Illinois news

• EPA Rollback Could Bring Dirtier Air to Black Communities

  19-07-2026 13:43 via chicagodefender.com
  
  by Willy BlackmoreFor decades, highways and industrial corridors have exposed Black communities to disproportionate levels of diesel pollution. As the Trump administration eases clean truck standards, environmental advocates warn those neighborhoods could once again pay the highest price.The research is conclusive: Black communities are disproportionately exposed to diesel exhaust and other traffic-related pollution. So when Biden-era crackdowns on diesel emissions were scheduled to take e
  
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• Salvation Army Centers open during air quality alert

  19-07-2026 13:40 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services provides 600,000 masks to Chicago First RespondersAs hazardous wildfire smoke continues to impact the Chicago region and air quality levels reach unhealthy ranges, The Salvation Army is opening select facilities across Chicagoland as Air Quality Respite Centers for residents seeking relief from smoky outdoor conditions.Air quality across the region has deteriorated significantly due to smoke from ongoing wildfires in Canada and Minnesota. On Friday, Ai
  
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• Divorce in the Black Church: Why Women Often Bear the Blame

  19-07-2026 13:39 via chicagodefender.com
  
  by Rev. Dorothy BoulwareNearly two centuries after the first Black woman preacher, more women are called to ministry — but tradition and bias still keep many from the pulpit.While there are some who preach, others who lead, and even an AME bishop, fewer than 1 in 10 Black church leadership positions are led by Black women. That’s despite the fact that 8 in 10 Black church congregants are Black women. Experts say progress has been slower and uneven than expected.Born into a free Blac
  
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• Cook County state’s attorney brings charges against Bellwood police officer

  19-07-2026 13:39 via chicagodefender.com
  
  CCSAO Announces Official Misconduct Charge Filed Against Bellwood Police Officer CHICAGO – A Bellwood Police Officer has been charged with a felony count of official misconduct for allegedly sharing confidential law enforcement information with an acquaintance who was a suspect in a crime, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Saturday.   The CCSAO’s Law Enforcement Review Unit (LERU) approved a ch
  
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