Kane County Reporter

State lawmakers are calling for urgent changes to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) following recent findings from the Illinois Auditor General’s July 2025 compliance report, which identified 34 violations at DCFS—29 of them repeat issues. The death of 18-year-old Mackenzi Felmlee in a foster home has heightened concerns about accountability within the agency.

Representative Tom Weber, who leads the House Republican working group on Sustaining & Protecting At-Risk Kids, stated, “This isn’t about funding. It’s about a culture of mismanagement that continues to put children at risk.”

Representative Nicole La Ha, a member of the House Adoption and Child Welfare Committee, said there is a need for bipartisan action. “This isn’t a partisan issue,” Rep. La Ha said. “DCFS placed Mackenzi in a home where she was abused for years. When concerns were raised, as they should have been, the Governor dismissed them as political talking points. That’s unacceptable and extremely concerning.”

HB 1797, introduced by Weber and co-sponsored by La Ha, would require DCFS to share any reports alleging child abuse or neglect with local law enforcement immediately, regardless of who is accused—a change from current practice that only triggers notification for specific categories.

Representative Steve Reick also renewed calls for oversight after previous tragedies involving children under DCFS care. He is advocating two bills: HB 2497 would require DCFS to implement a caseload tracking system designed to ensure equal distribution among staff and trigger reorganization if disparities occur; HB 2498 would mandate an annual report on case files and staffing ratios with recommendations for improving management.

The three lawmakers urged Governor JB Pritzker and DCFS Director Heidi Mueller to act on recommendations from the Auditor General’s report and support measures focused on transparency and child safety.

In other news affecting Illinois residents, new figures show that unemployment rates dropped across all twelve metro areas in June 2025 according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). The St. Louis area reached a record low unemployment rate at 3.5%. Over-the-year job growth was recorded in five metro areas including Chicago—which marked its twelfth consecutive month of gains—and Champaign with five months of increases. However, some areas such as Davenport-Moline-Rock Island experienced job losses.

Illinois’ public pension system remains in crisis according to an analysis by the Equable Institute, which found state pensions are still fiscally unstable and threaten both retirees and taxpayers (https://www.equable.org/illinois-public-pension-crisis/). Unfunded pension obligations now amount to more than 19% of state GDP—requiring nearly one-fifth of everything produced in Illinois just to erase shortfalls (https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-illinois-pension-debt-increase-20240730-hkoxlfz6cjbw3jbrptqhzszswi-story.html). State taxpayer contributions have grown sharply over recent decades—from $614 million in fiscal year 1996 up to $11.2 billion this year (https://www.civicfed.org/iifs/blog/state-pensions-fy2024-enacted-budget-and-five-year-projections). The effective property tax rate paid by Illinoisans remains among the highest nationwide due largely to these rising pension costs (https://www.attomdata.com/news/market-trends/attom-insights/highest-property-taxes-us-counties-2024/).

The state’s funded ratio—the portion of promised benefits already covered—is now at just over half: 50.6%, ranking second lowest nationally behind New Jersey this year (https://reason.org/data-visualization/public-pension-funding-ratios-by-state-2024-update/).

The annual Illinois State Fair began August 7 in Springfield with parades, concerts featuring artists like Snoop Dogg and Brad Paisley, horse racing events during the day, food vendors offering discounts, themed days honoring various groups such as veterans and first responders, as well as exhibits showcasing agriculture.

Baseball fans are mourning Ryne Sandberg—a Hall-of-Famer known for his achievements with the Chicago Cubs—who died last week at age 65 after battling cancer. Sandberg was recognized for his skill on both offense and defense throughout his career with accolades including ten All-Star selections and nine Gold Gloves.

“Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise,” said Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts on behalf of his family and the Cubs’ organization. “His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career.

“He was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all he was proud of Margaret, his children and his role as husband father and grandfather.”

At retirement Sandberg held Major League Baseball’s record for home runs by a second baseman with 277 out of his total 282 home runs.

Ugaste is currently serving as Republican representative for Illinois' 65th District after being elected in 2019.