
Saturday hours extended at Southland driver services offices
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias' office said it hopes to reduce wait times and make it easier for people to access their services.
Walk-in customers are able to apply for or renew driver's licenses, state ID cards or Real IDs, renew vehicle registration, apply for disability placards and change from a temporary visitor driver's license to a standard driver's license.
The service hour extensions come several months since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began asking for travelers to show their Real IDs before getting on planes, though travelers without them would still end up boarding, just with extra steps.
As the deadline approached, Giannoulias urged Illinoisans to wait on visiting drivers services offices for their Real IDs unless they needed them, as the surge in customers made it difficult for some customers to access other services.
'To see these lines right outside our door here, it is probably the most frustrating thing I've ever seen in public life, because it does not have to be this way,' he said in May. 'Again, people have had over a decade to get this done.'
The extended hours include offices at 7358 W. 87th St., Bridgeview; 570 West 209th St., Chicago Heights; and 5301 West Lexington St., Chicago.
Locations that will continue providing appointment-only services include 9901 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago; and 14434 South Pulaski Ave., Midlothian.
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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Saturday hours extended at Southland driver services offices
Melrose Park, Chicago Heights and Bridgeview locations for Illinois Secretary of State drivers services are among those to open on Saturdays for walk-in express services through Sept. 6. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias' office said it hopes to reduce wait times and make it easier for people to access their services. Walk-in customers are able to apply for or renew driver's licenses, state ID cards or Real IDs, renew vehicle registration, apply for disability placards and change from a temporary visitor driver's license to a standard driver's license. The service hour extensions come several months since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began asking for travelers to show their Real IDs before getting on planes, though travelers without them would still end up boarding, just with extra steps. As the deadline approached, Giannoulias urged Illinoisans to wait on visiting drivers services offices for their Real IDs unless they needed them, as the surge in customers made it difficult for some customers to access other services. 'To see these lines right outside our door here, it is probably the most frustrating thing I've ever seen in public life, because it does not have to be this way,' he said in May. 'Again, people have had over a decade to get this done.' The extended hours include offices at 7358 W. 87th St., Bridgeview; 570 West 209th St., Chicago Heights; and 5301 West Lexington St., Chicago. Locations that will continue providing appointment-only services include 9901 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago; and 14434 South Pulaski Ave., Midlothian.


Axios
08-08-2025
- Axios
Illinois targets alleged bias in car insurance pricing
Illinois' secretary of state is trying to change how much drivers pay for car insurance. Why it matters: A variety of factors determine car insurance rates, including credit score, ZIP code and age, rather than just driving record. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias calls this "economic injustice" and says it leads to more uninsured drivers on the road. Driving the news: Giannoulias has launched the "Driving Change" campaign with a series of town halls and a website calling for drivers' stories about their auto insurance and rate increases. The goal is to build enough support for legislation in the Illinois General Assembly to change the way insurance companies determine rates. Reality check: Drivers will move one block and see their insurance jump sometimes 30%, the secretary said, and his office has heard from people who register their cars at a family member's address in a ZIP code with a better rate. Flashback: The Illinois House introduced a bill last year to prohibit insurance companies from using credit score, ZIP codes and age as factors in determining rates, but the bill didn't make it to a vote. During this year's spring session, a bill was filed that requested a study into rate-making practices, but the Senate didn't consider it. By the numbers: 8.5 million drivers are registered in Illinois, according to the secretary of state's Office. 630,000 drivers were cited last year for driving without insurance, Giannoulias said. What they're saying: "Policies based on credit rating disproportionately impact people with lower incomes and people of color," Giannoulias said. "In fact, an Illinois driver with good credit and a DUI will get a lower premium than a driver with poor credit and no DUI." "Illinoisans living in predominantly minority ZIP codes pay at least 10 times more than those living in non-minority ZIP codes," the secretary added. The other side: "Our use of a credit-based insurance score (CBIS) helps us better match price to risk. In fact, CBIS is standard practice in the industry. Still, it is just one of the many factors we use, where allowed, in our effort to charge a fair and lawful price for each policy," State Farm spokesperson Gina Morss-Fischer tells Axios in a statement. "A Federal Trade Commission study released in 2007 concluded that credit-based insurance scores are effective predictors of future auto insurance losses." Axios also reached out to the Illinois Insurance Association but did not hear back.


Indianapolis Star
07-08-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Pato O'Ward surprised by use of No. 5 IndyCar image in DHS's 'Speedway Slammer' tweet
IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward says he was "caught off guard" by the use of an IndyCar image with a No. 5 in the Trump administration announcement of a "Speedway Slammer" to house detained immigrants in northern Indiana. 'It caught a lot of people off guard. Definitely caught me off guard,' O'Ward told the Associated Press. 'I was just a little bit shocked at the coincidences of that and, you know, of what it means. ... I don't think it made a lot of people proud, to say the least.' An Aug. 5 tweet on X from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security showed a white Indy car with "ICE" and a No. 5 on it. Above the car were the words "Speedway Slammer" with a black-and-white checkered flag. Penske Entertainment, which owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar series, has objected to DHS's use of IndyCar imagery, but a department spokesperson rejected the idea that it's protected intellectual property. O'Ward, whose car sports a No. 5, is the only Mexican on the tour. The popular driver said he learned about the post when a friend texted him, according to the AP story: 'I haven't really read into it too much because I don't think I want to.'