WATCH: IL child welfare interns debate heats up; state financial audit released
August 22, 2025/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop talks live with state Rep. Jed Davis about his continued concerns about the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ use of interns. He says he’s seeking legislative solutions but worries the issue could get buried heading into an election year.
Bishop also shares reaction to the state of Illinois’ fiscal year 2023 audit being released more than two years after the fiscal year concluded. Comptroller Susana Mendoza says future audits will be released quicker. Truth in Accounting’s Sheila Weinberg reacts.
Watch the full program below. Subscribe to Illinois in Focus Daily with The Center Square on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the Illinois in Focus podcast to get the entire show uninterrupted.
Latest News Stories
Vendors Provide Free Replacements for Defective Park District Golf Equipment
New Lenox Community Park District Meeting | July 2025 Article Summary: The New Lenox Community Park District has secured free replacements for dozens of defective golf cart windshields and a...
Education Department finds GMU Violated Title VI
By Esther WickhamThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced George Mason University violated federal law by hiring and promoting staff based on race and...
Redistricting opponents immediately appeal to CA voters
By Dave MasonThe Center Square Opponents of California’s congressional redistricting argued their case in ads that voters received in their mail immediately before or after the Legislature approved a constitutional...
Former Transportation Secretary urges state taxpayer funding for Chicago transit
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A former U.S. transportation secretary says Downstate Illinois residents should help fund Chicago transit, but a Metro...
Illinois quick hits: Education tax benefits available; Giannoulias orders license plate reader to shut off access to CBP
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Education tax benefits available As students across Illinois return to the classroom, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Revenue...
WATCH: Trump order withholds funds over no-cash bail policies like Illinois’
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Taxpayer resources should not be used to support jurisdictions with cashless bail policies, according to a new...
Trump eyes First Amendment showdown with order to prosecute flag burning
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday requiring federal prosecutors to investigate and prosecute people for burning the American flag, a practice the U.S....
Trump strikes positive tone with South Korean president
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Onlookers braced for another tense, confrontational meeting in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and another world leader when, Monday morning, Trump posted to...
House Oversight Committee to investigate D.C. police over crime data
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square In response to allegations that Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department manipulated its crime data, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is launching...
Twenty years later, Katrina still among Atlantic’s most deadly, costly
By Alan WootenThe Center Square Twenty years ago this Friday, Hurricane Katrina – once a Category 5 beast – made landfall as a Category 3 first in southeastern Louisiana and...
CBO says tariffs could raise $4 trillion over next decade, raise prices
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The Congressional Budget Office's estimated that President Donald Trump's tariffs could bring in $4 trillion over the next decade, but will raise consumer prices and...
IL Treasurer to work with lawmakers after Pritzker’s veto of nonprofit bill
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs is promising to discuss next steps with lawmakers after Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed...
WATCH: Chicago reacts to Trump’s public safety push; AI in schools; rural health care
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 delves into the...
Illinois expands campus abortion access, shields doctors from legal risk
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed new laws expanding abortion access on public college campuses while vowing to...
Illinois quick hits: Human trafficking enforcement; health care fraud division announced
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Human trafficking enforcement Illinois State Police arrested five individuals during a human trafficking demand suppression operation in the Forsyth area of...