As Illinois Democrats welcome their party’s national convention next month, one of their crown jewels for environmental activism — an electric school bus factory — is fighting for its life.

A rash of catalytic converter thefts targeting a Joliet school bus parking lot forced an e-learning day for students Monday.

LionC electric school buses sit in various states of assembly in the Lion Electric plant in Joliet on June 5, 2023. An electric motor is installed on the chassis of a Lion6 electric school bus.

Despite widespread public concern, however, we could find no evidence that Joliet school buses had been prohibited from traversing the I-80 bridges with students aboard.

As electric school buses gain momentum across the US, Lion Electric announced Wednesday it produced its first “made in America” LionC zero-emission EV school bus at its Joliet, Illinois ...

In February, a Joliet school district was forced to move to e-learning after a rash of catalytic converter thefts also targeted their school buses.

Catalytic converters stolen from school buses in Joliet, Illinois 01:42 Troy School District confirmed the buses were under surveillance cameras and inside secure fencing.

Catalytic converters were stolen from 30 buses in the school district, police said, leaving the majority of the fleet "inoperable." ...

A local school district was forced to switch to e-learning Monday after a vandalism spree left more than 80% of its school buses inoperable.