Certain student loan interest rates are set to double, from 3.4 percent
to 6.8 percent, come July 1. The rate hike could potentially cost millions of people who
rely on college financial assistance an additional $1,000 each school year.
The added cost is too much for some students to bear, said U.S. Rep. Tammy
Duckworth (D, IL-8) at a college affordability roundtable discussion Thursday.
“I remember what that was like as a student, when I was
counting down to the last five bucks that I had until my next check
came,” she said at the discussion, held at the College of DuPage (COD). Read more »
Immigrant rights advocates, workers and other activists will
march and rally in the city today in support of workers' rights and
comprehensive immigration reform that provides a
fair pathway to citizenship and stops deportations until a new law is passed. 
Environmentalists and public health advocates urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to finalize its draft rule that would reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline at a public hearing in Chicago today.