By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD-It’s congratulations, or maybe condolences, for Mike McCuskey, a retired judge who is now legislative inspectors general, appointed Thursday after a fractious debate in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. While Peoria native McCuskey is seemingly universally respected, Republicans accused super majority Democrats of ramming the appointment through, as opposed to…… MORE
If Illinois House Republicans wanted to get attention this week, they’ve got it.… MORE
Illinois House Republicans have had enough of masks, with several declaring they will be bare-faced on the House floor.… MORE
It sounds like a joke that writes itself – an arsonist is a fire chief. But it’s no laughing matter to Illinois lawmakers.… MORE
It will take more than a bi-partisan, bi-cameral roadblock to get Gov Pritzker off his mask message. … MORE
A former DCFS worker says – absolutely – caseworkers need more protection. … MORE
By Dave Dahl An Illinois House committee is delving into the Amazon warehouse disaster in Edwardsville in December. You have to follow the science, says Marc Levitan of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. “Tornadoes are much more frequent and impactful than are commonly understood,” he told members of the Illinois House Labor and…… MORE
SPRINGFIELD – The governor’s concern about the price of gasoline represents a shift since nine months ago.… MORE
Illinois’ Senior Senator is pushing the nation’s President to act swiftly to find a replacement for Justice Stephen Breyer from the Supreme Court.… MORE
Reaction to Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask mandate rollback announcement was, for Republicans, negative.… 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…