Rockford Register Star
Iran sets the conditions for further negotiations
Iran vowed on April 10 not to participate in negotiations unless a ceasefire takes hold in Lebanon and Iran’s assets are unfrozen, throwing doubt over highstakes peace talks set to begin the following day in Pakistan. Iran’s parliamentary speaker,...
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U.S. News & World Report ranks top grad schools in Illinois
Thinking of going to graduate school? If so, you may be interested to know which colleges in Illinois ranked in the latest U.S. News & World Report. Illinois colleges can be found nearing the top of national lists. The publication released rankings...
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The high cost of U.S. health care
In announcing its “Great Healthcare Plan” in January, the Trump administration became the latest in a long history of efforts by the U.S. government to rein in the soaring cost of health care. h As a physician and professor studying the intersection of...
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Public defender shortage ripples across legal system
The Oregon Supreme Court on Feb. 5 issued a ruling that will have a wide impact. More than 1,400 criminal cases had to be dismissed, the justices ruled, due to lack of adequate counsel available for defendants. Like other states, Oregon must provide...
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Strategist: Hot Dems can make party cool
Former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, fired off a flirty fundraising text on Valentine’s Day about someone suggesting he’d be a good partner in an effort to woo potential donors to his New York City congressional...
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Crusader buys former Walgreens for $3.5M
ROCKFORD – Crusader Community Health has closed on the nearly $3.5 million purchase of a former Walgreens that it plans to turn into a women’s health center. Located across Ninth Street from UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital, the building measures...
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City plans $6.6M bike path for spring 2027
A key part of the city’s plans to become more bike and pedestrian friendly is taking shape on Highcrest Road. Rockford City Council is considering a $120,000 contract with Peoriabased Hanson Professional Services to acquire land and easements needed...
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Trump funding cuts axed nutrition program
If the government had found a way to save $10 for every dollar it spent helping low-income people get healthier, wouldn’t it make sense for it to keep doing that? Well, that’s exactly what the U.S. government did when it piloted the SNAPEd program in...
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Rockford Roasting Co. plans second location
ROCKFORD — Rockford Roasting Co. LLC. has purchased the former Vintage@501 and former Taco Libre building at 501 E. State St. in downtown Rockford with plans to open a second location. The $400,000 purchase from Steele’s 126 LLC was recorded by the...
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11th Street project enters phase two this summer
A second phase of the 11th Street reconstruction project from 18th Avenue to Charles Street is scheduled this summer even as Rockford completes the first phase of work that began last year. City Council will consider a $9.7 million contract with...
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Companies announce layoffs, changes
ROCKFORD, IL — TreeHouse Private Brands Inc., which operates a South Beloit cookie and cracker production facility, is among 10 companies that in February informed the state of Illinois of coming layoffs. The Illinois Department of Commerce compiles a...
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No Kings rallies a huge show of political force
The demonstration outside the Minnesota State Capitol for the marquee No Kings rally, with Bruce Springsteen and Jane Fonda on the bill, wasn’t the most notable development during the day of protests on March 28. More notable was the No Kings march in...
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Junk fee, child torture bills clear committee
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House passed more than 150 bills out of committee last week as it worked toward a March 27 deadline to move legislation to the full House. The measures included a ban on junk fees, classification of “child torture” as a...
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Rockford officials: ‘NO TIMELINE YET’
As officials continue to get pushback on the idea of a data center locating south of the airport, the city of Rockford shared information on social media about next steps and how the approval process would work. San Diego-based Monarch Energy is...
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‘Trump slump’ hit U.S. tourism in 2025
With an upcoming FIFA World Cup being staged across the nation, 2026 was supposed to be a bumper year for tourism to the United States, driven in part by hordes of arriving soccer fans. And yet, the U.S. tourism industry is worried. While the rest of...
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No Kings details for Rockford, Freeport
No Kings Rockford will be one of more than 3,000 events taking place across the country and the world, according to a community announcement. The rally is set for 1-3 p.m. March 28 at the Rockford City Market Pavillion, located at Water and State...
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LAWMAKERS AT ODDS
Chicago’s steep new tax on sports betting is creating a backlash in Springfield that could lead to new restrictions on whether municipalities should have the power to tax gambling revenue. The highly contested tax charges sports betting businesses...
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Prediction markets thrive despite Illinois crackdown
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, at a small, round table in a spacious apartment in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, 19-year-old Oliver Wilson sits engrossed in front of two laptop screens, neither of which have anything to do with his...
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Rockford votes Raja, defeats schools tax
ROCKFORD — Democratic voters across Illinois eager to change the direction of the country backed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton to succeed U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, but that wasn’t the case in Rockford and Winnebago County. In a low turnout election, voters...
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Troops deployed to Middle East region
Despite promises of the war with Iran ending soon and broad disapproval of further U.S. involvement, the White House is signaling more is coming on the front in the Middle East. The U.S. military is deploying thousands of additional troops, including...
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Illinois voters decide primary races
Democratic voters itching for a new direction took advantage of a rare opportunity to significantly reshape the national party by backing a new generation in the March 17 Illinois primary. The marquee race was picking a replacement for longtime...
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AI school flips learning on its head
Matt Shenker recently witnessed a group of fourth and fifth graders at Alpha School Scottsdale doing what he said boys that age do: calling each other fat and making jokes at each other’s expense. At most schools, a teacher or staff member would step...
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Wanted: Volunteers to host nuclear waste
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration’s plan to unleash a wave of small futuristic nuclear reactors to power the AI era is falling back on an age-old strategy to dispose of the highly toxic waste: bury it at the bottom of a very deep hole. But there’s...
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Wetlands fight INTENSIFIES
SPRINGFIELD — As the Trump administration moves to slash federal protections for waterways and wetlands, Illinois Democratic lawmakers and environmental advocates are racing to finally pass a measure that would enact state safeguards. The Wetlands...
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‘Poll Pads’ will allow faster voter sign-ins
Voters across Rockford will experience a new way to sign in for voting at their polling place on Election Day, March 17, using a stylus and iPad to scrawl their John Hancock instead of the old paper and pen format. The Rockford Board of Elections...
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Police chief defending Flock camera expansion
Police Chief Carla Redd is defending an expansion of Flock Safety license plate readers and surveillance cameras and planning greater transparency as residents voice concerns over privacy and the potential for abuse of the technology. Redd said...
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6 U.S. service members killed in crash over Iraq
Six more U.S. service members were killed when their refueling aircraft crashed after a midair collision over western Iraq, officials said March 13, as the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran reached the two-week mark with few signs of slowing down. The...
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Trump juggling war and midterms
Can President Donald Trump run both a war and a midterm campaign at the same time? He is discovering just how difficult that can be. In week two of the biggest military operation of his presidency − a conflict that already has ensnared the Gulf...
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MALARIA FIGHT MOVES FORWARD
Every year, malaria kills more than 600,000 people worldwide. Most of them are children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa. But the disease isn’t confined to poor, rural areas – it’s a global threat that travels with people across borders. For decades, the...
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Rockford developer Sunil Puri dies at 65
ROCKFORD, IL — A businessman, developer and philanthropist who helped to shape Rockford and guide its development over four decades has died. Sunil Puri died over the weekend after a lengthy battle with cancer at age 65. The founder and CEO of First...
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Civil rights veterans see familiar repression
Federal immigration agents in military gear roam city streets, wielding tear gas, pepper spray and firearms against protesters. They forcibly enter homes to make warrantless arrests. Bystanders who record enforcement actions are swept up and...
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Rockford’s snowfall comes up short
Following a virtually snow-free February, the Rockford region closed the books on a winter season that saw both below average temperatures and below average snowfall. Although the astronomical end to the season will come with the spring equinox on...
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Top IL colleges for top graduate salaries
University of Chicago graduates are bringing home the most income, compared to every other college in Illinois. UChicago graduates show the highest median earnings, four years after graduation, when compared with more than 150 Illinois institutions,...
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Trump demands Iran’s unconditional surrender
President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” in a social media post the morning of March 6, insisting “there will be no deal” to end his 7-day-old war with the battered Persian Gulf power. The president added in a social media post...
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Illinois farm kids win Food Network baking show
A talented Illinois brother and sister duo have won the inaugural season of “Baking Championship Next Gen,” defeating a dozen other sibling teams to take home the top prize. Fifteen-year-old Abigail Wolf and her brother, Kenneth Wolf, 10, of rural...
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Iran war could have an impact on U.S. economy
Oil prices jumped and global stocks stumbled immediately following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, but economists say the war will likely not have much impact on the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate decision. For...
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Dubai’s safe-haven status put to the test
DUBAI – For decades, Dubai’s sales pitch featured gleaming skylines, taxfree salaries, ease of doing business and something far more intangible: the unspoken promise that whatever was happening elsewhere in the Middle East, this city was different. The...
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UNDERSEA DIPLOMACY
Oceans shape everyday life in powerful ways. They cover 70% of the planet, carry 90% of global trade, and support millions of jobs and the diets of billions of people. As global competition intensifies and climate change accelerates, the world’s oceans...
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Ads about ICE hit TV screens
The television portrayals couldn’t be more different. One recent TV ad that aired on MS NOW and CNN featured images from the January killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis, along with news footage of people being...
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Experts warn about role social media has played
WASHINGTON – Most of this story isn’t fit for a family newspaper. The country’s political discourse has deteriorated to the point – or become so robust – that the president can drop an f-bomb and get one lobbed back in return. Of course, caustic...
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Doctors weigh in on the measles vaccine
MILWAUKEE – After a quarter century in which the United States was considered free of endemic measles, it’s back. As of Feb. 19, 982 confirmed measles cases have been reported in the country in 2026, according to the latest data from the Centers for...
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Rockford to host women’s baseball world tournaments in 2026-2027
Rockford will host the World Baseball Softball Confederation Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals in July 2027, according to a community announcement. The event will take place July 19-25 at Rivets Stadium in Loves Park. Rockford also will host the...
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Former ICE lawyer testifies to Congress
ICE supervisors are teaching “new cadets to violate the Constitution” amid President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations, a former agency lawyer testified to members of Congress. “The ICE academy is deficient, defective, and broken,” former...
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ROCKFORD ATHLETE COMPETES IN 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
Rockford’s Cameron Smith competed at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in a sport that made its debut: ski mountaineering, also called “skimo.” Smith took part in two events. He placed fourth in the mixed relay, competing with Anna Gibson. He placed eleventh...
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Detainee’s mother is Schumer’s SOTU guest
NEW YORK − A Bronx mother whose eldest son was one of the first New York City students detained by federal immigration agents is Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s personal guest to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, USA TODAY...
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“Nobody’s talking about ever going back to the prices that we had kind of been more accustomed to prior to that inflationary surge.”
Inflation ticked down to 2.4%, the unemployment rate fell and U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, whose reports economists view as the “gold standard” of data. On paper, the economy appears to be...
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Six new Golden Apple teachers announced
innebago County celebrated six new Golden Apple Teacher Award winners on Feb. 19, 2026, as the Golden Apple Foundation of Rockford traveled across the county surprising teachers in their classrooms. For full coverage, see Local & State, C1.
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‘He’s going to be himself again’
NASHVILLE – Phil Vassar’s heart stopped beating. His eyes rolled back. His skin turned blue. Doctors told him he died. Twice. The odds of the Nashville singersongwriter and pianist surviving a 2023 “widow-maker” heart attack, a complete blockage to...
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Rockford alderman proposes new rules to save historic buildings
ROCKFORD — Ald. Mark Bonne plans to introduce a two-pronged ordinance that would require Rockford Historic Preservation Commission or City Council approval before issuing a demolition permit for historic but undesignated buildings and before seeking...
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Civil rights icon ‘kept the dream alive’
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights icon who battled alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases and shamed corporations for their lack of diversity and failure to support voting rights, died on Feb. 17. He...
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USA WOMEN GO FOR GOLD
The women’s ice hockey team will play for the gold medal Thursday after defeating Sweden 5-0 Monday at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. The team has three players from Illinois: Tessa Janecke of Warren, seen above in the Sweden game, Abbey...
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IL GOP Senate candidates debate Trump and tariffs
SPRINGFIELD – If the Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has been the main event in Illinois politics over the past year, the Republican contest has largely played the undercard. But, at least for one night, the race finally...
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IL woman convicted of murder scheme tells all
APekin woman convicted of trying to solicit the murder of her husband said in a “Dateline NBC” interview that she never wanted to hurt him or anyone else, accusing a former boyfriend of trying to manipulate her before she was arrested last year. In the...
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Juvenile detention center will expand
Winnebago County is planning a $1.7 million expansion of the Juvenile Detention Center to add a mental health suite to the 48-bed facility. Paid for with a $1 million grant from the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board and $750,000 secured...
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Report: U.S. inflation ticked down in January
Inflation cooled a bit more than forecasters expected in January, with prices rising 2.4% from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Feb. 13. The report, which was delayed two days because of a brief government shutdown, revealed that inflation...
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Rockford teachers union authorizes intent to strike
Rockford teachers have not filed a 10day intent to strike notice. Not yet, anyway. Whether that changes could depend on how things go at the union’s next bargaining session Feb. 12 with Rockford Public Schools officials. Encouraged by progress made at...
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TESSA JANECKE PLAYING HARD FOR TEAM USA IN ITALY
Rockford favorite Tessa Janecke (22) of Team USA goes up against goalie Ronja Savolainen of Team Finland during the Women’s Preliminary Round Group A match between Finland and United States on Feb. 7, the first day of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter...
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Illinois’ 2026 Winter Games connection
Team USA is composed of 232 athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics taking place until Feb. 22 in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. h That roster includes 98 returning Olympians who have collected 18 gold medals. At least 11 of the athletes have ties...
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Experts: TrumpRx has limited reach at launch
President Donald Trump’s new prescription drug website, TrumpRx.gov, is focused largely on the significant discounts the administration has negotiated for users of the popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, limiting its savings for all consumers, experts...
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Social media reshaping research on substance use
When you think of tools for studying substance use and addiction, a social media site like Reddit, TikTok or YouTube probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Yet the stories shared on social media platforms are offering unprecedented insights...
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‘UNVEIL THE FUTURE’
Hard Rock Casino Rockford is plotting a potentially massive expansion as a new competitor looms across the Wisconsin border. Planning what that expansion will entail with designers and contractors in addition to Rockford, Winnebago County and Illinois...
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MAGA vs. Bad Bunny splits Super Bowl
Sen. Tommy Tuberville was thrilled to attend the Super Bowl in 2025 when he hitched a ride on Air Force One, joining President Donald Trump and several other Republican lawmakers for the big game. “Happy Super Bowl Sunday,” the Republican senator for...
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Trump attacking pillars of democracy, group says
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has attacked key pillars of U.S. democracy, Human Rights Watch warned on Feb. 4 in its annual report, citing the Republican president’s immigration crackdown, threats to voting rights and other policies. Human...
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Pedestrian deaths by trains persisting
In 2018, high-speed passenger trains branded as Brightline started running along the formerly freight-only Florida East Coast Railway. Initial service from Miami to West Palm Beach was extended to Orlando in 2023. h Unfortunately, the southern end of...
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“Designation standards in this bill are extraordinarily broad and vague. That kind of ambiguity gives the state sweeping discretion and risk capturing lawful advocacy organizations and chilling constitutionally protected activity.”
Florida is considering creating a definition for “domestic terrorist organization,” but critics of the move say its vague language may limit lawful speech by advocacy organizations and student groups. A bill now before the Florida Legislature is one...
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‘It’s their pathway’
Future nurses, medical technicians, scientists, nutritionists, graphic designers, gourmet chefs, media producers and more are getting hands-on experience in high school at The Quad. The roughly $19 million Rockford Public Schools career education...
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The force behind Jamboree
For nearly 14 years, Larry Ubben has worked tirelessly year-round to bring live music to Mount Morris and the surrounding communities every summer. h The Mount Morris Jamboree was born in 2012 when Ubben had an idea to expand on what was, at the time,...
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Former Winnebago County Board chairman dies at 72
A longtime public servant known for his “get ‘er done” attitude and who led the Winnebago County Board for 12 years has died at age 72. Former Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen was first elected to county government in 1984. After...
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Deportations from ICE street arrests increase
The Trump administration dramatically increased deportations by arresting migrants on American streets, often without criminal records, according to a new report. The Deportation Data Project’s report, released on Jan. 27, shows the sweeping effects...
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Consumer-driven future seen for GLP-1 drugs
LONDON – Ask executives in the health care industry about the future market for weight-loss drugs and the analogies are telling: monthly GLP-1 medicine subscriptions like a streaming video membership; dose decisions managed on a smartphone app; access...
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‘It’s morally wrong, and it’s unlawful’
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ oncesleepy Democratic primary for retiring Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat heated up Jan. 26 as the three leading contenders used their first live debate to cast themselves as the strongest bulwark against President Donald Trump and his...
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‘This is about what’s best for students’
Rockford Public School teachers Jan. 24 voted “overwhelmingly” to authorize a strike amid a continuing labor dispute with the district. h The vote does not automatically trigger a strike. It authorizes leaders of the Rockford Education Association —...
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ICE, Border Patrol work together more often now
The ongoing immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota involves mainly two branches of the Department of Homeland Security: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ICE is tasked with enforcing the nation’s...
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‘She has always done a great job’
Christina Kuberski took over as president of Highland Community College in the midst of one of the most challenging times in our country’s history: the COVID-19 pandemic. But Kuberski didn’t let that inhibit her from working towards a better future...
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