Senators plan to return to Springfield on Sunday to pick the chamber’s next leader and whoever is picked will only be allowed to serve in that capacity for a decade.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Illinois’ congressional delegation mixed on cannabis legalization
With Illinois now more than two weeks into the legalization of cannabis for adult recreational use, some Illinois congressmen are sounding off on if the federal government should follow suit.… MORE
Study: Illinois report card includes some good and some bad
The report card for Illinois is some good and some bad, in a newly-released study on government efficiency. … MORE
Pritzker, lawmakers look to end cash bail, mandatory minimums and expand deferred prosecution
Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to make criminal justice reform a major focus in the years ahead.… MORE
ISU professor: Senate impeachment trial could last a month
After House Democrats delivered articles of impeachment – abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – to the Senate, one Illinois State University Professor said the trial could go as long as a month.… MORE
Abraham Lincoln Libary and Museum: ‘the past is the past’ when looking at 2020
“There were some bumps in the road in the past, but the past is the past.”… MORE
Illinois lawmaker files bill to end automatic pay raises for legislators
A state lawmaker has filed a bill to end automatic pay hikes for state legislators. … MORE
Illinois commission on lobbyists hears concerns about lack of uniform standards, shadow lobbying, loopholes
Illinois state lawmakers heard about lobbying regulations, the lack thereof, and the need to close some loopholes at a commission meeting Tuesday about lobbying.… MORE
Fewer Illinois taxpayers are on the hook for growing public sector pension liabilities
As the state’s pension liabilities mount, fewer taxpayers remain to pay the tab.… MORE
Illinois lawmakers propose to pay for first two years of college for state residents
Another measure has been filed to create a taxpayer-funded program to ensure Illinois residents have their first two years of college tuition paid for.… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…