John Lippert –

A computer room inside a Digital Realty data center building on May 21, 2026, in Elk Grove Village. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Data centers could generate $57B over next decade in Illinois if public backlash addressed, study says

October 1, 2026 at 4:57 p.m.

Public policy changes like capping residential electricity rate increases at 5% per year could help Illinois navigate a challenging climate, study says.

A Canadian National freight train stops traffic along U.S. Route 14 on Aug. 6, 2026, in Barrington. An underpass is being constructed at this location to allow traffic to flow better. The underpass is expected to be completed in late 2027. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

From the Chicago suburbs to short line railroad companies, proposed merger heightens concerns

September 6, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

If Union Pacific's merger with Norfolk Southern is approved, the combined company could increase train traffic in suburbs like Barrington and take business from smaller lines.

Construction at the new Compass Datacenters 197-acre site in Hoffman Estates on June 23, 2026. Compass is constructing five hyperscale data centers on the former Sears Headquarters campus. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

How to regulate data centers in Illinois at the center of latest proposal

August 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

A broad consensus is emerging in Springfield, according to key corporate, labor and environmental lobbyists.

Natalie Ammons watches her great-grandchildren including Alivia, 4, play outside her home near the U.S. Steel Gary Works plant in Gary on May 26, 2026. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Gary residents say US Steel is jeopardizing their jobs and air quality by failing to install modern furnaces

June 28, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Direct reduction furnaces operate at lower temperatures and burn natural gas. U.S. Steel is building one of these facilities in Arkansas but says it is too costly for Gary.

The LaSalle Clean Energy Center near Marseilles, Illinois, on Feb. 23, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Central and southern Illinois residents could face high electricity rates again this summer

May 8, 2026 at 3:50 p.m.

How much Ameren customers will pay this summer partly depends on whether region experiences another heat wave.

The Lincoln Generating Facility, a peaker power plant run by Earthrise, sits idle as it does most days, on April 6, 2026, in south suburban Manhattan. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Inside an Earthrise peaker plant, a key to connecting Will County solar farms to the grid

April 14, 2026 at 7:49 a.m.

As Earthrise Energy looks to fire up solar farms across Illinois, the key to making them useful is directly linked to the five natural gas power plants it’s spent the...

Will County Board members Judy Ogalla, left, and Raquel Mitchell react during a Will County Land Use and Development Committee meeting at the Renaissance Center in Joliet, April 2, 2026. (Josh Boland/baiduhai)

Committee divided on advancing Will County solar farm following contentious hearings

April 2, 2026 at 8:41 p.m.

Residents worry about being surrounded by solar panels and officials criticize state law they say essentially ties their hands.

Alan Mundt said he was stunned when the Earthrise solar company offered him $3 million to run a power line through his Manhattan farm. He said no. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

A sprawling solar farm in Will County: Some residents cashing in; others fear being surrounded

March 29, 2026 at 12:35 p.m.

Local officials say state law ties their hands to push back as planning commission poised to vote Monday on Earthrise Energy's 6,100-acre project.

Ralph Papesh, 65, and his wife, Terri Papesh, 63, sit in their living room at their home in Elwood on March 5, 2026. The couple are worried about pollution and the risk to the community water supply if a data center is built near their property. Terri lives with medical issues that already limit her abilities as diesel truck traffic increases in the area. (Josh Boland/baiduhai)

In Will County, a deluge of data centers, warehouses and solar farms: ‘All around us, all at once’

March 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

On Monday, the Joliet City Council will vote on the largest data center in the state. Residents say development is too much, too fast.

The sun rises on a Joliet water tower on March 14, 2025. The city hopes to tap into Lake Michigan for drinking water and is working to build water towers and pump station facilities in the city. (Audrey Richardson/baiduhai)

More details emerge about proposed Joliet data center as final approval nears

March 5, 2026 at 8:46 a.m.

Massive project has alarmed residents, but rapid advances in technology and water from Lake Michigan could make it viable.

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