Those of you ready to unmask: circle Feb. 28 on your calendar.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Illinois Municipal League announces wish list for General Assembly
The voice of Illinois cities, towns, and villages at the statehouse again has a wish list for the General Assembly.… MORE
New proposal aims to fight “organized retail crime”
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is taking another step against what’s called “organized retail crime.” It’s the department store smash-n-grab and also the looting of trucks and trains, much of it captured on video. State Attorney General Kwame Raoul says it can happen just about anywhere. “This type of crime does not restrict itself…… MORE
Gov. Pritzker calling for a freeze of the state’s gas tax
Less than a year after saying the tax on gasoline needed to be doubled and then indexed to inflation, Gov. JB Pritzker says the infrastructure projects it pays for can afford a freeze.… MORE
Pritzker: State appealing recent ruling regarding wearing a mask at school
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – After a Sangamon County judge kicked off everybody’s weekend by tossing Gov. JB Pritzker’s school mask mandates, the governor and attorney general began an appeal. “Masks, for most people, anyway, have been about doing what’s right,” Pritzker said Monday morning. “Nowhere is that more true than in schools, which are…… MORE
Family Relief Plan issued by Gov Pritzker aimed at initiating tax breaks
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON-Governor JB Pritzker is touting his Family Relief Plan since his annual budget address on Wednesday. Thanks to a $1.7 billion surplus in the current state budget, he’s proposing one billion dollars in tax breaks for Illinois residents. One of those tax breaks is a one year suspension of the state tax…… MORE
Illinois under a disaster declaration because of this week’s snow
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – In anticipation of the winter storm set to hit Governor Pritzker has declared the entire state a disaster area. This will activate the Emergency Management Agency and help facilitate response and recovery operations. It will also facilitate the application for disaster relief funds from the Federal government. “At IDOT, we…… MORE
Secretive charges exposes Big Energy companies
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD-What better way for consumer groups to make their case against Big Energy than to bring out a woman who is struggling to keep up with her payments to keep warm? AARP, Citizens Utility Board, and other groups hosted an online news conference Monday featuring Donna Carpenter, who lives in Chicago’s Englewood…… MORE
ISP launches statewide expressway shooting dashboard
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Police are launching a new expressway shooting dashboard. The dashboard shows current data as well as data from the past couple of years, regarding where expressway shootings occurred. ISP Major Matt Gainer says the new feature also includes the date and time of the incident and whether there…… MORE
U of I professor: Republicans are crowding into a primary to determine who should take on Gov. Pritzker
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Once again in Illinois, a major candidate for governor has to introduce himself to most of the state. The mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin, has some challenges, according to University of Illinois Springfield political science professor Kent Redfield. “He has to present himself in a way that makes it look…… 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…