Good afternoon, Chicago.
As energy bills climb across the state, lawmakers are exploring new ways to expand access to renewables. And one green option is outpacing the others: solar. Although Illinois is committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2050, a large group of state residents, including renters and condo owners, remain shut out of the solar transition.
“Clean energy shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for people who own a single-family home with a rooftop,” said state Rep. Laura Faver Dias, a Democrat representing Lake County.
Under state law, apartment dwellers cannot install rooftop solar, leaving millions of Illinoisans without viable options to generate their own renewable energy. Faver Dias and other Illinois lawmakers are pushing to change that.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Illinois farmers brace for another bruising season as Iran war spikes fertilizer prices
From large commercial operations to small-scale organic plots, farmers across Illinois and the country are trying to weather the sharp spike in agricultural costs driven by a conflict thousands of miles from their fields. Read more here.
More top news stories:
- Suspect in slaying of Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman denied release by judge
- Appeals court lifts protective order on Krystal Rivera shooting video
- Farmworkers Day could replace César Chávez Day in Illinois
Waukegan couple hoping to turn airstrip into local airport for general aviation enthusiasts
Brendan Stewart of Waukegan earned his pilot’s license 11 years ago, purchased a single-engine, two-seat plane and flies it out of Waukegan National Airport. Now he has an airstrip of his own with plans for aviators to enjoy recreational general aviation. Read more here.
More top business stories:
- Yorkville City Council green-lights 540-acre data center campus
- US Treasury plans to put Donald Trump’s signature on new paper currency in first for sitting president
Who will the Chicago Sky protect in the WNBA expansion draft?
The first mechanism of a complicated — and consequential — WNBA offseason will take place next week. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
- Sacha Boisvert makes NHL debut, but Chicago Blackhawks allow 2 early goals in 5-1 loss
- Cubs and White Sox share a common opponent for home openers: Chicago weather. When was the last postponement?
Review: The Hives are an old-school, full-bore blast at the Salt Shed
The most outrageously fun rock ‘n’ roll band on the touring circuit? While that distinction can change on a nightly basis, The Hives should give anyone a run for the title based on their Thursday concert at a sold-out Salt Shed. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
- Burt Bacharach revue headed to Apollo Theater in Chicago
- Review: Muti is back at the CSO and so is the drama — at the opera, on the silver screen and onstage
Israel warns attacks on Iran ‘will escalate and expand’ as Trump claims advances in ceasefire talks
Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its attacks on Iran on Friday, even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, meanwhile, gave no signs of backing down. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
