Latest news with #IDOT
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Iowa governor signs bill allowing poll workers to challenge voters over citizenship
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill on Monday permitting poll workers to challenge voters over citizenship. The House File 954 legislation will require individuals to present proof of citizenship to election workers who question their legal status in the United States. If poll workers are not satisfied with the supporting documents, a voter would only be allowed to cast a provisional ballot until their citizenship is confirmed by state or federal records. Concerns regarding noncitizen voters casting ballots heightened last year after President Trump and Vice President Vance spread unsupported claims that the issue of immigrants without legal status committing voter fraud was widespread. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) shared similar allegations and challenged 2,000 ballots days before the 2024 general election. An investigation revealed that 35 of the 1.7 million votes cast were ballots from noncitizens. 'Proud to stand with @IAGovernor Reynolds as she signed HF928 & HF954 into law, strengthening recounts and voter verification,' Pate wrote in a Tuesday post on the social platform X. 'Thanks to Reps. @AustinHarrisIA & Bloomingdale, Sen. Rozenboom, our county auditors & the Iowa Legislature for supporting fair, secure elections in Iowa,' he added. Under the new state law, the secretary of state would be provided with a list of Iowa residents over the age of 17 years who have self-identified as noncitizens with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT). The law would also create an 'unconfirmed' voter registration status for individuals whose citizenship the state cannot verify, according to The Gazette. 'We are very concerned to see this bill signed into law. The Iowa Legislature should have focused on making sure that the Secretary of State was reined in after the illegal debacle we saw take place in the days leading up to the 2024 election using IDOT data,' Rita Bettis Austen, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, told the Des Moines Register. 'We know that effort was a harmful failure, sweeping in thousands of fully qualified U.S. citizen voters in Iowa. But instead, this law reads like a recipe for more racial profiling, discrimination and voter intimidation impacting qualified voters,' she added. The bill is set to go into effect on July 1. Reynolds's office did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
17 hours ago
- General
- The Hill
Iowa governor signs bill allowing poll workers to challenge voters over citizenship
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill on Monday permitting poll workers to challenge voters over citizenship. The House File 954 legislation will require individuals to present proof of citizenship to election workers who question their legal status in the United States. If poll workers are not satisfied with the supporting documents, a voter would only be allowed to cast a provisional ballot until their citizenship is confirmed by state or federal records. Concerns regarding non-citizen voters casting ballots heightened last year after President Trump and Vice President Vance spread unsupported claims that the issue of undocumented immigrants committing voter fraud was widespread. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) shared similar allegations and challenged 2,000 ballots days before the 2024 general election. An investigation revealed that 35 of the 1.7 million votes cast were ballots from non-citizens. 'Proud to stand with @IAGovernor Reynolds as she signed HF928 & HF954 into law, strengthening recounts and voter verification,' Pate wrote in a Tuesday post on X. 'Thanks to Reps. @AustinHarrisIA & Bloomingdale, Sen. Rozenboom, our county auditors & the Iowa Legislature for supporting fair, secure elections in Iowa,' he added. Under the new state law, the Secretary of State would be provided with a list of Iowa residents over the age of 17 years who have self-identified as non-citizens with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT). The law would also create an 'unconfirmed' voter registration status for individuals whose citizenship the state cannot verify, according to The Gazette. 'We are very concerned to see this bill signed into law. The Iowa Legislature should have focused on making sure that the Secretary of State was reined in after the illegal debacle we saw take place in the days leading up to the 2024 election using IDOT data,' Rita Bettis Austen, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, told the Des Moines Register. 'We know that effort was a harmful failure, sweeping in thousands of fully qualified U.S. citizen voters in Iowa. But instead, this law reads like a recipe for more racial profiling, discrimination and voter intimidation impacting qualified voters,' she added. The bill is set to go into effect on July 1. Reynolds' office did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
I-57/74 interchange ramps reopening in Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The ramp from northbound Interstate 57 to eastbound Interstate 74 and the I-74 eastbound off-ramp at Prospect Avenue in Champaign will reopen Tuesday night. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that this is the third new ramp being completed as a part of the overall I-57/74 interchange reconstruction project. Drivers can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through the area of the reopening. Central Illinois fire depts. respond to Mahomet apartment fire When possible, alternate routes should be taken by motorists. Additionally, drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment. IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,200 miles of highway and nearly 9 million square feet of bridge deck over the course of the next six years as part of Rebuild Illinois. This capital plan is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. Accomplishments through Year Five of Rebuild Illinois include approximately $16 billion of improvements across Illinois on 6,541 miles of highway, 686 bridges and 986 additional safety improvements. More information on IDOT projects can be found on their website. Additionally, IDOT District 5 updates are posted their X page, and area construction details can be seen on IDOT's traveler information map. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Overnight closures to take place as McClugage bridge work continues
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The intersection of Northeast Adams Street and East War Memorial Drive will experience closures starting Monday. Lanes on these streets will be closed down to allow the removal of steel beams from the old McClugage Bridge, said a spokesperson with the Illinois Department of Transportation. The closures will take place from June 2-6 and the road will be closed for about 20 minutes sometime between 8:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next morning, they said. The lanes that will be closed will vary depending on which beams are being removed at that time, they said. They also said drivers should expect delays and also allow for extra time when travelling through the area. 'Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment,' they said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin lands $3 million state grant to build Fox River Trail underpass at Kimball bridge
The city of Elgin has been awarded a $3 million state grant to build an underpass along the Fox River Trail below the Kimball Street bridge. Gov. JB Pritzker announced $139.2 million is being awarded to 66 projects across the state, including the Fox River Trail underpass, through the Illinois Department of Transportation Enhancement Program. The program is part of Rebuild Illinois, which is designed to help make travel safer and more accessible in the communities that need it most, Pritzker said in a news release. With the funding being the largest amount in the program's history, bike lanes, sidewalks, trails and other improvements are going to be built, he said. 'This is just one part of the state's larger efforts to reverse decades of disinvestment and create more connected communities,' he said in the release. State Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, helped secure the funding. 'This project will enhance the overall accessibility and usability of the Fox River Trail, which is important to me and something I think everyone can get behind,' Castro said. The underpass will not only enhance local travel and improve mobility, it will make the trail safer, she said. Cyclists and pedestrians 'won't have to exit the trail, cross the river at Kimball Street and then reenter the trail,' Castro said. The Fox River Trail is 45.7 miles long, starting in Algonquin and ending in Aurora. It is interrupted just before the Kimball Street bridge and then picks up again south of the bridge. Elgin is planning to replace the Kimball Street and Chicago Street bridges over the next five years. State inspectors found both spans safe but functionally obsolete, and the city is in the process of doing engineering and environmental studies to rebuild them. 'The underpass resolves current safety concerns by removing the need for pedestrians and cyclists to cross multiple lanes of traffic, making the trail significantly safer and more accessible,' city spokesman Jeff Knox said. Work on the underpass 'will be coordinated with upcoming improvements to the Kimball Street bridge to minimize disruption and maximize the impact of both projects,' Knox said. The village of Streamwood is also receiving a grant for more than $1.5 million to build a 1.1-mile, 10-foot-wide multiuse path along Irving Park Road. The path will connect with existing bike and pedestrian paths. Both grants are part of IDOT's commitment to improving nonmotorized transportation options and supporting local infrastructure development across Illinois, Castro said. 'Dollars we continue to put toward Illinois' infrastructure are revitalizing aging roads and bridges, creating jobs and growing the economy by increasing mobility across the northwest suburbs,' she said. 'Getting much-needed improvement projects over the finish line is a win and will benefit our communities for years to come.'
