By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) says the word’s on the street – Illinois is soft on crime. “When the recent bail reform of 2017-18 went into effect,” the former Massac County prosecutor said at a House Republican news conference in Springfield Wednesday, “the individuals who were arrested quickly learned they…… MORE
By Neil Doyle CHICAGO – Following close contact Tuesday with a state employee who tested positive for COVID-19, Gov. JB Pritzker will work remotely out of an abundance of caution. According to a news release, the governor tested negative for COVID-19 as recently as Wednesday morning and is fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. The…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – They remapped the Illinois House and Senate, then the U.S. House seats in Illinois. The General Assembly Wednesday tackled a judicial remap, adding some sub-circuits, and has now completed its cartography for another decade. And the whole process upset superminority Republicans. “Judges should be neutral arbitrators of the law, not…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – It was not exactly a mortgage-burning party, but the state’s checkwriter-in-chief did take time Wednesday to brag a little about the state’s financial condition. “We – two years ahead of schedule – have made the final $302 million payment on the $2 billion loan the state took out in 2020…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A news conference the day after a fatal stabbing – that killed an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigator near Springfield – offered little new information. What it did offer was DCFS director Marc Smith’s attempt to console Deidre Silas’ loved ones. “We’re not avoiding any responsibility,” Smith…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – FOID and concealed carry license holders can now receive notices electronically. Instead of getting paper notices in the mail, you can sign up for email or text notifications. Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly says it’s part of ongoing efforts to modernize the process. “We continue to roll out these…… MORE
The top leaders of the Illinois General Assembly – as the House and Senate convene Wednesday for the first time in 2022 – agree that the state budget is the top priority. They also agree they can safely negotiate the pandemic.… MORE
Illinois House Republicans are raising concerns about the new vaccine mandate in Chicago and Cook County.… MORE
There’s a new candidate on the Republican side for Illinois secretary of state.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A self-described farm girl who used to be spokeswoman for the Illinois State Fair is making a return – as fair manager. Rebecca Clark, who has been spokeswoman for two state agencies after a career in television news, succeeds the twice-retired Kevin Gordon. In an interview Monday, Clark mentioned more…… 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…