Illinois Court Reporters Association

ILCRA was informed of this CEU advertisement floating around. And guess what -- ILCRA will be offering the required sexual harassment training during its Marathon webinar on March 26 & 27!
More details are coming, but save the date!
Why sign up for "ours" instead of "theirs"? Because you will be supporting your state association as we continue to support you!

This pandemic has been lemons. But we're making lemonade with our happy hour that's as close as your computer screen!
Join us as we host a fun get-together virtually this Friday from 6:30-8:30. Click on the link below or check your e-mail for the info!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88691619130?pwd=TndUNnFHSU5OaENZR0s3SmJwb1pBQT09

ILCRA Members Happy Hour

The ILCRA Board is hosting a virtual Happy Hour Friday, February 26th from 6:30 to 8:30! Bring your favorite cocktails and mocktails, your bubbly and your zero proofs, as we get together for fun and maybe a little shop talk. See you there!

ILCRA BOARD MEETING 2/11 @ 6PM CST.
No matter how you show up, you are welcome to attend! Send us a Facebook message or email [email protected] for the Zoom link.

Fall. A perfect time to gain knowledge and much needed CEUs! Join us Saturday, November 7, 2020, from 9 am - 12 pm for a timely program you will not want to miss: Court Reporting in the time of COVID. How you can get the competitive edge!

Follow this link to read more and to register: http://bit.ly/ILCRANovSeminar

ILCRA members pay $59 ($75 for non-members) to receive 0.3 CEUs*

No partial credit is available
*pending approval by NCRA

VIRTUAL SESSIONS:

9:00 am – 10:00 am
COURT REPORTING AND THE PANDEMIC PIVOT (0.1 CEU)

10:00 – 11:00 am
ZOOM 101 (0.1 CEU)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
VIRTUAL STENO SWAP (0.1 CEU)

12:00 pm
ILCRA BUSINESS MEETING

Follow this link to read more and to register: http://bit.ly/ILCRANovSeminar

https://www.ilcra.org/seminar---november-7--2020

Congratulations to Pete Shanks on his retirement! Pictured here is over 225 years of court reporting experience! Incredible!

REMINDER! Today is the deadline for your ILCRA dues! Be sure to visit www.ilcra.org and renew today!
If you haven't been to the new website recently, remember, you may have to create a new username and password. If you experience any hiccups, try that first.
Having other difficulties? Don't hesitate to reach out and send us a message right here on Facebook!
We are all in this together!

We just wanted to let you know ILCRA is standing behind all of you, working hard behind the scenes to stay up-to-date on the latest with COVID-19 and how it continues to affect all of us statewide.
While ILCRA may not be at the forefront of your minds, ILCRA is thinking of you during this time and is continuing to put your best interests first.
We have a lot of announcements coming up, so stay tuned -- and above all, stay safe!

Home

ILCRA has created a webpage on our website specific to some questions that may arise during this time. Please visit https://www.ilcra.org/ to see the information posted that is currently available to anyone interested; not just members. What a great time to tell your colleagues about becoming an ILCRA member, too! Sign-up is located under the Membership tab on the website.
Take care and stay healthy, everyone!
-- Georgia, ILCRA President

ilcra.org The objective of the Illinois Court Reporters Association is to assume responsibility for leadership and enlightenment of the users of verbatim shorthand reporting of proceedings and of the public regarding the special competency, importance and value of the shorthand reporting system. ILCRA works t...

Behind The Scenes With WGBH’s Media Access Group On Super Bowl Sunday

Think stenography is just for the courtroom? Think again! Captioners, such as ILCRA's very own Past-President Kathryn A. Thomas, work to expand accessibility for millions of people! The possibilities within this profession are endless.

wgbh.org WGBH’s Media Access Group provided closed captioning services for the nearly 400,000 deaf and hard of hearing viewers watching Super Bowl LIII.

ILCRA is extremely proud of our member Lorie Kennedy who won the Gary L. Sonntag Speed Contest last month in Springfield! Thank you, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, for shedding some light on just how incredible our competitors are. Congrats, Lorie!

Polo Community School District

Career Day at PCHS today

Court (reporting) is in session

"There is a growing shortage of court reporters, not only in Texas, but across the nation and if you're looking to make more than $80,000 a year, it could be for you."

Curious about how to get started as a stenographer in Illinois? Message us and we'll be happy to get you connected with a reporter or A to Z program starting in your area!

kristv.com If you are looking to start a career or looking to change careers, Del Mar College has a program for you: court reporting. There is a growing shortage of court reporters, not only in Texas, but across the nation and if you're looking to make more than $80,000 a year, it could be for you.

It is an honor to be recognized by the Illinois Secretary of State for the work that Illinois stenographers are doing with the Veterans History Project! We are so proud of our ILCRA member Jill Storm Layton for all the hard work she puts into this!

Today, #ILSOS, State Librarian and Archivist Jesse White hosted “Preserving Their Memories” to honor veterans and their contributions to the Illinois Veterans’ History Project at the Illinois State Library in Springfield. With nearly 6,500 records documented, the Illinois Veterans’ History Project honors Illinois veterans by documenting and preserving their experiences.

White, who served as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, was also a member of the Illinois National Guard and a reservist.

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/public/veteransproject.html

Illinois Court Reporters Association
The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs
Glenwood High School
Titan Fever Show Choir

Court reporters in high demand across the U.S.

wsiltv.com There are more than 50 court reporter vacancies across Illinois, which prompted the circuit to hold 'first-steps' classes in order to introduce people to the profession.

Central Illinois courtrooms continue grappling with void of court reporters

Illinois court reporters making headlines all over the place! Here is ILCRA treasurer Donna Banks photographed for an article by Decatur's Herald & Review!

https://herald-review.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/central-illinois-courtrooms-continue-grappling-with-void-of-court-reporters/article_368063bc-9b5b-590c-9115-1cbdace483e6.html

herald-review.com Officials say an influx of new court reporters is needed quickly. The National Court Reporters Association estimates a shortage of 5,000 court reporters throughout the United States.

ISU grad a 'rising star' of court reporting

Illinois' own Isaiah Roberts making headlines again!
We are so proud to claim this young court reporter as our own and appreciate the exposure he's brought to the profession. We all benefit from his efforts!

https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/isu-grad-a-rising-star-of-court-reporting/article_4d0382d3-842e-5487-aae9-511a6e7b7a4b.html?fbclid=IwAR2OBiVkvoI8Si5bBVGzKriAvpReDJqKKBLC9FMVtMhp0gDjGyDa4lY36NY

pantagraph.com Isaiah Roberts chuckles when he hears it, but still remains humble and proud, when people call him “a rising star in the court reporting world.”

media2.giphy.com

Many thanks to everyone who made ILCRA's 2019 Annual Convention another success, including all of our attendees!
Special thanks to our NCRA dignitaries, Jason Meadors and Doreen Sutton. It was such a pleasure to have you both.
Please be on the lookout for some quality photos that Jason took over the weekend. They're professional grade!
We will circulate a survey soon and we welcome your feedback. It empowers us to bring you what you want for next year.
See you next time!

media2.giphy.com

media2.giphy.com

In case there was any confusion!
The Town Hall meeting Saturday at 7:30 a.m. will also encompass the business meeting at that time.
We are looking forward to seeing you all there!

media2.giphy.com

ilga.gov

Yesterday, the Governor signed SB 397, which allows state-paid court reporters to be paid more than what is currently set in statute, and allows court reporters of individual circuits to unionize in lieu of bargaining on a statewide basis.
http://ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/101/PDF/101-0581.pdf

ilga.gov

[08/24/19]   BREAKING: SB 2128, the bill to add voice writers to CSR testing and licensure, has been fully vetoed by the Governor. We will discuss it in depth at this year's Town Hall in Springfield and start preparing for next year. Register at www.ilcra.org .

National Court Reporters Association

Congratulations to the 2019 CASE Award of Excellence winner Margaret (Peg) Sokalski-Dorchack, RMR, a court reporting program director for MacCormac College in Chicago, Ill.!
http://ow.ly/tAFs50vEz4l

Court Reporting Services - State of Illinois

We are so sad to share the news that our longtime colleague and friend, Judy Loro, passed away on August 19, 2019. She was diagnosed with ALS and put up a good fight. We thought everyone could enjoy Judy’s fun spirit with these photos from past seminars and in our office. FYI - that was a seminar session on assault weapons back in 2007, and they let us play with guns!

Today, we celebrate Judy’s legacy within this office, and in life in general. She will be very missed! ❤️

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/springfield-il/judith-loro-8826339

Baby powder, computer fans and flying fingers: Welcome to the Olympics of court reporting

denverpost.com The cream of the captioning crop competed Wednesday to be named the fastest, most accurate court reporter in the nation during the annual National Court Reporters Association convention and expo in…

[08/01/19]   Update on SB 2128: The IDFPR is pushing back against the bill, claiming testing voice writers would have to pay exorbitant fees due to the small amount of expected applicants. We're continuing to monitor the progress of this bill, and we'll talk about it in-depth at our upcoming convention, September 6-7 in Springfield. Register today! ilcra.org

media.tenor.com

Whoops!!! If you experienced any 404 messages from ILCRA.org earlier today, we apologize!
Our website is back up and running, so if you haven't registered for convention yet, now is a GREAT time!
Looking forward to seeing you in September!

https://ilcra.org/sitepage.asp?page=Convention

media.tenor.com

ILCRA is aware of SB 2128 and has been in touch with our lobbyist since its introduction.
ILCRA's board members have been in constant contact regarding this bill, and we plan to address the details of our efforts at the Town Hall at the 2019 convention in Springfield, September 5-7.
Registration through our website is available below, as well as the full bill we will discuss in September.
Know someone who is not member of ILCRA? Encourage them to join and attend our convention!

http://www.ilcra.org/sitepage.asp?page=Convention

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2128&GAID=15&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=120299&SessionID=108&GA=101

Illinois Court Reporters Association's cover photo

Illinois Court Reporters Association's cover photo

First Steps | Become a Court Reporter!

illinoisofficialcourtreporters.com Find out more about how and why you should become a court reporter! We provide a FREE introduction to court reporting course which will tell you all you need to know to get started, and where this exciting career can take you!

ocr-illinois | North

illinoisofficialcourtreporters.com The Administrative Office for Official Court Reporters in the Illinois Courts.

Hey, we know this guy in the picture! And he'll be talking about captioning Coachella at our upcoming annual convention. Save the date -- September 6-7 in Springfield!

There’s no doubt about it: NCRA members take on some exciting, fascinating, and inspiring work. NCRA has launched a new Web page as part of our NCRA 2.0 effort to capture some of these stories highlighting our members.
http://ow.ly/e4US50uxbhi

[05/15/19]   Past President Jill Layton is looking for volunteers to report Veterans' interviews for the Veterans' History Project in Springfield on Friday, July 12th at the American Legion Convention. Please let her know if you are interested either through Facebook or at Jill.LaytonCSR @ gmail .com. Thank you!

[05/15/19]   Our neighbors in St. Louis have an official job opening: Position open for an Official in St. Louis City, 22nd Judicial Circuit, for The Honorable Calea Stovall-Reid. Position needs to be filled in mid-late July. Busy circuit reporting criminal & civil cases.
Qualifications: Real-time capable & Missouri CCR. If you don’t have the CCR, it has to be obtained within a year.
Please message Jennifer Dunn for salary & questions. Email resumes to jdunncourts @ yahoo.com.