Illinois Quick Hits: Raoul Wants Student Debt Canceled, Boeing Moving Out, Biden To Visit Chicago

By The Center Square Staff:

Raoul pushes for student debt forgiveness

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with eight other attorneys general, are urging President Joe Biden to fully cancel federal student loan debt owed by every federal student loan borrower in the country.

According to a news release, more than $1.7 trillion is currently owed to the federal government by student borrowers. Opponents say the policy forces taxpayers to foot the bill and is unfair to Americans who didn’t attend college, never borrowed or have paid off their college debt.

Boeing moving out of Illinois

A major corporation may be leaving the Land of Lincoln for greener pastures. According to the Wall Street Journal, Boeing is expected to relocate from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia.

The new headquarters would reportedly allow company officials to be closer to government influencers in the nation's capital. Boeing moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001, leaving its Seattle home after 85 years.

President Biden to visit Chicago next week

President Joe Biden will pay a visit to Illinois next week, the first time he has been in the state since October.

Biden is traveling to Chicago to speak to the 40th International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International Convention. The event was originally scheduled for last August but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another FOID kiosk set up

Illinois State Police recently opened its fourth Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) kiosk to help Illinoisans apply for and update their FOID card and Concealed Carry License.

The Metro East now has a kiosk to assist individuals without access to online devices or who are experiencing difficulties online. The other three are located in Lockport, Springfield and Du Quoin.

Fallen officers honored

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from across Illinois traveled to Springfield Thursday to honor the lives of the 11 officers who died in the line of duty since April 2020.

The officers who were honored have their names etched into the police memorial outside the Illinois State Capitol. The Illinois Police Memorial Committee holds the event every year with a goal they say is never having to hold the ceremony again in hopes no officers are killed.

New Illinois highway maps printed

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced the release of the new Illinois Official Highway Map.

The map includes route updates as well as a new feature that shows mileage between towns and marked route junctions to help motorists plan their travels throughout Illinois. The map is paid for with funds from the Federal Highway Administration and published by IDOT every two years on recycled paper with soybean oil-based inks.

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