Gov. JB Pritzker is announcing more than $15 million in funding to boost the development of wet labs across the state.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Congressman Davis says President Biden’s $3.5T budget resolution is “full of crap”
A central Illinois Congressman is firing back on the Biden Administration as President Biden continues to tout his “Build Back Better” agenda.… MORE
State’s Parental Notification Act could be brought up during this month’s veto session
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – As reporters in Springfield tried to pin down Gov. Pritzker on whether he’ll try to repeal the state’s Parental Notification Act, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) launched a passionate argument to repeal it. Abortion rights advocates believe repealing PNA would be a good response to Texas’ anti-abortion laws. As for…… MORE
New $86M transpiration center coming to Springfield
A new, $86 million transportation center is coming to Springfield.… MORE
Can President Biden’s decisions on COVID stand up in court?
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Can President Biden’s decisions on COVID stand up in court? A University of Illinois expert says … mostly. Professor Michael LeRoy, who specializes in labor and employment law, has studied the history of executive orders, all the way back to the first one, by President Martin Van Buren. “It pertained…… MORE
Duckworth: There’s work to be done
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) says Congress must pass an infrastructure bill, and crumbling roads and unsafe bridges are only part of the reason. “We can’t get grain down the Mississippi River fast enough to the southeastern parts of the United States,” Duckworth said. “States like South Carolina and Georgia…… MORE
Congressional redistricting coming up in Illinois
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Leaders of the national watchdog group Common Cause got a taste of how Illinois does redistricting, and the group’s Illinois leader did not paint a pretty picture. Jay Young recounted for an online news conference Wednesday how state Democratic lawmakers did not wait for U.S. Census numbers, then had to…… MORE
Republican state senators want to get tough on crime
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Senate Republicans say it’s far past time for Illinois to get tough on crime. During a Zoom news conference Wednesday, lawmakers trained their sights directly at the supermajority Democrats. “Senate President (Don) Harmon (D-Oak Park) has said he has nothing on his list that is that important to do…… MORE
New study examines discrimination against older LGBTQ community
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Life is not easy for older Illinoisans who are in the LGBTQ community. AARP Illinois advocacy and outreach manager Mary Anderson says a study her organization conducted along with SAGE – an advocacy group for older LGBTQ adults – is unique. “And the findings are staggering,” Anderson told an online…… MORE
Illinois gas prices up five cents over the week
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices are up five cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.32 a gallon across the state, according to GasBuddy. GasBuddy says prices in Illinois are two cents higher than a month ago and over a dollar more expensive compared to this time last year. GasBuddy price reports…… 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…