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Flag voting began Friday and will remain open until Feb. 14, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said.

The public will vote on the finalists or a former flag beginning in January. From there, the results will be given to the Illinois General Assembly.

After examining submissions from the public, flag commission members will select 10 entries based on how they reflect the identity of Illinois. The state legislature will have the final say.

Matt Mitchell, a former Illinois State Trooper who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter of two Metro East sisters in 2007, abandoned his efforts to have a hearing into the restoration of his driving privileges 鈥� for now.

Illinoisans who need a notary public can now access those services online through a new 鈥淓-Notary鈥� portal launched by the secretary of state鈥檚 office.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office will now offer the gender-neutral marker 鈥淴鈥� as an option on IDs alongside 鈥淢鈥� and 鈥淔鈥� for male and female.

The bill, sponsored by Illinois State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, and Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, would allow Illinoisans to put electronic versions of their driver's licenses and IDs on their phones.

鈥淭he amount of no-shows has been devastating,鈥� said llinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

Each of the state鈥檚 28 prisons will receive $15,000 for books, magazines and other supplies 鈥� the first time they鈥檝e received public funding of any kind in six years.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias told the U.S. Senate panel that public libraries have become 鈥渢hunderdomes of controversy and strife鈥� across the country.