University of Illinois professor Fred Giertz says his figures show Illinois is in positive territory for the first time since before the pandemic began.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Map madness has some state lawmakers in its grip
The opposing political parties in Springfield offer opposing views of just how diabolical the every-ten-years process of redistricting really is.… MORE
Somber Illinois tradition resumes in Springfield
After a year off because of the coronavirus, and with a refurbished and improved statue standing behind them, police officers and families from around the state gathered for Illinois’ annual police memorial ceremony.… MORE
Governor announces state will enter Bridge Phase May 14, could fully reopen next month
Illinois will enter the Bridge Phase of the Restore Illinois plan on May 14 and could fully reopen by June 11, according to Gov. JB Pritzker.… MORE
An Illinois House majority says Washington, D.C., should be a state.
Members of the Illinois House took time to kick around the idea of statehood for Washington, D.C., as a resolution. That, of course, carries no weight, nor do people at the Illinois State Capitol have the authority to decide D.C. statehood.… MORE
State pension costs are not the only thing tying up the budgets
State pension costs are not the only thing tying up the budgets. It’s also local pension costs.… MORE
State Senator sponsoring a bill to outlaw school dress codes which pertain to hair
Almost sixty years after music’s British Invasion inspired teenagers to test the boundaries with their hairstyles, schoolchildren are still finding the rules oppressive.… MORE
Illinois Secretary of State calls for new Dr. King statue
One of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s old friends says it’s time for a change.… MORE
Questions about the state veterans’ home at LaSalle are not going away
Gov. JB Pritzker Monday said he welcomed Illinois’ two U.S. senators’ call for federal involvement in the investigation into the state’s handling of a veterans’ home where 36 residents have died of coronavirus.… MORE
Pritzker says Illinois is getting closer to opening up more
Gov. JB Pritzker is cautiously optimistic about Illinois inching toward fully reopening. … 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…