Task Force made preliminary recommendations on Tuesday.

The Healthcare Protection Act passed the Illinois House last week. Now, it's headed to the Senate. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state lawmakers say the legislation will put power in the hands of patients and their doctors.