Illinois quick hits: Toll hike hearings conclude Friday

Illinois quick hits: Toll hike hearings conclude Friday

July 23, 2026/
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By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Toll hike hearings conclude Friday

The last two public hearings on the Illinois Tollway Board’s proposed toll increases are scheduled on Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s hearing was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. in Rochelle.

The last hearing is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday at the Boone County Museum of History in Belvidere.

Tollway officials have proposed an increase of about 45 cents per toll for IPASS users and a 30% rate hike for commercial IPASS users.

$3.9 million Lincoln law office restoration completed

State officials say the historic Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices have been fully restored following a $3.9 million taxpayer-funded capital investment.

The only remaining building in which Abraham Lincoln maintained a law office consists of the surviving portion of a three-story brick commercial block constructed in 1840-1841.

Located on the Old State Capitol Plaza in downtown Springfield, the building is a state historic site operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Pontiac correctional memorial service held

A memorial service was held on Wednesday at the Pontiac Correctional Center to remember 11 workers who lost their lives in the line of duty, including three guards who were killed during a riot on July 22, 1978.

Lieutenant William Thomas, Officer Stanley Cole and Officer Robert Conkle died in the uprising that involved more than 1,000 inmates.

Illinois Department of Corrections Director LaToya Hughes recognized the eight years of combined military service by the three men who died and said each of them remained committed to public safety until their lives were tragically lost.

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