Illinois State Police officials said Thursday that they’ve stepped up enforcement efforts in the past year to get guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them after a deadly workplace shooting, but they need more resources to do the job. … MORE
While the national primary race for President is ramping up across the country, there are also local races to decide.… MORE
Lawyers representing dozens of cancer patients and their families have claimed the company they accuse of releasing a cancer-causing chemical has been raiding its coffers to minimize any potential payout, but the company denied the assertions.… MORE
An interim annual financial report shows Illinois spent more in the previous fiscal year than it collected in revenue despite claims from elected officials that the state’s budget was balanced.… MORE
While adult-use cannabis has legal in Illinois since Jan. 1, some remain concerned that high prices are keeping people from moving to the legal market.… MORE
A teachers union-sponsored poll of Illinois residents found that most think public school teachers should be paid more, receive their pensions earlier, and have the state provide more funding for public education. … MORE
A state senator wants to get a question in front of voters this November that would ban local governments in Illinois from prohibiting forced unionization. The state’s leading manufacturers’ group says that policy won’t grow the economy.… MORE
New legislation in Springfield would keep Illinois lawmakers from shutting down investigations into their colleagues by the legislative ethics officer.… MORE
The woman picked to replace a state lawmaker who resigned after being charged with bribery could face discipline and possible removal amid questions about the integrity of the selection process.… MORE
Illinois landed in the top half of a list of the most politically engaged states in the
country.… MORE
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.” …
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…
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…
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…